But Uncle Tony!
by Pikapegasus
Summary: All six year old Maggie Rogers wants is to play with her uncles' cool stuff while her parents are on a mission. However, due to death threats from said parents and a sense of right from wrong, Tony and Clint refuse her requests. Romanogers. NOW A SERIES OF ONE-SHOTS, full of family fluff. Jumps all over the place chronologically.
1. But Uncle Tony!

**EDIT (AUGUST 15, 2015): **Welcome to my world since April 2014! I just wanted to put this note here to say that writing this fic has been such an _amazing _experience of personal growth and development; and, also, that my writing has improved 1000x, I _promise_! No one's first chapter of a fic is really any good by the end of the whole fic, right? ...Right?

Anywho, I decided to keep my earliest chapters up, even if they aren't really...the greatest. They're mostly for personal growth reasons. This is a caveat, isn't it? I'm not supposed to do caveats, am I? Oh, well...thanks for clicking on my fic, and I hope you enjoy! Feel free to jump around; none of the oneshots are in chronological order. I do have a timeline of the oneshots on my tumblr page, which you can find a link to in my bio. :) Ok, I'll get out of your hair now; I love you!

* * *

**A/N:** So I saw Captain America: The Winter Soldier today and ohhhh my gosh I LOVED IT SO MUCH! It was epic and the plot was fantastically executed! Kudos to you, Marvel!

A major effect the movie had on me was my Marvel ships... I now am a die hard fan of Romanogers (Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow x Steve Rogers/Captain America). I really like the contrast between their characters. Yah.

Anyway, I didn't feel like writing some epic romance fic or anything, so I thought, "What if they had a child together?" and this oneshot was born! Read on to see what happens when I write something out of pure randomness and boredom.

* * *

"Uncle Tony, can I use your suit _today_?"

Tony Stark groaned and ran a hand over his face as he was met by the blue eyed, fiery haired girl with the same question for the millionth time.

"No, kid, you're not old enough and your parents would kill me if they found out I let you use it!"

"But Uncle Tony!" The girl protested.

"But Maggie!" Tony mimicked with exaggerated emphasis and a high pitched voice.

"I don't sound like that!" The redhead pouted, before giving the billionaire an attempted glare, causing the latter to burst out in laughter.

"Okay, kid, _what_ are you doing with your face?"

"I'm trying to use the look Mama does when she's mad at you, just like I am now!" The six year old explained with another pout.

Tony managed to stop laughing at the Black Widow mini-me and sighed, still smiling. "Sorry, kid, but your parents made it very clear that if I ever let you play with my stuff, they'd throw me out of the tower, through those windows over there." He said, gesturing to the large glass panels across the room which had been repaired since the Battle of New York several years ago.

"Fine." Maggie sighed, her baby blue eyes filled with defeat. She then lit up again, and called across the room, "Uncle Clint—!"

"Sorry, Mags, but your mom also told me you're not allowed to use my bow and arrow." Clint Barton cut the young girl off, knowing the request already because he, too, had been asked it millions of times.

Maggie sat, thinking, before calling out, "Jarvis, tell Uncle Brucie to come up here and play with me!" she ordered, trying to be like her billionaire uncle. She then remembered what her father had taught her about manners, and quickly added, "Please!"

"_I am sorry, Ms. Rogers, but Dr. Banner is working on something very important and can't leave right now._"

"Can I borrow some super juice or something to make me turn into the Hulk, too?" The young girl tried excitedly.

"NO!" Clint and Tony both yelled, jumping to their feet.

The six year old dramatically threw herself back onto the couch with a huge sigh. "Is there anything I'm allowed to do in this tower?!" she groaned dramatically, causing Tony and Clint to smirk at each other in amusement.

"We could play a game." Tony suggested.

"Like what?"

"How about Go Fish?" Clint proposed. "Fun, simple, and easy."

Maggie considered it for a few seconds before replying, "Okay! But we hafta use my special Avengers cards!" she said excitedly, before running off to her room to retrieve her specially themed deck.

"The fact that that kid looks so much like her mother but is so silly and hyper always cracks me up." Tony commented while the girl was gone, turning to his babysitting partner.

"Damn right." Clint said with a laugh, before Maggie ran back into the room.

* * *

"_Sir, Ms. Romanoff and Mr. Rogers are here._" Jarvis' voice sounded just as they finished their second game of Go Fish, with Maggie having won both games. "Mama and Daddy!" she yelled excitedly, jumping up from her seat and dropping her cards to the table.

"Alright, thanks Jarvis, send 'em up." Tony replied to the system, sighing in relief as he would be relieved of the babysitting duties he received while the two partnered Avengers were gone on a brief mission.

Natasha Romanoff and Steve Rogers barely had time to exit the elevator before their daughter tackled both of them, wrapping her arms around them tightly.

"Mama, Daddy, I missed you so much!" Maggie squealed happily.

"Hey, kiddo, we missed you, too!" Steve laughed as he hoisted his daughter up on his hip before leaving the elevator with Natasha by his side.

"Welcome back, Cap." Tony greeted his longtime friend happily as Clint greeted Natasha with a "Hey, Nat."

"Hey, guys, thanks so much for watching her." Steve thanked his two friends earnestly.

"No problem, she's my favorite niece in the world." Tony answered back.

"Uncle Tony, I'm your _only _niece in the world!" Maggie commented with a laugh.

"Therefore you are my favorite." Tony reasoned. "However, that also means your my least favorite when you're bad!" he warned, causing Maggie to stick her tongue out at him in reply.

"Speaking of which, were you good for Uncle Tony and Uncle Clint?" Natasha asked her daughter seriously, meeting the young girl's eyes after kissing her cheek.

Maggie giggled as her mother kissed her, before answering "Yes!" innocently. Steve handed her off to her mother, once again feeling overwhelmed with the love he felt for "his girls." Their daughter looked mostly like her mother, with the same hair color and curls, but she had gotten her father's blue eyes, making her what they believed was a perfect mix of the two. They had named her "Margaret" after Steve's longtime friend and lost love, Peggy Carter.

"Tony, Clint, you didn't let her do anything dangerous, did you?" Natasha asked, flashing her famous murderous glare to the two other Avengers in the room, pulling Steve from his thoughts.

"No, Sir—I mean, uh, Ma'am." Tony replied, fearing the assassin standing before him. Clint shared his fear, nodding in agreement.

"Good." Natasha said with a smile, before putting the young girl down. "Alright, you can come help me and Daddy unpack!" she offered playfully.

"Yuck!" The six year old replied, sticking her tongue out, but wanting to spend as much time as she could with her parents. She grabbed her mother's hand and then quickly grabbed her father's. "Come on, Daddy, I don't wanna unpack _all_ of your stuff! You have to help!"

"Alright, alright, I'm coming, Maggie." Steve replied with a laugh, glancing over at Tony and Clint who were watching with amused faces, before following mother and daughter to their room.

"That kid sure does keep them on their toes." Clint commented with a laugh. Though he had been appointed as Maggie's godfather shortly after her birth, Tony did the most spoiling out of all the Avengers, causing the girl to believe the iron hero was the easiest to convince to do things.

"Tell me about it. If I didn't keep an eye on her at all times, she would manage to convince Jarvis to give her access to the suit and everything else I do." Tony said exasperatedly.

Just then, Maggie came bolting out of her parents' room, throwing herself into Tony's arms. "I forgot! Thank you for taking care of me while Mama and Daddy were gone!" she thanked her uncle with a kiss on the cheek, and then repeated the gesture with Clint before running off again.

"She sure does add some life to the tower though." Clint said with a smile as they heard her loudly ask her parents about their mission.


	2. Reality Check (and Author's Note!)

**A/N:** READ MEEEE

Wow! Thanks for the reviews, favorites, and follows, guys! :D I'm so happy you enjoy this family fluff stuff. Some of you have asked for more, and believe me, I will give you more! However I am suffering a bit of writer's block right now, so this little mini one-shot may seem a bit off or abrupt DX This is so frustrating! AND I'VE BEEN TRYING TO UPLOAD THIS STORY FOR LIKE 12 HOURS (tried last night, went to bed, then tried again this morning XP) BUT THE WEBSITE IS BEING ALL GLITCHY :( I managed to upload it using the copy-and-paste method. Smh...

I decided to not try and force out a nicer length one-shot, but I also didn't want to just update this story with an author's note (no offense to people who do that, I completely understand that having to be the case usually in multi-chapter fics). So now we take a step backwards and see 4 year old Maggie after some drama. Oh, no!

In these one-shots, I am going to try to leave Steve and Natasha's relationship's status as vague as possible. Why? Well, so it can be up to you guys individually and personally if they should be married or not! For me, I like to think that they are married in this story, but I'm leaving it open so you guys can think whatever, since I'm not that good at writing romance anyway XD

Also! I've been looking at terms of endearment in Russian since ya know Natasha's Russian and well she has a child, aka someone to use a term of endearment on… And I really like "Лапушка," which can mean darling or sweetheart! I also really liked the pronunciation—la-poosh-ka! HOW AWESOME IS THAT?! (Assuming that the website I used was correct in their translation/pronunciation, which I hope they are, 'cause it's a site that's supposed to help people learn Russian XP)

I also made a short Romanogers-themed picture music video (PMV); all the pictures are drawn by me! It's based on this really cute PMV to this cute love song, so I basically drew my own version with Natasha and Steve! You can check it out on my YouTube channel, which is listed on my profile with a link. :)

OH AND ONE MORE THING—the basic plot of Winter Soldier is referenced in this, at the very end (because little kids love story time) so if you still haven't seen it and want to go into that theatre without knowing anything about it, well, skip the last paragraph. XP

Ok, enough rambling, now on with the very short one-shot!

* * *

Natasha Romanoff sighed as she sat on the hospital bed, feeling a dull ache radiating from her left arm, which was in a sling. She had been shot in the arm on her latest mission, and was thankful it wasn't much worse. Now that she had a family, Natasha had something to prevent her from diving head first into missions and being reckless in the field.

The female Avenger looked up as she heard someone enter her room, and smiled when she recognized who it was.

"Hey, Nat." Steve said softly as he walked up to her bed, holding four year old Maggie in his arms. The small girl had her head buried in the space between her father's neck and shoulder; it had been there since she first heard of her mother getting hurt.

"Hey." Natasha replied tiredly, and scooted over, patting the now vacant spot on the bed with her head. Taking a hint, the Captain sat down with their child still clinging onto him for dear life. "

Is she okay?" Natasha asked, concerned, as the usually hyper and always talking Maggie was deathly quiet and had yet to show signs of seeing her mother for the first time in a few days.

"Ever since she heard you got hurt"—Maggie's arms tightened around her father at that—"she's been holding onto me like this." Steve explained quietly, before sighing. "Come on, Mags, don't you want to see Mama?"

Receiving no response, Natasha put a hand on her daughter's arm. "Hey, I'm okay, you don't have to worry, Лапушка." She tried softly, and soon found herself staring into tear-filled blue eyes, as Maggie turned to look at her.

"See? I'm okay." Natasha asserted gently, holding her good arm out to prompt a hug. Maggie complied and all but jumped into her mother's arms, crying.

"I was so scared when Daddy said you got hurt! I thought you would leave me… Like Anna and Elsa's parents!" The family of three had been going through an intense Disney phase, which had helped introduced the concept of death to the four year old as someone leaving forever. "I missed you so much and I thought I'd never see you again and that'd I be alone…"

As Maggie continued to sob and ramble, Natasha pulled her closer; she didn't know what to say, or what else she could do. She felt herself tearing up, prompting Steve to wrap his arms protectively around the two redheads he loved.

In times like these, Natasha wished she or Steve had the ability to promise their child they'd always be there for her. But with their job as protectors of the world, they couldn't. Suddenly something so simple became so complicated.

After Maggie's crying had calmed down to the occasional sniffle, Steve broke the hug and examined the two girls. Figuring Maggie was quite tired now, he proposed something he knew she loved. "Hey, Mags, wanna hear a story?" he asked, meeting his daughter's red and tired eyes. Maggie contemplated it for a bit, before nodding her head and quietly answering, "Okay."

"Here, let's get comfortable." Natasha proposed, lying back on the bed, snuggling her daughter up close on her side. "What kind of story do you want to hear, Лапушка?"

"A happy one, one about you and Daddy." Maggie requested innocently, looking up at her mother. Natasha and Steve both thought for a moment, before the former asked Maggie if she would want to hear about them falling in love. After receiving an enthusiastic "yes!" and agreement from Steve, they began telling their daughter a broad and watered down version of the time Hydra tried to take over Shield from the inside, forcing the two Avengers to work together and strengthen their relationship more than ever before.

* * *

**A/N:** Eh, I figured a good story for something romantic like that—that wouldn't be too mushy and boring for a 4 year old—would be the basic plot of Winter Soldier, since Natasha and Steve were together for a lot of that movie and had some really deep scenes.


	3. Easter Egg Hunt

**A/N: **Thanks for the reviews, favorites, and follows again, guys! I love you all so much! :D I try to plot out these one-shots really well in my head first, so for any of you dudes who give me prompts, sorry if it doesn't come swiftly XD

I managed to crank this one out within the last two hours of Easter for you guys! Hope you like it and had an awesome Easter :) :D

* * *

"Oh, look, Maggie, over there! There's an egg!"

Natasha Romanoff excitedly pointed out a bright colored egg on the ground, just under a bush a few feet away, causing the almost three year old Maggie to happily toddle towards it.

In one hand, she was clutching her basket which held some eggs already. She used the other to pick up the pink egg. "Mama, look!" Maggie squealed happily.

"Yeah, Лапушка, you got it!" Natasha cheered her daughter on happily.

They were at a park they often brought Maggie to play at in DC; the small family lived in the country's capital, but often traveled to visit their "family" at Stark Tower in New York, especially if both parents were called on a mission, so they could leave Maggie with Tony and the others.

It was Palm Sunday—the Sunday before Easter. The Easter egg hunt had been planned by some of the mothers who frequent the park and everyone was invited to come. The two Avengers thought it would be a fun activity for their young daughter.

Natasha watched as Maggie ran off with some other little girls and boys, looking determined to find every single egg. She stood and followed from a distance, as she was always cautious when out in public with her daughter. After all, her career hasn't always had her in the safest position.

"How's Maggie doing?" Steve Rogers asked as he walked up next to Natasha. He had been talking to some of the other park-goers, who were, of course, fans of the legendary Captain America.

"She's doing well. I'm glad she gets to spend time with other kids and make friends; I was always worried about that because of our jobs and identities." Natasha said with a sigh.

"I know what you mean; I've always hoped for the best for her social life." Steve agreed. "I wasn't really prepared to be a parent when she came." He admitted.

Natasha nodded her head in agreement. The pregnancy hadn't been planned at all, it just happened. However, both Natasha and Steve had been determined to raise this child and protect her forever. The rest of the Avengers had been excited at hearing the news and felt the same love and determination.

"Daddy!" Maggie enthusiastically yelled as she ran up to her parents, specifically her father. "Look at all the eggs I found!"

"Wow, Mags, that's great! Good job, kiddo." Steve said, kissing the top of her head.

"Did you and the others find all the eggs?" Natasha asked, kneeling down on the ground to match her daughter's height.

"No, one of the moms said there are still some more that are really, really hard." The toddler explained. "So I told my friends I would get Captain America and Black Widow to help us find them!" Maggie explained excitedly, grabbing her parents' hands. Said superheroes barely had time to shoot each other looks of amusement and surprise before being dragged off towards the other kids.

"Okay, guys, I brought them!" Maggie announced excitedly.

"Are you really Captain America?" One kid loudly asked, walking up to Steve.

"Yes, I am—"

"Where's your shield?!"

"Can we see your shield?"

"Can you call Iron Man to come help us too?"

"What's it like to be a superhero?"

"Can _I _be a superhero and join the Avengers too?!"

Steve didn't know what to do as he was being bombarded with so many questions at once. Natasha had to hold in her laughter at the entire situation.

"Guys, I thought we were gonna find the rest of the Easter eggs!" Maggie cut in when there was a break in the questions; however, the curious kids continued.

"Does Maggie have superpowers, then?" One child pointed out as the rest shouted other questions.

"Alright, alright!" Steve finally shushed the toddler crowd. "No, I don't have my shield with me right now, sorry guys. Ton—Iron Man is busy working right now, up in New York. The other Avengers are also busy right now. And anyone can be a superhero; it just means being a good person and fighting for justice." He attempted to cover the grounds of every question asked, except the one about Maggie having superpowers.

The two Avengers weren't sure if their daughter would have powers or not, as they wondered if the super soldier serum Steve had been injected with so long ago would affect the young child. Maggie hadn't shown any signs of having powers or abilities yet, but Natasha and Steve often watched for something.

Before the kids could start up with questions again, Natasha cut in. "Where do you guys want Captain America and I to check for Easter eggs? We will help you find the rest and give them all to you." She offered.

The kids accepted the change in topic and ordered the two Avengers around the park for the next half hour. There was no leaf unturned as they checked every nook and cranny.

"Captain America, shake the tree, maybe eggs will fall out!"

"Black Widow, climb that tree and look for some!"

"Ooh, Black Widow, can you look on top of the roof of that building over there?" One child asked, pointing at a nearby bathroom.

"I don't think your guys' moms would be able to hide them up there, sweetie." Natasha said gently.

Eventually, they had lapped the park twice. The moms who had been watching on the sideline came to relieve the two superheroes of their Easter duties as they took their children back home for the day.

The tired family of three finally made it into their own car and Steve drove them out of the parking lot.

"Mags, did you have fun?" He asked as he drove.

"Uh huh!" Maggie answered and the parents heard the noise of plastic eggs being shuffled in the basket as the young girl looked through it.

"Are you going to share your candy with us?" Natasha asked, though she already had an idea of what the answer would be.

"No!" Maggie laughed in reply. "It's my candy!"

"We helped you find them, though." Steve teased lightly.

"Well, maybe." Maggie shrugged as she counted her eggs.

Natasha and Steve looked at each other, wearing bright smiles.

Oh yes, this was their life now, and they honestly wouldn't trade it for anything.


	4. The Spiders Never Bothered Me Anyway

**A/N: **So this one turned out kinda short compared to the others, with only about 740 words. Oops. xD

BUT IN MY DEFENSE, this idea/prompt came to me in a dream the other night. Like legit, in my dream, Natasha found a black widow in Maggie's bag after Maggie kept it in there; she loves black widows because her mom shares an alias with them. APPARENTLY THIS SHIP NEVER LEAVES ME ALONE? *Imagine Dragons music starts playing* _THE SHIPPING NEVER SLEEPS AT NIGHTTTTT... _Haha, music pun. :P

Sorry if the Cap or Black Widow ever seem OOC! I am not a superhero whisperer, and these oneshots are my first times writing anything using any characters from the Marvel universe. :O

THANKS FOR THE FAVES, REVIEWS, AND FOLLOWS! YOU PEOPLE MAKE ME SQUEAL IN JOY *SQUEALS LOUDLY* From what I've seen, you Romanogers peeps are so nice and welcoming for a newbie like me! :3 GROUP HUG! *initiates the most epic group hug you will ever live to be part of* I'm also going to start posting these oneshots on my Tumblr! There's a link to my account in my profile/bio thing :D

Ok I'm good now. Enjoy this oneshot. And I got my spider info from Wikipedia XDDDDD

* * *

"Hey, I'm home." Natasha Romanoff called out happily, closing the front door behind her as she threw her keys and bag down on a side table and kicked off her shoes.

There was no response, which was very unusual. She instantly became worried. "Guys?"

"Sorry, Nat, we're in here!" Came Steve Rogers' voice from the living room.

_What on earth could they be up to now? _Natasha thought as she made her way to the living room.

Upon arriving, she saw eight year old Maggie staring intently at a jar sitting on the coffee table. Steve was on her left, and was also staring at the jar.

"Mama, look what we found!" Maggie happily invited her mom over to her other side.

Natasha kneeled down next to her daughter and looked at the jar, which currently housed a spider with a notable red hourglass-shaped spot on its abdomen.

"A black widow?" She questioned the two people sitting next to her.

"Yeah!" Maggie answered enthusiastically. "Daddy found him earlier when he was outside and showed me, so we caught him in a jar! We had to be careful since they're ven... Ven-uh... Ven..."

"Venomous." Steve finished for his daughter, an amused smile on his face.

"Yeah, venomous, which means when he bites, it's poisonous! But we read online that it isn't fatal to most healthy humans." Maggie informed her mother. "It's okay, though, this spider-his name is Spidey-is really nice, see? He's just hanging out with us!"

"Yeah, he is a nice spider." Natasha commented and smiled at the twinkle in her daughter's eyes.

"Why don't you tell her why we caught the spider-"

"Spidey!" Maggie corrected her father.

"Right, tell her why we caught Spidey, Mags." Steve prompted the young redhead.

"Oh yeah! Well I missed you a lot yesterday and today so Daddy said that Spidey could stay with us until you come home, since he's a black widow and you're _the _Black Widow!" Maggie explained. "I like black widows, they remind me of you, Mama. So I'm not scared of them!"

Natasha honestly didn't know what to say as she listened to her daughter's explanation.

"I'm glad you're not scared of those spiders like most people are, Лапушка." Natasha said, pulling her daughter into a hug. She sent Steve a look of joy, mixed with slight anger that he let Maggie get so close to a venomous spider! However, she figured the good out weighed the bad-_this _time.

"It's also great that you don't just hate them because they're spiders. That's very nice of you, Лапушка, and I'm sure Spidey appreciates it." Natasha continued. Maggie huffed her chest out in pride as they ended their hug.

"So, Maggie, I think it's time to let Spidey go, since Mama's home." Steve suggested after a few more moments of watching Spidey crawl around.

"Yeah, Spidey might have some family and friends he has to go back home to, Лапушка." Natasha added on.

"Okay." Maggie said, jumping up. "Can I carry the jar, Daddy?"

Steve quickly shot a glance to Natasha to make sure it was alright with her. She shrugged and he granted the happy girl permission.

The small family all walked out to the front of the house and Maggie looked for a good place to release Spidey.

"How about over there?" Maggie asked, pointing at some bushes on the far edge of the lawn.

"That looks good, Mags, here, I'll open the jar." Steve said, grabbing the jar as they all walked over to the bushes. He opened it and placed it on the ground, watching as Spidey crawled out and onto the ground. The black widow quickly scurried away, deeper into the bushes as Maggie waved and said goodbye happily.

"Are you guys going to miss Spidey?" Natasha couldn't help but ask with an amused smile as they walked back into the house.

Father and daughter shared a glance before turning back to Natasha.

"Nah, 'cause we already have our own Black Widow!" Maggie said, hugging her mother tightly.

"Indeed we do." Steve echoed as wrapped an arm around Natasha's shoulders and kissed the top of her head. "No spider can ever replace you."

Natasha closed her eyes and took a deep breath, marveling in the moment.

"I'm glad I mean more to you guys than a spider!" She finally spoke up in a teasing manner, causing all three to break out in laughter.


	5. Babysitting-phobia

**A/N: **I had this idea while watching _The Avengers_ and here it is! Thanks again for all the love and support; you people are awesome! :D I unfortunately go back to school next week and finals will be right around the corner, so updates will be slower than ever! :( Luckily I have less than a month of school left so it won't be for too long.

I want your guys' opinions now. Should Maggie inherit any kind of power or enhancement or something from the Cap, since there would technically be super soldier serum in her blood as well? Leave an idea or something in the reviews, 'cause I haven't decided yet if I want to do something with it or not. :)

* * *

Natasha Romanoff looked up from watching five year old Maggie play with Bruce Banner as she heard someone humming in the kitchen. And that someone turned out to be Steve Rogers. He was humming "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" from Disney's _Frozen_, one of Maggie's all time favorite movies.

"Looks like someone's been watching a lot of Disney lately." Natasha teased as she took a seat at the bar and watched Steve cook.

"This song is almost always stuck in my head!" Steve exclaimed in exasperation. "Last week, during that meeting with Fury, I almost went crazy as it looped in my head for the entire meeting!"

Natasha held back a laugh at her lover's suffering at the hands of Disney. "Well, if it's any better, during my last mission with Clint, he heard me singing 'Let it Go' in the shower from his room next door! I could've sworn I wasn't singing that loudly!"

"Well, I can say from experience, that you kind of do." Steve teased as he finished making a pot of macaroni and cheese. "Alright, dinner, everyone!" he called, handing Natasha a stack of plates.

Maggie quickly ran over, giggling, with Bruce in tow. "What's for dinner?" he asked as he took a plate.

"Macaroni and cheese." Steve answered with a smile, and Maggie cheered, "I love mac and cheese!"

"Yup, I thought you would enjoy some tonight." The captain said, kissing his daughter on the top of her head as Natasha carefully scooped some of the pot's contents onto their happy daughter's plate.

Soon all four were sitting at the dinner table, chatting and laughing. They were at Stark Tower, and were currently its only occupants. Pepper and Tony were out of town for a few days, presumably at the billionaire's renovated Malibu house; Thor, as usual, was in Asgard; finally, Clint had been on a mission, but it had just been wrapped up today and the assassin was expected back at the tower in a few hours.

Natasha and Steve themselves had just returned from a mission a few days prior, which had given Tony and Pepper the chance to go travel as they no longer needed to stay with Maggie. Though Bruce was home the entire time, the scientist was not yet ready to take care of a child by himself, in fear of "the other guy" coming out and harming her.

However, Bruce would have to face his fears sooner or later as Natasha and Steve received an urgent call from Fury shortly after they finished their dinner. The mission was an emergency, he said, and he needed them back in DC at the Triskelion in only a few short hours.

"Do you have to go?" Maggie asked her parents sadly, after they broke the news and grabbed their go bags from their room.

"I'm sorry, Лапушка, but we do." Natasha said, crouching down on the ground to meet her daughter's height, pulling her into a hug.

* * *

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Cap?" Bruce asked Steve quietly, as they were standing a few feet away from the two redheads. "I mean… What if the other guy…"

"You'll be fine, Bruce. It's only for a few hours, anyway, since Clint should be home soon." Steve tried to assure his friend. "I have confidence in you being able to take care of my daughter."

"What if something _does_ happen, though?" Bruce can't help but worry.

Steve sighed, thinking for a moment. "Then I don't know. Which is why I'm sure you guys will be fine."

* * *

"Hey, Лапушка, I have to tell you something very important." Natasha says to her daughter slowly after breaking the hug. "Listen to Uncle Brucie. If he tells you not to do something, then listen to him. Don't make him mad or surprise him, okay?"

"Okay." Maggie answers with a nod.

"And you know how he turns into the Hulk, like in the story we tell you about the Battle of New York?"

"Yeah! Hulk smash!" Maggie cheers happily.

Natasha smiles at her daughter's enthusiasm. "Yes, well, if he turns into the Hulk while you guys are alone tonight, ask Jarvis to help you get out of here and run away from the Hulk, okay?" she says, though she is confident nothing will happen, she wants to be prepared. She tried to push her fearful memories of Bruce attacking her while Loki was escaping right before the Battle of New York from her mind, knowing that she and Bruce had reconciled with one another since then.

"Why?" Maggie asked, curiosity evident in her bright blue eyes.

"Because sometimes when Uncle Brucie changes into the Hulk, he can't control it, and he thinks everyone is a bad guy." Natasha tried to explain.

"But I'm not a bad guy!" The five year old protested.

"I know you're not, and Uncle Brucie knows you're not. But when he changes, he forgets these things, so be nice to him and don't make him mad, okay?" Natasha emphasizes.

"Okay, Mama." Maggie nods and hugs her mother once again, who picks her up and walks back to the two men.

"Alright, kiddo, we gotta go." Steve says, grabbing the child from Natasha's arms and hugging her closely. "We should be back in a few days. Be good for Uncle Brucie." He says, kissing the side of her head affectionately.

"Bye, Daddy." Maggie replies as Steve puts her down. "Bye, Mama."

"Bye, Лапушка, we'll be back soon." Natasha promises as she and Steve enter the elevator.

"Bye." Maggie says one last time, with a wave, as the elevator doors close. She then turns to her uncle. "What should we do now, Uncle Brucie?"

"We can play a board game." He offered. "How about Chutes and Ladders?"

"Yeah! I'll go grab it!" Maggie said happily and ran off to go retrieve the game.

* * *

After multiple rounds of the board game, the two played several other games and watched Disney's _Tangled. _As the credits were rolling, Bruce noticed it was now 8:30 PM.

"Alright, Maggie, I think it's bath time."

"Okay, Uncle Brucie, I'll go grab my jammies." Maggie said, running off to grab clothes as Bruce packed up the game.

The duo soon found themselves in one of Tony's huge bathrooms with a huge bathtub. Luckily, Maggie had left plenty of bath toys at the tower so she would have many fun things to do during bath time.

Bruce started the water and tested the temperature with his hand. After it reached a safe amount of warmth, he let the tub fill up to safe height before carefully helping the young girl into it.

"Uncle Brucie, can I have bubbles?" Maggie asked politely.

"Of course, what would a bath be without bubbles?" Bruce chuckled in reply as he poured the necessary liquid into the bath, producing a multitude of bubbles.

As Bruce washed the young girl's hair, Maggie played with her various rubber toys and blew bubbles everywhere. Wanting to join in on the fun, Bruce applied bubbles to his face, giving himself a bubble beard and mustache. Maggie laughed at the silliness and blew bubbles in his direction, which led to a war of them throwing and blowing bubbles at each other. Bruce stopped things before it turned into a splash war, though he thought it would have been a hilarious mess for them to leave for Tony to clean up, but he wouldn't be back for a few days.

At 9:10 PM, Maggie yawned and Bruce pulled her out of the tub, drying her off. He then slipped her pajamas onto her and drained the bath. After brushing out the young girl's silky red hair and drying it with a towel, Maggie brushed her teeth. He carried her out to the living room and sat her down on the couch with a blanket, pillow, and some stuffed animals. He popped _Frozen _into the DVD player and dimmed the lights.

"I'll be in Uncle Tony's bathroom, Maggie. I'm going to go clean up and I'll be right out in a few minutes." Bruce informed the young girl before he left the room. He returned to the bathroom to clean up the water everywhere and put all of Maggie's bath toys back in the right place before hanging the towels up to dry.

* * *

As he returned, he found Maggie still sitting up and now sucking her thumb. He got under the huge blanket with her and she snuggled up against his side, her eyes fighting the sleepiness.

"Uncle Brucie, was I good?" she sleepily asked her uncle.

"Yeah, you were, thank you, Maggie." Bruce answered.

"I love you, Uncle Brucie." She yawned in reply.

"I love you, too." He replied softly, kissing the top of her head gently.

Eventually, Maggie's breathing evened out and Bruce himself fell asleep, as _Frozen _continued to play quietly on the TV screen.

That was how Clint Barton found them when he walked out of the elevator on their floor. He tiptoed over to the couch and TV, watching the familiar scene of Princess Anna confronting Queen Elsa in her ice palace on the North Mountain; he, too, had seen this movie many times because of the young girl.

Smiling, Clint lit up the room a bit with the lights so he could grab a quick picture of them on his cell phone. He then dimmed the lights again and gently shook Bruce awake.

"Hey, it's me, I just got home." He told the half asleep Avenger. "I figured you and Maggie would probably want to go back to your own beds."

Bruce yawned. "Welcome back, Clint, and yeah, that would probably be best." He complied, carefully getting up and bringing Maggie into his arms.

"I'll grab all her little friends." Clint chuckled, grabbing all the stuffed animals that had made it onto the couch with the two sleepyheads and following Bruce into Maggie's room.

Bruce laid the small girl in her bed, under the covers and planted a kiss to her forehead. "Goodnight, Maggie." He said softly as he stepped back, allowing Clint to place the plushies all around the child's sleeping form. Then Clint also kissed and bid goodnight to Maggie and the two stepped out of the room.

"Alright, since I broke up your sleeping pattern, I'll handle the DVD and TV." Clint offered before Bruce could say anything. "You go back to bed."

Too tired to argue, Bruce nodded in agreement and thanked the assassin before walking back to his own room lazily.

After dealing with the TV and returning to his own room for the night, Clint opened up his phone and sent the picture of Maggie and Bruce sleeping to Tony, Pepper, Steve, and Natasha, though he wasn't sure if the last two would have access to their phones on their current mission or not.

With the picture, he sent a text, saying, "_I think our resident doctor has overcome his fear of babysitting._"


	6. Widow's Bite or Shield?

**A/N: **Thanks for all the faves, follows, and reviews! :) I have been looking over all of your guys' different opinions about possible powers for Maggie; all I can say is, keep giving me input! I want to see what the most popular/desired thing for Maggie to have as an effect of her the super soldier serum in her blood, since the Cap is her biological father ;D

Also, for all you peeps requesting Thor/Jane/anything pertaining to the Thor side of the Marvel cinematic universe... Sorry you all haven't gotten anything yet! I only watched Thor for the first time mostly all the way through today, and have read the plot summary for Dark World. So that and the Avengers are as far as my current knowledge of all that goes, and I really don't wanna screw up any facts or anything when I write something using those characters and ideas! But do not fret, I will hopefully figure out something soon. :)

In the meantime, here is a funny idea I had after I saw Winter Soldier again last night (with friends!) xD

* * *

An intense competition and rivalry has sparked in the small home of Natasha Romanoff and Steve Rogers.

The rules of the game were simple: whichever word Maggie learned to say first out of two given words that represented either Avenger meant victory for the corresponding parent.

For example, Maggie had figured out how to say "mama" before "dada," resulting in a victory for Natasha.

Natasha scored another victory when Maggie managed to say "Black" instead of any part of Steve's superhero alias.

Of course, Maggie was also able to say other simple things, like "dog" or "cat," but the two Avengers often competed for words that could be affiliated with themselves.

The current competition was in the weapon department. The two parents often worked individually with their daughter to say either a part of "Widow's Bite" or "Shield."

"Come on, Maggie, can you say 'Widow'?" Natasha tried as she sat on the floor with her year and a half old daughter while Steve was away.

"Wih… Weh… Wid…" The toddler babbled.

"Yes, come on, 'widow,' you can do it." The Avenger gently encouraged.

"Wid… Mama." The toddler said, pointing to her mother.

"Yes, Лапушка, I am Black Widow!" Natasha praised her daughter, not noticing the opening and closing of the front door. "Good job, but can you say 'bite'?"

"Bah… Dada!" Maggie began, but soon shifted interest as she watched her father enter the room.

"Oh, hey Steve." Natasha said, tilting her head up to receive a peck on the lips from the soldier, also trying to hide what she had been working on with Maggie a few seconds earlier. "How was work?"

"Nice try, Nat." Steve replied after giving Natasha the desired kiss. "I heard you asking her to say 'bite' when I came in the front door." He sat down next to the two redheads, bringing his daughter into his lap and kissing the top of her head.

Natasha faked surprise. "Whatever could you be talking about, Rogers?"

"Please, I know what you've been up to." Steve laughed in reply.

"Well, I'm 2 and 0 at the moment, so I thought I would keep my winning streak going." Natasha replied with a cocky grin. "Besides, she totally would have said 'bite' by the time you returned if you had come a minute later!"

"Well, at least I can show Maggie _my _weapon with less risk of her hurting herself." Steve gloated. "Hey, Mags, wanna see something cool?"

"Cool!" Maggie happily parroted in reply. "Dada cool!"

Steve smiled widely. "Okay, that has _gotta _count for something in our competition."

"No way! She figured out my name first." Natasha playfully argued back. "Besides, if we're going to go that deep, then I should get another point, since she was able to link my 'Black Widow' alias with my identity as her mother. So then it'll be 3 to 1 and you'll _still_ be losing."

Steve dramatically groaned as he lifted Maggie and handed her to Natasha. "Alright, fine, have it your way with the original rules." He gave in as he left the room to retrieve his shield. He returned a few seconds later and laid it down on the floor, with the painted side face-up.

"There, now it can't fall on her." Steve said, proud of his "genius" idea, as Natasha set Maggie on the floor next to it. Natasha often worried over the shield falling on the toddler if said child touched it while it was leaning against something.

"Alright, genius, let's see if she learns to say 'bite' or 'shield' first." Natasha scoffed, though there was only amusement and no resentment in her voice.

"Okay, Mags, do you see this?" Steve said, pointing to the patriotic shield. "It's a 'shield.' Can you say, 'shield'?"

Maggie leaned over the huge piece of metal and touched the star with a small hand. She ran her hand over it, feeling the rare metal. "Dada!" she finally said.

"Yes, it is mine." Steve replied, feeling like they were on the right track. "But can you say 'shield'?"

"Shee… Shell… Sheed…" Maggie babbled, fascinated by the colorful and worn out shield.

"Don't forget about 'bite,' Лапушка!" Natasha called from her daughter's other side.

"Shield!"

"Bite!"

"Shield!"

"Bite!"

"Bah… She…" Maggie couldn't keep up with her competitive parents.

"Come on, Maggie." Steve pleaded with his daughter.

"You can do it, Лапушка." Natasha urged.

"Shi… Bi…"

"I'm in the lead!" Steve said triumphantly. "She tried to say 'shield' first that time!"

"Please, there is no lead." Natasha scoffed.

"Shield!" Steve tried again.

"Bite!" Natasha wouldn't let him win.

"Shield!"

"Bite!"

"Cool!" Maggie chimed in, and Steve facepalmed.

"No, Mags, come on, 'shield'!" Steve sighed in reply.

The two Avengers continued to do their best to urge Maggie to say one of the two weapon names, but it ended with Maggie chiming in with "hungry," causing the parents to give up and start dinner.

* * *

During dinner, Natasha and Steve finally had a conversation over how Steve's day of work went while Maggie managed to eat everything on her plate, prompting the two heroes to cheer her on and reward her with a cookie for dessert.

As Natasha and Steve worked on cleaning up after dinner and loading the dishwasher, neither of them had been paying much attention as they both heard "Shield!" out of nowhere.

"Steve, I think she gets what word you're trying to make her say by now." Natasha laughed, as she had been paying the least amount of attention.

"That wasn't me!" Steve replied as he quickly walked over to Maggie. "Mags, say it again.

"Dada?" Maggie questioned. "Shield?"

"Yes!" Steve said, quickly removing his cookie crumb covered daughter from her high chair and hugging her tightly. "Shield is right!"

Natasha sighed in exasperation as she walked over to the happy father daughter pair. "Wow, you got lucky this time." She said, but couldn't fight the smile that appeared on her face.

"Shield!" Maggie repeated happily, not knowing exactly what it meant, but figured it made her dad happy by saying it. "Shield!"

"That means you have to send out the video this time." Steve said to Natasha proudly, still holding their daughter.

"Alright, alright." Natasha laughed, pulling out her phone. She hit the record button to start video taping. "Okay, action."

"Maggie, can you say it again?" Steve prompted his daughter. "Can you say 'shield'?"

"Shield!" Maggie yelled happily, surprising both parents with her volume and enthusiasm. "Dada shield!"

"Current score is 2-1." Steve said with a smile to the phone camera, as Maggie added another "Shield!" before Natasha stopped recording.

"Alright, Cap, don't get to cocky now." Natasha teased as she sent the video to the rest of the Avengers and Pepper.

"Dada happy?" Maggie asked her dad, who was still smiling.

"Yeah, I am happy." He said, planting a big kiss on the toddler's cheek as he hugged her closer. "I love you."

"Love you!" Maggie replied, as she had mastered the phrase a few weeks prior.

"Don't forget about Mama!" Steve added as he walked over to Natasha and leaned to pass off Maggie into her mother's arms.

"Love you!" Maggie repeated as her mother kissed her now.

"I love you, too." Natasha said with a warm smile. "Now, then, I think it's bath time for a certain little Avenger!"

"Bath!" Maggie parroted enthusiastically, causing the two Avengers to laugh.


	7. Triskelion (Mis)Adventures

**A/N: ***cries forever* I'm back in school! Nooooo D': As you can already tell, that means less updates. :(

So I'm trying something new with this chapter-it's a prequel! A prequel to *I think* the second chapter, "Reality Check," where Natasha gets hurt on a mission (not fatally) and she is force to realize she can't promise her family she will always return from missions.

This actually wasn't intended to be a prequel until I realized the parent present with Maggie, parent gone on a mission, setting, and Maggie's age all matched up! Funny, huh? Well, enjoy! :)

* * *

Steve Rogers sighed as he walked through the front doors of the Triskelion, his phone in one hand and his four year old daughter's hand in the other. Natasha Romanoff was due back from a mission with Clint within the hour, and Steve got called in to be debriefed for a mission he would be leaving on that same day. That left the father with an hour to find somewhere Maggie could wait for her mother at the massive S.H.I.E.L.D. building.

"_Steve Rogers._" The AI identified him as Steve led Maggie into one of the glass elevators. "Come on, Mags, I will show you around where Mama and I work." He said, before telling the elevator AI which floor he wanted to go to.

Maggie looked outside the huge glass panels of the elevator and at the massive view of the skyline. As the elevator moved up, she held onto Steve tighter; she was not a huge fan of heights.

As they moved up in floors, the elevator got more and more crowded. People constantly filtered in and out.

On one floor, the doors opened and Maggie spotted a head of fiery red hair outside of the glass box. "Mama!" she exclaimed, and weaved through the tight crowd in the elevator and squeezed out just before the doors closed, leaving Steve behind.

"Wait, Maggie!" He called. By the time he pushed through the crowd and got to the front of the elevator, the doors were closed and it continued ascending towards the higher floors.

_Well, shit._ Steve internally swore, feeling panic rise up in his chest as he got off the next stop and ran to the stairwell.

* * *

"Mama!" Maggie cheered happily, running up to the redhead she had spotted. However, it turned out to not be her mother, but a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who continued walking by.

"Uh oh…" The four year old realized the gravity of what she had done as she couldn't find her father anywhere.

"Daddy?" she called out as she walked around on the crowded floor she was currently on, tears welling up in her eyes. "Daddy?!" No response. Panic began to set in. She began wandering around aimlessly.

After a few minutes of walking and not paying attention, Maggie absentmindedly bumped into someone. "Ouch!"

The person she had bumped into turned out to be none other than Agent Maria Hill, who quickly recognized the confused girl. "Maggie? What are you doing here?" the agent questioned the young girl, crouching down in front of her.

"I lost Daddy." Maggie explained with a small whimper, wiping her eyes. "I can't find him anywhere!"

"Hey, it's okay, sweetie." Maria said, pulling the small girl into a hug. "We'll find him."

"He has to go to a meeting so he might be too busy to get me!" Maggie cried.

So that's why the young girl was even in the building in the first place, Maria realized. Her mother was supposed to be home very soon, so her father got called in the meantime. That left Maggie with no one to watch her, except for Steve, resulting in him having to bring her along.

"Well, if he's busy, I know someone very special who will want to see you." Maria offered comfortingly. "We can tell your daddy to meet us there. How does that sound?"

Maggie sniffled. "Okay, Aunt Ria." She said quietly. Much like how "Bruce" became "Brucie," "Maria" became "Ria" in the young girl's vocabulary.

"Alright, hold my hand so we stay together." Maria said, tightly grasping Maggie's hand as she led her over to the elevators.

"_Maria Hill._" The elevator identified Maria as she walked in with Maggie.

"Director Fury's office." Maria told the AI, turning to see the excited smile on Maggie's face.

"We're gonna see Uncle Nick?" The four year old asked excitedly, all the tears now gone.

"Yup. I'll bring you to him and then call your dad to meet us there." Maria explained.

As the elevator started to move, Maggie wrapped her arms around the agent's waist. "Hey, you okay?" Maria asked the once again shaken up girl.

"I don't like being high up." Maggie replied, avoiding looking out the glass panels. She then avoided meeting Maria's eyes, ashamed of her fear. "It's silly."

"That's not silly, Maggie." Maria replied honestly, lifting the young girl's chin to meet her eyes. "Everyone is scared of something. And I think being high up can be scary, too."

"Really?" The redhead replied, dumbfounded. "But I thought S.H.I.E.L.D. agents weren't scared of anything!"

"Being brave, Maggie, means willing to face your fears, just like you are now, by riding in this elevator." Maria tried to explain. "What makes agents brave is their desire to protect other people at all times, even when it means facing their own fears."

"Wow." Maggie's eyes twinkled with fascination. "So I can be a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, too?"

"Of course." Maria said with a warm smile as they exited the elevator and walked into Fury's office.

"Agent Hill, what can I do for you—" Fury begins to ask before seeing the young girl at her side. "Hello, Maggie, I guess the proper question would be what can I do for _you_?"

Maggie giggled as she ran up to him and hugged him. "Hi, Uncle Nick! I got lost while I was with Daddy so Aunt Ria brought me here so Daddy can come get me." She hastily explained.

Looking at Maria for input, the agent shrugged. "That's pretty much what happened, sir."

"Can you tell me a story?" Maggie asked excitedly.

"I suppose I have some time for that." Fury said as he sat down and lifted the young girl into his lap. He glanced at Maria, who signaled she was going to go call Steve, before leaving the room.

* * *

Steve was flustered as he ran through different floors and asked around if anyone had seen Maggie. He feared the worst, as he remembered the struggle they faced with Hydra's secret presence years before, but he tried to stay in control.

The ringing of his phone brought him out of his thoughts as he read the Caller ID. Maria Hill.

"Hello?" Steve said into his phone, trying to control his shaking voice.

"_Hey, Cap, don't worry, Maggie's with Fury_." Maria said bluntly, to put the worried parent at ease immediately. "_I bumped into her on the 38__th__ floor and then took her up to his office so you could have an easy place to come pick her up_."

"Oh, thank God." Steve let out the breath he was holding. "I was so worried something happened or someone took her…"

"_Well, no need to worry now, Steve_." Maria said softly. "_The only thing you should be afraid of now is Fury possibly telling her some crazy stories about you or Natasha_."

Steve laughed for the first time in a while. "Believe me when I say I'd rather be dealing with that than trying to find Maggie in this huge building." He replied, walking into an elevator. "_I'll be up in a few. See you then. And thanks so much, Maria_." Maria smiled at the sincerity in his voice.

"Don't mention it, taking care of Maggie is probably the highlight of my work day right now." She admitted before hanging up.

"And then, the councilwoman took off her disguise, and do you know who it was?" Maria heard as she walked back into his office.

"Who, Uncle Nick?" Came Maggie's excited voice.

"It was none other than your mama." Fury answered happily. "Alexander Pierce was _not_ expecting that, I can assure you."

"Wow!" Maggie said happily. "And then what?"

"Then she hacked into the Hydra data, and leaked it all out to the public, exposing all their secrets." Fury recalled the events as if they had just happened. "However, she needed two high security clearance people to unlock the rest of the information. So then I came back in a helicopter. But Alexander Pierce had erased all of my passwords and logins…"

Maria smiled as she watched Maggie hang onto every word of the very watered down story of Hydra's infiltration of S.H.I.E.L.D. The agent wasn't sure if the young girl had heard it yet or not, but even if she did, she had never heard it from Fury's point of view before.

As Fury recollected about Natasha shocking herself to disable the armed name tag Pierce had placed on her in the beginning of the story, Steve practically ran into the room.

"Well it's about damn time." Fury said in his classic monotone voice at Steve's appearance. However, there was a hint of amusement in it as Maggie ran up to her father.

"Language, sir." Maria scolded with a laugh. Fury shrugged before his phone rang, and he excused himself from the room to answer it.

"DADDY!" Maggie cried happily, jumping into her father's arms.

"Maggie, I've been looking for you!" Steve said exasperatedly, hugging her tightly. "You know you're not supposed to run off like that!" he gently scolded, pulling away enough to look into her blue eyes.

"I thought I saw Mama outside, 'cause I saw someone with the same color hair." Maggie explained, sniffling, as she was on the verge of tears again. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to run away, I thought you were behind me, honest!"

"Well next time, maybe we should both be more careful." Steve offered gently, accepting that it also partially his fault.

"Okay, Daddy." Maggie complied.

"Now then, Mama should be back any minute now, so thank Aunt Ria and Uncle Nick and say 'bye-bye.'" Steve instructed, setting Maggie back down on the ground.

She ran up to Maria and hugged her tightly. "Thank you for helping me, Aunt Ria! Bye-bye!"

"Bye, _Agent Rogers_." Maria said with a wink, and received an excited smile from Maggie in return.

Before Fury could say anything as he walked back in the room, Maggie practically jumped on him and wrapped her arms around him. "Thank you for telling me that story, Uncle Nick! Bye-bye!" she thanked him.

"Well, thank you for coming by, Maggie." Fury said earnestly with a smile. Then, his face dropped. "But you better go back to your daddy, 'cause I have to tell you something really important."

Maggie ran back to her father, who hoisted her up in his arms. "Sir, what is it? Did something happen?" Steve asked, worry reflecting in his blue eyes.

"I just received word that Agent Romanoff has returned. However, she was injured." Fury said carefully. "She was shot in the arm."

Steve felt himself pale, though he was thankful it wasn't much worse, which it could have been.

"Hurt?" Maggie's timid voice echoed.

The three adults all shared worried glances as Maggie was trying to comprehend the new information.

"Yes, Maggie, Mama badly hurt her arm while on her mission." Steve replied, not sure how to explain the concept of getting shot to a four year old.

Maggie looked terrified. "Does that mean she's gonna leave us?" she asked fearfully.

Steve mouthed the word "die" over his daughter's head to the two agents in the room, who had looked confused. "No, Mags, since it was just her arm that got hurt, she's okay. She just can't use it for a while and will have to rest more."

It appeared Steve's explanation had been in vain as Maggie buried her head in the space between his neck and shoulder and started crying.

Steve sighed. "Fury, I know you need me for a mission today…"

"Just go, Steve. Go visit Natasha with Maggie. They need you more than I do right now. Maria and I will handle it." Fury said, dismissing the Avenger from his office.

"Thank you, sir." Steve said respectfully, before turning to Maria. "And thanks again for finding her." With that, he rushed out of the room with Maggie holding onto him for dear life.

* * *

**A/N: **I hate ending it on a sad note like that! But alas, it's been resolved in my previous chapter. :3 Hope everyone seemed in character this chapter; I loved writing Fury and Maggie interacting!


	8. Popsicles and Sore Throats

**A/N: **Alright, update! Yay! Time for some family fluff of taking care of a kid. :3 Also, I'm not a doctor or medical expert or anything, so I'm just going off of personal experiences of having bad colds and fevers and such. :)

* * *

"Mama, I don't feel good." The five year old redhead sniffled.

"I know, Лапушка, I know." Natasha Romanoff tried to gently soothe the young girl. Steve Rogers quickly walked back into the room, holding a thermometer.

"Here, I'm going to take your temperature, okay?" Steve said gently as he sat down on the bed next to his daughter. "Open your mouth, and say 'aah.'"

"Aah." Maggie did as instructed, and Steve stuck the thermometer in.

"We have to keep it under your tongue like that until it beeps, okay?" Steve said gently as Maggie held her head in an awkward position to accommodate for the item in her mouth.

"102.5 degrees Fahrenheit." Steve sighed as he examined the thermometer a minute later. "Sorry, kiddo, you got a fever."

When Steve had woken up early for his daily morning run that morning in Stark Tower, he heard Maggie call for him as soon as he left his and Natasha's room. He hurried over, and found her crying in discomfort. After feeling her forehead, he woke Natasha quickly and rushed to get a thermometer.

"My throat hurts." Maggie replied sadly.

"We will give you some medicine to help it not hurt anymore." Natasha offered as nicely as she could, but expected the normal reaction.

"I don't want medicine, it tastes gross." Maggie protested.

"But it will help you feel better." Steve urged, staring into his daughter's eyes.

"Promise?" The young girl asked intently, staring back.

"Promise." He complied. "I'm going to go put the thermometer away and get a washcloth, medicine, and water."

"Okay, hurry back." Natasha replied, watching him leave the room before focusing her attention back on Maggie.

"I don't wanna be sick, Mama. Uncle Clint said we could go do fun stuff today." Maggie whined, tears welling up in her eyes.

"I know, Лапушка, and I'm sorry." Natasha replied, firmly holding her daughter's hand. "But I am sure he will still spend time with you today, and help you have fun, even though you're sick."

"How can I have fun when I'm sick?"

Before Natasha could reply, Steve quickly walked back into the room carrying the promised items, accompanied by Bruce Banner.

"Uncle Brucie." Maggie blinked as she looked up at her uncle.

"Hi, Maggie, I just came to make sure you are okay." Bruce gently explained as he sat down on the bed next to her. "How do you feel?"

"My throat hurts and my nose is all stuffy." Maggie replied sadly. "And I'm tired."

"Does your tummy hurt or feel funny at all?" Bruce asked, and Maggie shook her head.

"Sounds like a bad cold, but without any nausea." He diagnosed, standing up and letting Steve take his place on the bed. "Give her medicine at the appropriate times today, but she should rest a lot. Then she should be better in a day or two. No playing or special operations today, Maggie." One of the young redhead's favorite games these days was leading her parents or uncles on pretend missions after receiving a Walkie Talkie set for her fifth birthday the month before.

"Alright now, Mags, you gotta drink this so you can feel better." Steve said as he handed her the tiny plastic cup with the appropriate amount of children's liquid Tylenol in it. She stuck her tongue out in disgust.

"Come on, Maggie, I know you can do it." Natasha urged. "If you do, Daddy and I will tell you _two_ stories before you go back to sleep." She offered.

"...Okay." Maggie complied tiredly after mulling it over for a few seconds. She downed the liquid and made a face afterwards. The adults smirked in amusement as Steve handed her a glass of water to drink.

After setting the glass on the bedside table, they got Maggie to lay back and Steve placed the cold washcloth on her forehead. "There you go, kiddo, hopefully that will help bring your fever down."

"I'll leave you two to it. Call me if any of you need anything." Bruce said. "I'll see you later, Maggie."

"Bye, Uncle Brucie." Maggie quietly replied as Bruce turned and left the room.

"Now then, I think we owe a certain brave little soldier—" Steve began.

"Or _spy_." Natasha cut in teasingly, causing Maggie to giggle.

"—two stories instead of one." Steve finished with a chuckle.

"Yes, please." Maggie verified as she relaxed against her bed.

"Now, what stories should we tell today?" Natasha wondered aloud with a warm smile.

* * *

"So, the munchkin is sick today?" Tony asked a few hours later as he sat down with the rest of the tower's current occupants in the main room.

"Yup. It sucks." Natasha sighed. She turned to Clint. "She was really looking forward to getting to spend time with you today; she was on the verge of tears."

"Poor kid." Clint commented, also feeling sad about having to postpone their fun day. "I'm pretty sad, too. I love spending time with her."

"Please tell me _you_ aren't going to cry, though." Tony teased.

Clint just rolled his eyes in amusement.

"How long has she been sleeping?" Pepper asked.

"A few hours now." Steve answered. "When I woke up early to go for a run like I normally do, I guess she heard me get up because she called for me. I found her crying and saying her throat hurt and that she didn't feel good."

"Poor thing." Pepper said sadly. "It's so weird to not see her run around the tower and liven things up like she normally does."

Everyone nodded their heads in agreement.

"I really hope her temperature goes down." Natasha sighed, her mind plagued with memories of a much sicker Maggie two years prior. "It was pretty high earlier—102.5. Hopefully the sleep is helping her body recover quickly."

Before anyone could say anything more, the Walkie Talkie sitting on the table beeped to life. "Mama? Daddy?"

Natasha grabbed it and spoke into it. "Hey, sleepyhead, Daddy and I are coming. Over."

"Roger that." Came Maggie's weak reply. "Oh! I almost forgot—over!"

Everyone smiled at the small girl's stumble.

"Seems like she's feeling better and more active." Bruce commented with a smile.

"I hope so." Steve said as he grabbed the thermometer and walked to Maggie's room with Natasha.

* * *

"Hey, look who it is!" Clint called as Natasha and Steve walked back out, the latter carrying Maggie and a huge blanket in his arms.

"Hi, Uncle Clint." Maggie replied, sounding defeated. Steve set her on the couch and draped the blanket over her.

"I figured she could come sit out with us now." Natasha explained as she grabbed more Tylenol from the cabinet. "The fever has gone down to 100.8, and I thought she could take a break from sleeping."

"Maggie, we heard you were sick! Do you feel better now?" Pepper asked as she sat down next to the young girl.

"A little." Maggie replied. "My throat still hurts."

"You know what helps a sore throat feel better?" Tony offered, sitting across from his niece. "Popsicles."

Maggie's eyes lit up instantly. "Do we have popsicles?" she excitedly asked in reply.

"Um, of course!" Tony replied, almost matching the young girl's excitement. "Yo, Capsicle, can you fetch the box of popsicles—"

"Wait!" Natasha stopped everyone. "Maggie, you should try to eat something first." She said, walking over to the couch with the next dose of medicine.

"I'm not hungry." Maggie replied, taking the plastic cup from her mother's hand.

"Can you at least try? If you try, you can have a popsicle afterward." She offered in reply.

Maggie weighed her options before settling with an "Okay." She downed the medicine once again and drank water afterwards to help wash the taste out.

"Uncle Brucie, do you have any medicine that tastes better than that?" Maggie asked, scrunching up her face.

"Sorry, Maggie, I don't think I do. They don't really make medicine taste well anywhere." Bruce replied.

"Alright, now let's try some food." Steve said. "Anything specific you want, Mags?"

"Popsicle." She replied simply, causing the adults to snicker.

"Nice try, Лапушка." Natasha grinned as Maggie let out a "Darn!"

"I think everyone could use some lunch." Pepper commented, standing up. "Maybe we can order something, or someone can go grab something."

"Sounds good! Now it's time for all of us to agree on something…" Tony grumbled as he eyed all the other people in the room.

* * *

Maggie had managed to eat some French fries and a chicken strip, which her parents took as a success. As everyone finished up their food, Tony clapped his hands together.

"Alright, _now _it's popsicle time!" He declared, and Maggie happily agreed.

"I can't tell who's more excited—Stark or Maggie." Clint muttered to Steve, causing him to laugh.

"Hey, now, Legolas, keep it up and you aren't getting a popsicle." Tony warned.

"Oh, now you've hurt me!" Clint snorted sarcastically.

"Uncle Tony, you should share with Uncle Clint, he likes popsicles, too!" Maggie chided the billionaire with a serious look on her face. "Uncle Nick said good people share."

Steve couldn't help but smirk at the memory of Fury insisting he was generous and always shared years before.

Tony sighed. "Alright, alright, the kid has spoken."

"Thank you, Maggie." Clint said warmly, kissing his goddaughter on the temple.

The group continued to sit at the table as Tony passed out popsicles, of course, letting Maggie pick first. They sat and ate them for a while, everyone always looking over to make sure the young redhead was okay.

Finally when Maggie was finishing her popsicle, her eyes became heavy and she constantly fluttered them open. Clint noticed first and quickly gestured for everyone else to look.

"Mags, are you getting sleepy?" Steve asked as Natasha wiped the young girl's sticky mouth and hands with a napkin.

"A little." Maggie yawned in reply.

"I think it's time for you to go back to bed, missy." Natasha teased gently as she finished wiping Maggie. "There, now you are all clean for your nice bed."

Steve then stood up and heaved Maggie up into his arms. She tiredly wrapped her arms around his neck and laid her head on top of his shoulder, looking at everyone sideways.

"Uncle Clint, will you tell me a story?" She requested quietly with a yawn.

"Of course, kid." Clint replies, standing up and following father and daughter into Maggie's room.

"Thanks for the popsicles, Tony." Natasha thanked the genius as she collected everyone's garbage with Pepper. "It really cheered Maggie up."

"Anything for my favorite niece." Tony replied overdramatically, placing a hand over his heart.

"You mean your only niece." Bruce chuckled.

"Something like that." Tony waved it off.

* * *

"You comfy, kid?" Clint asked, sitting on the bed as Maggie got slid under the covers.

"Uh-huh." Maggie replied, yawning again.

"I'll be out there with Mama and everyone else, alright?" Steve confirmed as he kissed Maggie on the top of her head. "Just call us in the Walkie Talkie if you need anything."

"Okay, Daddy." Maggie replied. Steve walked out of the room, trying to make up for the one-on-one time the young girl had missed out on that day with her godfather.

"Have any story requests?" Clint asked. "Or do you want a surprise?"

"Surprise." Maggie said, not knowing what story she actually wanted.

"Okay." Clint complied. "Well, one time your mom and I were sent to France undercover…"

* * *

"I feel better!" Maggie declared happily as Steve carried her out of the room later that evening.

"Really? So much better that you still can't walk on your own?" Tony teased. Maggie stuck her tongue out at him.

"I think you're just bitter about her putting you in your place earlier over the popsicles." Pepper said with a roll of her eyes.

"Hey!" Tony protested in reply, causing everyone to laugh.

"Her temperature is officially under 100. It's 99.5." Natasha announced with a triumphant grin, sitting down next to Maggie on the couch. "I know it's still really close to 100, but I'm just glad it's going down."

"Good, so we maybe we can do something super fun tomorrow!" Clint said happily as he sat down next to Maggie on her other side. "Whaddya say, kid?"

"I say, 'yes!'" Maggie cheered happily.

"I knew you would." Clint smiled.

"Nothing to strenuous." Steve warned. "Your body will still be recovering, Mags."

"For now, maybe we should stick to something simple and relaxing." Bruce suggested. "How about a movie?"

Maggie gasped excitedly. "Let's watch _Frozen_!"

Everyone groaned, and the little girl pouted.

"Alright, alright, I'm putting it in the DVD player." Natasha tried to appease her daughter. "But if you make that face for too long, Лапушка, it might get stuck like that."

Maggie gasped. "No it won't! That's impossible! Right, Uncle Brucie?" she turned to the doctor, hoping science would provide an answer in her favor.

"The young lady is right. Sorry, Natasha." Bruce said with a chuckle, causing Maggie to cheer in victory.

"Science or not, what is it they say in _Tangled_? Oh, right—'Mother knows best!'" Natasha sang confidently, causing Maggie to giggle.

"Hey! What about fathers?" Steve butt in with a pout.

"They listen to Mother." Pepper replied, and Natasha sent her a thumb's up as the movie began playing.

* * *

**A/N:** I also wasn't sure if the super soldier serum makes the Cap immune to getting sick or not, but regardless, I think this is a source of fluff that I don't want our two Avenger parents missing out on! :D


	9. I Love You to Asgard and Back

**A/N: **I tried my best, guys! This is my attempt at bringing Thor and Asgard into this. I think one of my earliest reviews requested Maggie stowing away (well, holding onto Thor, I guess) while Thor goes to Asgard. I like the prompt, but I don't feel comfortable with my amount of knowledge of Asgard to write Maggie as going crazy and doing a bunch of stuff in it! So this chapter is mostly just fluff and Maggie learning an important lesson. I haven't had time to read up and stuff about it because of school, so maybe I'll write something more "adventurous" over the summer. :)

Sorry if anyone is OOC, and I probably failed at writing Thor's and some other Asgardian characters' dialogue here. XDDDD

* * *

"Uncle Thor, I miss Siffy."

Thor examined the almost four year old child standing in front of him. "I can assure you Sif yearns for your acquaintance as well on Asgard." He replied.

Some of Maggie's favorite bedtime stories came from the demi-god. He often told stories that included his childhood friend Sif, and after much asking from the young girl, Thor brought Sif with him to visit earth a few months prior. Maggie loved the warrior immediately, affectionately calling her "Siffy" and always asking for stories.

"Can I come to Asgard with you and visit her?" Maggie asked her uncle with a pout.

"I apologize, Lady Margaret, but I do believe you have not yet aged enough to make the journey. I can assure you that someday you may visit my home realm." Thor offered, trying to appease his niece. The young redhead loved being addressed as a lady.

"Promise?" Maggie demanded intensely.

"I promise." Thor swore.

"I love you to Asgard," Maggie prompted.

"And back." Thor finished with a smile.

The two had been exchanging "I love you" that way for a while now. Natasha had taught Maggie about the phrase, "I love you to the moon and back," which led to the little girl replacing "moon" with "Asgard" when talking to Thor. The demi-god had been confused at first, but after Natasha explained the concept to him, he loved the idea of communicating with the young girl that way.

He gave Maggie a light kiss on her head before she ran off to play "I Spy" with Jarvis.

* * *

"Uncle Thor, am I old enough now?" Seven year old Maggie asked after the demi-god finished telling his niece a story. "Can we go to Asgard?"

"Your parents have yet to permit me to travel across the realms with you by my side." Thor answered. "They will inform you and I when they believe you've matured enough."

Maggie sighed in defeat, laying back on the couch, as the rest of the Avengers strolled into the room.

"Alright, kiddo, are your bags packed?" Steve asked Maggie. "We are going back to DC tonight."

"Awww, I don't want to go home yet!" Maggie begged, sitting up. "I wanna hear more stories from Uncle Thor about Asgard."

"Do not grieve, Lady Margaret. I must depart for Asgard by sundown today." Thor said, trying to reassure his niece. "But I assure you our paths will cross again soon."

"Well, if you want to leave by sundown, Blondie, you better get a move on." Tony commented, gesturing to the sunset out the window.

"Alas, man of iron is correct." Thor replied after observing the setting sun. "I will see you all again soon." He promised, standing up.

Everyone walked out onto the large deck of Stark Tower so the demi-god could depart. Thor crouched down to meet Maggie eye-to-eye.

"I promise you may come with me to Asgard someday." He promised, before lightly kissing her forehead. "I love you to Asgard."

"And back." Maggie finished, hugging him tightly. Then, she had a last minute idea and smiled mischievously as Thor turned away from her and back to the Avengers to say goodbye.

"See you soon, Thor." Clint called as they all waved. Thor nodded and took off, flying high up into the air.

No one realized Maggie had clung onto his leg moments before taking off until he was nearly out of sight.

* * *

As Thor returned to Asgard, he greeted Heimdall in a friendly manner. To Thor's surprise, Sif was also there waiting for him.

"Sif, what business do you have here?" Thor questioned his good friend.

"I heard you were returning today, so I thought I would wait for your arrival on the bridge." Sif replied with a warm smile.

After hearing Sif's name and voice, Maggie jumped out from under Thor's cape behind his leg. "Siffy!" She yelled, running up to the warrior and pulling her in a hug.

Thor and Sif exchanged looks of shock and confusion. "Lady Margaret, you accompanied me to Asgard? How?"

"I held onto your leg really, really tight. I was kinda scared but I knew if I fell off you would catch me!" Maggie explained, looking at the demi-god. She then turned back to Sif. "Siffy I haven't seen you in so long!"

"Indeed, Lady Margaret, it has been a while." Sif replied, crouching down to Maggie's height. "Was Thor not aware of your presence as he traveled across the realms?"

Maggie shook her head. "He said I wasn't big enough to come to Asgard yet. But I must be, 'cause I made it here!"

"Lady Margaret, it is imperative you listen to the words of your parents." Thor said, also crouching down. "They forbade you from coming with me for important reasons."

"They were dumb reasons." Maggie protested.

"Lady Margaret, if your parents aren't aware of your presence here, don't you believe they fear for your wellbeing?" Sif tried. "They must be wondering where their child has gone without them."

Maggie bit her lip, now unsure. "Well, when you put it that way..."

Thor sighed. "Lady Margaret, I promised you I would allow you to come with me someday. But that day is not today."

Maggie was now on the verge of tears. "I'm sorry Uncle Thor! I just wanted to go to Asgard and see Siffy and meet the other people from your stories..." She said, getting closer to tears with each word, prompting Thor to pick her up and hug her as she cried into his neck.

"Thor." Both Thor and Sif turned at the sound of Odin's voice as he approached them. "You have arrived."

Sif bowed respectfully, and took Maggie into her own arms as Thor approached his father. "Father, I apologize for not returning home immediately—"

"Who is this child?" Odin asked, walking up to Sif. "She is human, from Earth." He realized.

Maggie turned to glance at Thor's father before shyly looking away.

"This is Lady Margaret." Thor explained. "She is the child of my friends Lady Natasha and Lord Steven."

"They helped Thor defeat Loki and the Chituari years ago." Sif added.

"Ah." Odin said. He then got closer to Maggie. "Do not fear, child, I shall do you no harm."

Maggie looked at him, but still held her arms tightly wrapped around Sif's neck.

"Lady Margaret, this is Odin, the father of Thor." Sif explained softly. "Can you say 'hello'?"

Maggie then remembered him from the stories and smiled. "Uncle Thor told me stories about you." She said.

"Has he now?" Odin replied with a gentle smile. "Why have you accompanied him to Asgard?"

"I kinda snuck away from my parents and held onto Uncle Thor when he went through the portal." Maggie explained sheepishly. "Mama and Daddy said I wasn't old enough to travel across realms with Uncle Thor yet but I couldn't wait any longer! I really, really wanted to come."

"Asgard will welcome you any time you come, and we will celebrate your presence with a great feast." Odin assured her. "But given the circumstances, you should return to Earth, to your family."

Maggie nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Odin. Uncle Thor, can you take me home?"

"Of course." Thor complied, taking the seven year old into his arms and holding her tight.

"Bye, Siffy. Bye, Mr. Odin." Maggie began, then lit up. "Wait!"

"What is wrong, my child?" Odin asked.

"Can Siffy and I... be pen pals?" Maggie asked, looking at all three adults.

"What is this 'pen pal' you speak of?" Sif asked, interested.

"It means since we live far away from each other, we send letters and stuff to each other! And we can send each other stuff by giving it to Uncle Thor when he comes to Earth or comes to Asgard!" Maggie explained.

Thor decided to clarify to the two other Asgardians. "Lady Margaret will write a note addressed to you, Sif, and I will act as a messenger and deliver it to you in Asgard. Then you will write a note in reply, and I will take it and deliver it to her when I return to Midgard. Then Lady Margaret will write you again and the cycle continues."

"That sounds wonderful, Lady Margaret." Sif said, agreeing to the idea. "As soon as you return home, write a note so Thor can bring it back when he returns."

Maggie nodded excitedly. "Okay Siffy!"

"We better depart now, then. I shall return later." Thor said. He held onto Maggie tightly. After Heimdall opened Birfrost, the duo traveled through the portal.

* * *

"MAGGIE!" Came everyone's surprised and fearful voices as they ran over to the demi-god, who passed the young girl off to her parents.

"Mama, Daddy, I'm so sorry!" Maggie cried, hugging them tightly.

"Margaret Romanova Rogers, you can never do that again!" Natasha spoke sternly, hugging the young girl tightly to her torso. Steve wrapped his arms protectively around mother and daughter.

"Kid, you are in serious trouble! We all nearly had heart attacks!" Clint scolded, standing next to the two redheads.

"I actually tried going after you in my suit!" Tony added.

"Thank you, Thor." Steve said, looking up at the Asgardian. "We are so sorry she did that. I hope she didn't cause too much trouble..."

"All is well, Lord Steven. Lady Margaret has learned her lesson." Thor reported. "She learned she mustn't disobey her parents ever again."

Tony laughed. "I'll give her a few hours before she does something to drive us all up the wall again."

Then Maggie gasped. "Wait! I gotta write a letter!" She exclaimed, squirming in her mother's arms. "Siffy is my pen pal now and Thor is gonna give her my letter tonight!"

Natasha wondered if "confiscating" her new pen pal privileges would be a suitable punishment right now. She decided not to, as it sounded as if Maggie already promised Sif a letter and the young girl was probably traumatized and upset enough from her experience.

"Alright, hurry and get a pencil and paper to write a short letter for Siffy." Natasha ordered, placing the young girl on the ground. "You have ten minutes, tops!" She called after the young girl, who got Pepper to go with her and find the necessary materials.

"Lady Natasha, are you alright?" Thor asked, concerned for his friend, as he noticed she was still shaking and had tears in her eyes.

"I'm fine now... But that was terrifying. Never before did I think she would try to do that." Natasha explained, her voice still shaking with emotion.

"That was scarier than any mission I've been on, or any battle I've fought." Steve admitted and everyone agreed.

"I apologize if I glorified Asgard too much for Lady Margaret." Thor replied. "I never intended for her to directly go against your command."

"It's okay, Thor, it's not your fault." Steve said.

A few minutes later, Maggie and Pepper ran back out with a handwritten note and drawing for Sif. She handed the papers to Thor.

"I did it! I'm still learning how to write a lot of stuff so Aunt Pepper helped me! And I don't know if Siffy can read or write English but I know you can now so hopefully she will understand!" Maggie quickly explained.

"I will deliver it, I promise." Thor replied and drew her into a short hug. "Farewell, Lady Margaret."

After the hug, Maggie stood back with the rest of her family. She was flanked by her parents, who each held one of her hands. Everyone else stood behind them but was ready to jump into action if said child tried to stow away again.

"I love you to Asgard!" Maggie called out.

"And back!" Thor called in reply, and then took off, and went through the portal back to Asgard.

* * *

"Now, then, we are going to have a serious talk." Steve said sternly as everyone walked back inside. "You totally stepped out of line today, Maggie."

"I know." She said quietly. "I'm sorry."

"We accept your apology." Natasha then entered the conversation. "However, you also must apologize to Aunt Pepper, Uncle Tony, Uncle Clint, and Uncle Brucie, because they were also very worried about you."

"And no playing at the park this weekend." Steve added to her punishment. "Have you learned your lesson?"

Maggie nodded quietly.

"Good." Natasha commented, before opening her arms. "Now can I have a hug?"

Maggie practically threw herself into Natasha's arms. "I'm sorry." She mumbled into her mother's shoulder as she started crying again.

"It's okay, we forgive you." Natasha said gently, rubbing her daughter's back comfortingly. "You're okay."

A minute later, Steve crouched down next to the mother and daughter, and opened his arms as he also requested a hug. Maggie once again complied immediately.

"I missed you." She cried into Steve's shoulder.

"I missed you, too." He replied softly. "Everyone did."

After everyone else shared a hug and short words with the young girl, Natasha and Steve sent Maggie to go get her bag from her room.

"Alright, we are finally leaving." Steve sighed, exhausted from that evening's events. "Thanks again for the stay, Stark." He thanked Tony, giving him a hug.

"You know it's no problem, man, and it's my pleasure. I love seeing the Black Widow mini-me." Tony joked, before hugging Natasha goodbye.

"This was definitely one of our craziest stays." Natasha replied dryly.

After formal goodbyes were exchanged between the small family and the other occupants of Stark Tower, the two Avengers and child left for the airport. It was time to go home.

* * *

"Mama?" Maggie sleepily asked as her mom carried her through the front door of their DC home.

"Shhh, just go back to sleep, Лапушка , we are home now and I'll put you in your bed." Natasha whispered as she walked towards Maggie's room.

"Can I sleep with you and Daddy tonight?" Maggie asked softly. "Just tonight..." The seven year old had truly missed her parents during her trip to Asgard.

"Okay." Natasha replied, turning towards hers and Steve's room and placing Maggie down on the bed. "Steve, can you grab some jammies for Maggie?" She quietly asked as he walked down the hall.

"Sure, I'll be there in a sec." He replied, grabbing one of her Captain America sets of pajamas with a smirk and walking back to their room. "Here."

"Hilarious." Natasha rolled her eyes and quickly changed Maggie. Within a few minutes, all three were in bed together.

"Nighty night." Maggie yawned, half awake.

"Nighty night." Both Avengers softly replied before everyone gave into their exhaustion.

* * *

"She created all of this with the intent of giving it to me?" Sif couldn't help but ask Thor after they read the short letter and examined the drawing.

"Aye. She cares deeply for you, Sif." Thor replied, reading the note through again.

It had been short because of the time limit Maggie had, and she was still learning a lot about reading and writing. The note simply said, "_Dear Siffy, I love you. Thank you for being nice to me in Asgard. Please come visit me soon. I hope you like my drawing. Love, Lady Margaret._"

The drawing had been something Maggie had done a few weeks before. It was a simple drawing of herself and Sif, with their names labeling the two figures at the bottom of the page. For a seven year old, Maggie managed to have pretty good art, as she loved to draw just like her father.

"I will begin my reply tomorrow." Sif said with a smile to her longtime friend.

"I'm sure any reply of yours will surely captivate her." Thor assured her.

* * *

**A/N: **Hope you all enjoyed; sorry if it didn't live up to your expectations about a one-shot that involved Asgard! The only instances I've witnessed Sif's personality was in _Thor_ and an episode of _Agents of_ S.H.I.E.L.D., so she could be OOC. See you all next time~ 


	10. Startling Missions

**A/N: **Not sure how I feel about this one. The river of creativity and writing muse in me has been running a bit dry lately. D: Must be the stress from these last few weeks of school. So people could be OOC and the world could be dying in this installment. (Okay, maybe not the last one but ya get my drift) This oneshot kinda hovers in different time periods, which you will see when you read. :P Thanks for all the nice reviews, faves, and follows~!

* * *

Natasha Romanoff smirked when she heard the patter of tiny feet against the ground behind her as the eight year old tried to quickly sneak up on her.

"Лапушка, I heard you coming from a mile away." The redhead teased just as Maggie was about to lay her small hands on her mother's back to surprise her.

"Darn it!" The girl exclaimed. Natasha turned around to face her daughter.

"You can never sneak up on me, sorry." She said proudly as she crouched down to meet Maggie's height. "Daddy, however... You can probably scare him."

The pouting girl's eyes lit up brightly with the idea. "You're right! Since he's not a spy, he'll _never _hear me coming!" Maggie laughed proudly. "I'm gonna go sneak up on him!" she called and she ran out of the room.

_He may not be a spy, but with all the noise she's making, he'll probably hear her coming from a mile away, too. _Natasha smiled in amusement.

* * *

Even as time went on, Maggie never ceased in her efforts to-as she put it-"out-spy" her mother by sneaking up on her. However, she still had yet to succeed.

"Not gonna work." Natasha called without looking up from the file she was reading at her desk in the Triskelion.

"Oh, come on!" She heard the ten year old exclaim from behind her. "How could you hear me in a room full of people?!"

"I have eyes in the back of my head." Natasha replied. She paused. "I know you're making a face at me right now."

"At least I made Uncle Tony scream like a little girl..." Maggie muttered and Natasha laughed.

* * *

"SUR-"

"I knew you were laying in wait just around the corner of the hall, Лапушка." Natasha said as she continued down the hall past her awestruck daughter.

"_How_ do you do that?!" The 12 year old exclaimed.

"What have I been telling you? I have eyes in the back of my head, remember?" The Avenger teased in reply as Maggie followed behind her.

"Uncle Brucie said that is scientifically impossible."

"Well, Uncle Brucie isn't a mother, so he wouldn't know." Natasha replied. "Besides, out of the all the things we've encountered before, a person with a set of eyes on the back of their head would be far from the weirdest thing I've seen."

"I guess that's true." Maggie shrugged. "But someday, somehow, Mama, I'm gonna scare you."

"You've scared me plenty of times before, Лапушка, like when you stowed away on Uncle Thor's leg to go to Asgard-"

"Hey, I was just an adventurous seven year old!"

* * *

"_Ms. Rogers, your mother is coming up now._" Jarvis informed the teen.

"Thanks, Jarvis!" Maggie called as she looked up from the letter she was currently working on for Thor to give to Sif. She set the paper and pen down, ducking behind the counter.

"Kid, you know that isn't gonna work." Clint laughed from his seat on the couch.

"I know, but I will not give up!"

"Whatever you say."

After a minute of silence, Natasha emerged from the elevator. "Hey, Maggie, hey, Clint." she said absentmindedly as she set her stuff down.

"It's just me, Nat." Clint tried to assist his goddaughter.

"I know she's waiting to pop out behind that counter over there; her letter to Sif is still sitting there."

Clint sighed. "Sorry, kid, looks like your plot has been compromised." he called.

"Dang it!" Maggie groaned as she jumped up. "There's gotta be somewhere you won't expect me!"

"If anything, having you around has helped me expect to see your face pop up anywhere at any time." Natasha teased in reply. Maggie simply made a face.

* * *

Somehow, Tony Stark had managed to convince the rest of the tower's occupants, minus Bruce and Maggie, into watching horror movies in the late hours of the night. The group currently sat huddled together in front of the TV, leaving no more room on the couch or floor.

Bruce and Maggie had opted out because neither were huge fans of horror movies. They decided to go and kill time out in the city for a few hours, as many things in New York were open 24/7.

"Man, IHOP left me so full." Maggie groaned as she entered the tower's elevator with Bruce. "I don't think I could eat for a year."

"You're always hungry, I'm sure you'll be over it in a few hours." Bruce joked in reply.

The teen looked down at her cell phone. "I texted my parents saying we were coming back, but neither of them replied. Are they _still _watching scary movies?" she wondered aloud.

"Possibly. Your Uncle Clint and Uncle Tony are probably having some competition to see who can last the longest and dragged everyone else into it." Bruce replied.

"I bet. They seem to have a lot of 'man pride' battles these days." Maggie laughed as they reached their floor. They walked out of the elevator and were met with a room only lit by the huge TV screen.

The audience in front of the TV seemed to be absorbed in what they were watching, as they didn't acknowledge the teen and doctor's arrival. Maggie smirked and tiptoed behind the couch, looming over the adults. She saw the movie was dragging out the anticipation of a jump scene, and shuffled over to the side of the group. Right as the scene hit its climax, she leapt in front of the TV. "Hi, guys!"

This spawned mass panic in the group. Popcorn went flying and people fell off the couch. Others made a move for their weapons and Bruce, still standing off to the side of the room, flipped on the lights. "Guys, it's just us!" he laughed as Maggie watched everyone realize what was happening. Tony managed to find the remote and pause the movie.

"God, kid, _never_ do that again!" Tony panted, holding a hand over his chest dramatically.

"Jesus." Clint muttered, lying back down on the ground. Everyone else tried to recover and get their heart rates back down to normal.

"You scared me, Лапушка-"

As soon as the words were out of the spy's mouth, everyone turned to stare at her in shock. Maggie's mission to startle mother had finally been accomplished.

"Yes! I knew I could do it!" The teen jumped up and down happily. "I startled and surprised the Black Widow!"

"Damn horror movies." Natasha grumbled with a frown.

"Good job, Mags, but for the record, you nearly gave me a heart attack as well." Steve said.

"Oh, yeah, sorry guys, didn't mean for you all to get caught in the crossfire." Maggie stated as the realization dawned on her and she waved her hands apologetically.

"That's okay, I think that's enough horror movies for the night, anyway." Pepper yawned.

"You're such a good sport, Aunt Pepper! Uncle Tony could learn from you."

"Hey!"

"It's true, though."

"Capsicle, you shouldn't be agreeing with your daughter, you should be telling her to be more polite!"

"Sorry, Stark. Mags, respect your elders."

"Hey, you're one to talk!"

Everyone laughed at the bickering heroes as Natasha walked over to her triumphant and happy daughter, throwing an arm around her shoulders.

"So, I guess you are more of a spy than a soldier then, huh?" She asked the teen.

"I suppose so, though I like to think I have the best of both worlds." Maggie replied with a toothy grin.

"What will you do now that your mission is complete?"

"Well, just 'cause I completed the main objective doesn't mean I still can't do it when I want to! Keep your eyes open at all times, Mama, 'cause I'm just getting started." She warned teasingly.

"I'll try to keep that in mind." Natasha laughed.


	11. Miracle in the Making

**A/N: **Gah, long time no update, I know! D: School's been killing me! I've been trying to get this oneshot right for almost a month now, and considering its length, I hope this will tie you all over for the next week and a half or so. Finals, man.

Consider this installment a Mother's Day Special! :P (Of course, USA Mother's Day, I mean, cuz I don't think it has a universal set date so yah)

Disclaimer—the opinions of Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff on the subject of names does not reflect the author Pikapegasus in any way; they are simply meant to add comedy to the story. :3

* * *

"_Steve!_"

Steve Rogers came quickly into the bathroom at Natasha Romanoff's upset call. "Nat, what's wrong?" He asked, panicked.

"_This!_" Natasha exclaimed, shoving a weird looking object with two parallel lines appearing on the small screen into Steve's hands.

Steve examined it for a moment, before giving up. "I don't understand..."

Natasha rolled her eyes, remembering home pregnancy tests came after Steve's freezing. "It means I'm pregnant!" she hastily explained.

"Pre-WHAT?!" Steve exclaimed in shock. "How can this thing tell you for sure?!" He looked at the stick again, turning it in his hands.

"It's a home pregnancy test. It uses the woman's urine and determines if she's pregnant or not." She explained. Steve frowned a bit at the realization that he was holding something that had just been inserted in urine; Natasha rolled her eyes. "Since there are those two lines, that means I'm pregnant."

"Are... Are you _sure_?" Steve couldn't help but repeat.

"Yeah, I took two other tests as well." The spy replied, handing him two other sticks yielding the same results.

"So... What now?" The soldier couldn't help but ask.

"Now... I don't know." Natasha admitted.

"Here, let's go sit on the couch and discuss this." Steve offered, still in complete shock, and the two Avengers left the bathroom and entered the living room.

"So... What is there to discuss now?" Steve asked, not knowing how different pregnancies in the 21st century would be.

"Well, the first thing is if we should keep it. This wasn't planned at all…I never even knew I could get pregnant, after…" Natasha's voice trailed off with a sigh. Steve figured she was thinking of the Red Room. "Our options include keeping it and raising it ourselves, giving it up for adoption once it's born, or abortion."

"Abortion?" Steve echoed.

"Yeah, getting rid of it before it's born."

"Well I think both of us can agree on not doing that." This baby was a piece of both Natasha and Steve, he reflected, but she didn't appear to be interested. In fact, because of Natasha's past, Steve honestly believed this child was a miracle. _  
_

"It's still fairly early in the pregnancy, I'm assuming, so nothing is for sure yet. Plus with our jobs, I don't know if it can survive the toll missions take on my body." This sounded much more like the cold Black Widow than the human Natasha Romanoff to Steve.

He thought she would be happier about the fact she managed to conceive a child. "I'm sure once Fury knows-"

"Fury can't know!"

"Why not?"

"I don't want to be treated differently, like I need to be coddled or cared for more! I can handle my own."

"Natasha, it isn't just you anymore."

"All I'm saying is we can go schedule an appointment and get an ultrasound to know for real, and then after that it's up to fate if this baby makes it through all nine months."

"Nat, being pregnant doesn't make you weak or invalid-"

"Exactly! So why should I have to do anything differently at work? Why can't I keep doing what I'm doing?"

"Well maybe you can handle it, but I don't know if the baby can handle the stress of it all..."

* * *

Natasha sighed as she sat in the passenger side of the car while Steve got into the driver's seat. They had just wrapped up their appointment.

"...All of that technology was impressive. I guess it's for real now." Steve decided to break the ice.

"Yeah..." Natasha said, zoning out.

"So... Back to the topic of keeping it or giving it up..." He really wished it wasn't a question, but he respected the fact it was up to Natasha in the end.

"Well, I won't abort it for sure. I want to give this baby a chance to make it through these nine months."

Steve let out the breath he was holding, relieved. "For what it's worth, I think we should keep it."

"How can we do that with our jobs, though, Steve?"

"I don't know, but I'm sure we will figure out a way."

Natasha was now silent, thinking.

"Do you really not want to keep it?" Steve asked quietly.

"I just... I don't know if I can be a mother..."

"I'm sure you'll be a great mother." Steve replied, placing his hand over hers. "I also have no clue how to be a father. But I know that we are some of the world's greatest superheroes and can do anything when we work together. Surely that includes learning how to raise a child?"

"I don't know, Steve, parenting is a totally different ball game."

"Guess we will play it by ear then."

* * *

The first trimester seemed to speed by for the two Avengers. No one else knew about the pregnancy yet, as, thankfully, Natasha barely had morning sickness or other obvious signs.

Though she wouldn't admit it out loud, she indeed found herself getting attached to the human growing inside of her. Natasha also found herself wondering what the child would look like. Would it have her emerald green eyes, or Steve's baby blue ones? Would it have her fiery red hair, or Steve's bright blonde hair?

Steve could tell Natasha was starting to warm up to the idea of them having a family, even though she never admitted it. He was all for the idea.

In the field, Natasha at first didn't act any differently before her pregnancy. But she soon started realizing safer ways to get the same job done, especially since Steve was almost always sticking himself like glue to her, which frustrated her a lot. Fury was starting to get suspicious, so the two Avengers came to an agreement of Natasha being more careful and taking less risks on missions.

When everything was all clear and the baby was reported as being 100% healthy during their last checkup of the first trimester, Natasha couldn't help but smile. Their baby was already a fighter, just like his or her parents.

"So, we are through the first trimester, and the most unsure part." Steve said as they drove home. "Now what?"

Natasha sighed, laying her head back against the seat and putting a hand over her abdomen. "Now we hope I don't start showing soon."

"Come on, Nat, we should tell Fury. And our friends! They'll be excited."

"I don't know, Steve, there's still a lot that can go wrong with this pregnancy."

"If you get hurt in the field, then, yeah. But that's why we should tell Fury!"

"He would probably fire us!"

"Then you don't have to worry about getting hurt and losing the baby in the field." Steve muttered, half to himself.

"You aren't going to let this go, are you?"

"No."

"But I'm already being extra careful in the field!"

"Please, Natasha." Steve pleaded, giving her his best puppy dog eyes.

Natasha huffed in frustration and rolled her eyes; she was never able to resist his pleading. "Fine, we can tell Fury tomorrow. But only him!"

Steve was sad they weren't telling the rest of their friends yet but he was happier that maybe this could improve Natasha's safety in the field.

* * *

"That went better than I expected." Steve said as they walked out of the Triskelion after meeting with Fury.

"Yeah, though he was pretty pissed at first! I thought he would have our asses for sure this time." Natasha recalled.

"At least he seemed to get over his initial shock and anger quickly before congratulating us and wishing us the best." Steve replied. "Though Fury has questionable objectives sometimes, he actually is a good guy. And we will now get more specialists on missions so you don't have to fight as much."

"I knew it would make me look weak!"

"Nat, Fury just wants to protect the baby, just like I do. That's why he's sending more people out with us. He knows you can handle your own but the baby can't so that's why we need the extra help." Steve tried to reason with Natasha for the millionth time.

Seeing as this conversation would get them nowhere, Natasha sighed and rolled her eyes before saying, "Whatever."

* * *

When Natasha was nearing her fifth month, she was starting to show and had a slightly noticeable baby bump. She tried wearing bigger clothes to work to throw people off, but she still spent the majority of her time in her leather suit. Rumors were rapidly spreading around S.H.I.E.L.D. about a "baby Avenger."

One day when Natasha and Steve were relaxing in their small house, there was a knock at the door.

Steve jogged over to the door and opened it. What he found astonished him. "Guys... What are you doing here?"

"Who is it, Steve?" Natasha called, not looking up from her book.

"Only the greatest people you will ever know!" Tony announced grandly as he strode into their home with Pepper, Bruce, and Clint in tow.

Steve closed the door behind the guests and followed them into the living room.

"What are you guys doing here?" Natasha raised an eyebrow.

The four guests all looked among themselves to designate who should speak. Soon, Tony found three pairs of eyes on him.

"Alright." Tony began. "We have been hearing rumors."

"Oh, great." Steve said with a roll of the eyes.

"Let me finish, Capsicle." Tony put a hand up in front of Steve. "People are coming to us and asking us if rumors of a 'baby Avenger' are true. Which, taking a head count, can only be born from you two, seeing as no one else is female on this team, or expecting a baby with their significant other." He paused. "Right, Pepper?"

Pepper sighed. "Tony, we went over this already, I'm not pregnant."

"The lady has spoken." Tony said, gesturing to Pepper. "So that leaves the Capsicle and Spidey over here." He gestured to the couple who owned the house.

Steve glanced at Natasha, giving her the choice of how to handle the situation.

"Come on, Nat, just be honest with us." Clint tried. "Because if there is a baby coming then I need to prepare to be the best uncle ever."

"Last time I thought you lied to me, I freaked out and you pointed a gun at me." Bruce recalled their encounter in Calcutta. "So maybe things will go better this time."

Natasha sighed, not able to make eye contact with her friends. "I'm almost five months pregnant." She admitted quietly.

"Whoop, there it is." Tony commented. After receiving a murderous glare from Natasha, he commented further. "Someone seems a bit hormonal."

"Someone please remove the iron idiot from the situation since he can't control himself." Natasha growled with another murderous glare, prompting Pepper to pull the loud-mouthed billionaire out of the house by the ear.

"Tony never knows when to stop." Steve said with an angry sigh.

"No he does not." Clint commented, making his way to sit next to his best friend on the couch. "So, there's a little soldier or spy growing in there right now?" He asked, gesturing to her small bump.

"Yup." Natasha answered, barely able to contain some joy from her face. This didn't go unnoticed by all the men in the room. "I honestly thought he or she wouldn't last this long since Cap and I go on so many dangerous missions all the time."

"Well, it looks like you've been taking care of yourself better out in the field, then." Bruce commented happily, causing Steve to laugh.

"Barely! It took me two months of constantly sticking by her side and protecting her in missions to convince her to do that." Steve commented.

"I can take your word for it." Clint laughed at Steve's comment.

Natasha rolled her eyes. "Alright, boys, that's enough-" she cut off her sentence as she felt a little flutter in her stomach, which prompted her hand to go there immediately.

"Nat, are you okay?" Steve asked worriedly, rushing to her side with Bruce.

"Yeah, yeah... I just... I think I felt the baby kick!" She answered with a big toothy grin. In that moment, the cold and pessimistic demeanor she had been putting on over the pregnancy was gone; her face glowed with her true excitement.

"Really?!" Steve answered happily, placing a hand over the bump. Soon, he too felt a little flutter of feet colliding with the side of the womb. "Wow, that's amazing." He said, awestruck.

Soon Clint and Bruce also took turns feeling for it as well, prompting the latter to list off pregnancy facts and other tips for the two Avengers to monitor the pregnancy by themselves. After they chatted for a while, Pepper stuck her head back into the room.

"Tony wants to know if he can come off time out now." She stated.

"Sure, hopefully he's learned his lesson." Natasha replied.

Pepper soon reappeared with Tony by her side. "What do you have to say for yourself?" She asked her childish lover.

"I'm sorry for making you mad, Tasha." He sighed in defeat.

"Good." Natasha said with a smile. "It appears that your leave was good, because in that time, the baby started to kick for the first time!"

"That's great, Natasha!" Pepper said happily.

"Yeah, fantastic, now then, if we all have to take shifts babysitting I will take mine in twenty years when the kid is hopefully independent and out of diapers." Tony stated, laying down his ground rules.

"Whatever, Tony, I don't think I could trust you alone with our child anyway." Steve replied with a roll of his eyes.

"That makes two of us." Natasha commented as she felt another flutter in her stomach. "Oh, sorry, I meant three." Everyone erupted in laughter.

* * *

Now that Natasha was enjoying the pregnancy to its full extent openly, people just simply congratulated her and then left her alone. For that, the Black Widow was thankful.

At home, the two Avengers started to try and decide on names. They looked through baby books and online constantly.

"For a girl, how about Madison?" Steve offered from the book he was reading.

"Too popular." Natasha waved it off. "For a boy, how about Winston?"

"Too old fashioned." Steve replied, causing Natasha to laugh. "What's so funny?"

"Um, how about the fact that that comment just came from you, Captain America!" She laughed.

"Ha, ha, very funny." Steve replied with a smirk.

"Robert."

"Jessica."

"Matthew."

"Abigail."

"John."

"Talk about 'too common'!"

"Focus, Steve!"

"Diana."

"Spencer."

"Emily."

"James."

"Jennifer."

"Tony."

As soon as Natasha read the name off the list she said, "Oh, hell no."

"_That,_ I can agree with you on." Steve chuckled before the two returned to their research.

* * *

At her 20 week appointment, Natasha and Steve found out they would be having a girl.

"So now we focus on girl names." Steve said as they walked through the front door of their home.

Natasha sat down, thinking about an idea she had earlier during the appointment. She decided to go for it.

"How about Margaret?" She offered quietly, not knowing how Steve would take it.

Steve froze where he was and slowly turned back to face Natasha. "Margaret... Like, Peggy?" He replied quietly.

Natasha nodded. "I mean, we don't have to call her 'Peggy' too, but her name still can be Margaret, in honor of her." She replied.

Steve thought for a moment. "How about we call her 'Maggie' for short?" He offered, sitting down next to Natasha.

"Maggie." Natasha said, testing it out. At that moment, there was a strong flutter of movement and kicking from her abdomen. She smiled and put a hand over her stomach. "I think the baby likes it, too."

"Maggie Rogers it is then." Steve commented happily. Then, "Nat?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

After kissing her on the cheek, Steve left the room to go in the kitchen and start lunch. Natasha called after him, "Now we have to agree on a middle name!" She smirked as she received a groan in reply.

* * *

"Steeeeeveeee."

"..."

"Steeeevvveeeeee."

"...Hng, what...?"

"I'm hungry."

Steve opened his eyes and looked at the bedside clock. It read 3:38 AM.

"Can't it wait until breakfast in a few hours?" Steve groaned, closing his eyes to go back to sleep.

Natasha leaned over him and pried his eyes open. "Your daughter wants chocolate chip pancakes right now." She informed him.

"You mean _you _want chocolate chip pancakes right now."

"I wouldn't want chocolate chip pancakes right now if it weren't for your daughter growing in my stomach."

Steve sighed, knowing Natasha most likely wouldn't give up. "Alright, I'm up." He said sleepily, sitting up and yawning. "I'll go make your pancakes." He got out of the bed and stood up.

"Thanks, Steve." Natasha said with a big grin before giving him a grateful peck on the lips.

"Uh-huh, you're welcome, Ms. Cravings." Steve sighed, prompting Natasha to throw a pillow at him as he shuffled out of the room and towards the kitchen.

* * *

"Steve, do I look fat?" Natasha asked, concerned, as she examined herself in her work outfit in a body length mirror. Her baby bump had increased quite a bit as she was entering her 7th month of pregnancy.

Steve turned around to face her. "No, you look fine."

"_Only _'fine'?"

"You look beautiful, Nat."

"Now you're just saying that!"

"Natasha, you're the most beautiful girl in the world."

"Aww, that's so sweet, Steve."

_Crisis averted. _Steve mentally patted himself on the back, as he had been careful to tiptoe around Natasha because of her constantly changing emotions.

"Ugh, I still can't believe I can't go with you on missions anymore." Natasha then spoke up.

"It's been like this for the past month and half, Nat, it's nothing new." Steve replied. Ever since Natasha really started showing, she would be assigned jobs that kept her out of the line of fire.

"But what if something happens to you while _you're _out in the field without _me _to watch over you?" Natasha protested, turning to face Steve.

Steve walked over to her and pulled her into an embrace, kissing her on the top of her head. "I'll be extra careful, I promise." He said, trying to diffuse the situation.

"How can I know for sure?" Natasha said into his chest.

"Because I want to be there when Maggie comes. Think of raising her as a mission; it's a mission that I want to see through." Steve assured her.

Natasha sighed, before saying, "Okay."

After they pulled apart, they departed their home for the Triskelion for another day at work.

* * *

It was now April of the following year, and Maggie was expected to come any day now.

Because of this, both Avengers got to remain at home for a few weeks, as Fury assured them they could handle all the missions themselves for a little while.

"Seriously, Romanoff, I don't want you popping that baby out in my building." Fury had said. "You are getting the entire month of April off."

"Come on, Fury, surely a woman giving birth isn't the scariest thing you've seen?" Natasha teased in reply, though her eyes expressed her gratitude. It was getting harder to walk around all day.

"When _you're _the woman, hell yeah it is." Fury replied. "Cap, you are to stay home with her and keep her under house arrest so she doesn't do anything stupid."

Natasha mocked a shocked and hurt expression as Steve laughed. "Yes, sir."

That brought the two superheroes to where they were now—one of many lazy days off.

On April 18th, a few hours into their day, Natasha felt her water break as she walked into the kitchen.

"Steve...!" She called out hesitantly.

"Nat, are you okay?" Steve replied as he ran over, able to detect the worry in Natasha's voice.

"I think my water just broke." She said exasperatedly, looking down at the puddle at her feet. Natasha was still in her pajamas, which currently consisted over over-sized T-shirts and night gowns because of her huge belly.

"...Damn right." Steve said as he examined the scene. "I'll go grab some towels, you stay right here and then we will get in the car and drive to the hospital."

* * *

Steve barely obeyed the speed limit as he drove Natasha to the hospital. When they were about halfway there, she informed him she was feeling contractions. He decided to focus on driving there as fast as possible while she tried to time the contractions.

As they got to the hospital, the nurses guided the couple to a room. Within an hour of lying there, Natasha's contractions got worse and she held Steve's hand in a death grip.

"I'm the Black Widow, for Christ's sake! I've been through pain just like this..." Natasha tried to convince herself she could handle the pain initially, but her tough facade only broke as the pain increased as time went on.

"I really want this to be over already... Damn it, Steve! This is your fault!" Natasha yelled angrily, along with some other cruder comments. Steve just tried to focus on supporting her and giving her words of reassurance, though she honestly scared him to death a few times.

* * *

"You did it, Nat, you did it." Steve said, choked up, as he held the small bundle with a pink cap. Maggie came out crying loudly, which cracked up the soldier. Now she was sleeping soundly. He handed the baby to the tired Natasha.

"Yeah... I did..." Natasha said, exhausted, as she cradled the baby up against her chest. "Hi, Maggie, I'm your mom." She said softly, getting choked up.

Steve smiled at the scene in front of him. After a few quiet minutes, a nurse came in and announced they have guests. Natasha looked up as the rest of the Avengers, even Thor, and Pepper walked in and took up the rest of the space in the room, holding gift bags, flowers, toys, chocolate, and balloons.

"Whoa, how did you guys get here so fast?" Steve asked, still smiling.

"Man of iron flew us here in his large aircraft." Thor explained.

"Luckily none of us were gone on missions or crazy vacations." Clint added. He then looked at the bundle Natasha was holding. "She's so small! What's her name?"

"Margaret Romanova Rogers." Natasha answered happily, captivated with her small daughter. "But we call her Maggie for short."

"Lady Margaret shall eternally be under Asgardian protection, M'lady." Thor assured Natasha.

"Thanks, Thor." Natasha answered with a huge smile.

"Good job, Capsicle." Tony congratulated Steve, walking over to him and giving him a pat on the back. "That kid is going to do great things someday."

"Thanks, Tony." Steve said with an earnest smile.

Bruce now stepped next to the bed and looked over mother and daughter. "You both look healthy from what I can see. Though I wonder if the super soldier serum in Cap will affect her at all." He wondered aloud.

Steve and Natasha both looked worried. "Do you think it'll make something bad happen?" The former asked the doctor, concerned.

"I don't think anything bad will happen." Bruce replied. "But she might have some of the benefits you have, Cap, like great stamina or strength."

"Guess we will have to watch and find out." Natasha sighed, looking down at her daughter, surprised to find small blue eyes looking up at her. "She's awake!" She said happily.

The superheroes cooed over her and took turns holding her, and Pepper handed Maggie back to her mother as Steve got everyone's attention.

"Okay, so, Nat and I have already decided on Maggie's godparents." He began.

"But," Natasha cut in, "I want Maggie to grow up knowing all of you, and our other close friends and colleagues, as her family—her crazy uncles and aunts."

"She was definitely born into the right family if she wanted that." Bruce commented with a smirk, causing everyone to laugh.

"Alright, Clint, Pepper, would you be Maggie's godparents?" Steve finally asked.

Two said people looked at each other in surprise, before looking at the new happy parents.

"Really?" Pepper asked, shocked, at the same time Clint asked, "For real?"

"Yes." Natasha answered in reply, then turned towards Tony. "Though, I'm assuming you'll be the one to spoil her, since you're the rich one here." She groaned.

"I accept my duty humbly, and I will spoil her rotten." Tony said, placing a hand over his heart.

"Please don't." Steve sighed.

"Sorry, Capsicle, it's my job to be a crazy uncle." Tony smirked in reply.

* * *

After a few days in the hospital, the now family of three returned to their small home. The rest of the Avengers and Pepper had left them to give them some time to get things settled at home.

Thanks to the enormous amount of gifts their friends had left for them, Maggie would have enough clothes for a long time.

"Welcome home, Лапушка." Natasha said as she placed the carrier holding the newborn down on the ground, sitting next to her.

"Лапушка?" Steve echoed, in between several trips of bringing all the stuff in from the car.

"Yes, it means 'sweetheart'; I'm Russian so I might as well put it to some use." Natasha replied with a smile.

A few minutes later, Steve finished bringing in all the stuff. "Finally." He said with a sigh of exhaustion and sat down next to Natasha on the ground, watching their daughter take in the new surroundings.

"So." Natasha said with a smile. "We are parents for real now."

"Indeed we are. Our little miracle in the making is here." Steve replied happily. "And it feels amazing."

"Keep saying that and then change some poopy diapers. After that come back and tell me how you feel." The spy teased as they watched Maggie's eyes blink sleepily before she finally gave into sleep.

"I'll try to make the most of it." The soldier chuckled.

* * *

"And we all lived happily ever after. The end." Steve finished, kissing nine year old Maggie on the top of her head as she closed her eyes finally let sleep overcome her.

"Goodnight, Mags. I love you." He draped the blankets over her just up to her shoulders before shutting off the light and leaving her room.

* * *

**A/N: **I think we can all agree that I'm not good at writing going into labor/still in hospital after giving birth scenes XP I also feel bad cuz it seems like I always write Pepper as someone on the sidelines, even though she's Maggie's godmother! Bah! I must write some nice fluff with them soon! On a side note, Tony Stark is very fun to write dialogue for :3 Happy Mother's Day!


	12. Counting Stars

**A/N: **I should be studying for finals, I really should. BUT I'M NOT! MUAHAHAHAHAHAAH! (Well, okay, I will after posting this)

I started writing this one a few weeks ago, actually, and I added a "twist" in it that made it totally longer today. Doing said twist made me feel evil. Hehehe :3

Hope all the studying hasn't wrecked the creative/artistic/stuff that isn't school related side of my brain! Enjoy!

* * *

17 year old Maggie took a deep breath as she stepped foot into her father's exhibit at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC.

She was currently wearing a baseball cap with her fiery and wavy hair in a ponytail hanging out the back. Her wide framed glasses normally worn only in school also sat on her face, as she did not want to be recognized.

Of course everyone would immediately recognize the teen if she hadn't covered up; she was the child of two Avengers, after all.

Looking down and hiding her face as she walked through the room, she reminisced on the day's previous events.

* * *

_Maggie sat on the couch, mindlessly browsing the internet on her laptop as Pepper flipped through the channels on the TV. _

"_Guys, we got visitors." Tony's voice traveled into the room as he closed the front door. _

"'_Kay." Maggie replied, not paying attention. Her parents had left two days prior on a mission, and Tony and Pepper happened to be in DC at the time. It ended up being easier for the billionaire and his assistant to just stay at the Rogers home with the teen, as no one felt it was safe enough for her to stay home alone for days. Maggie didn't complain; she loved the company. _

"_Hey, kid." Clint strolled into the room, sitting down across from his goddaughter. Maggie looked up at him and noticed he looked a bit nervous. Before she could question him, Fury walked into the room. _

"_Uncle Nick? What are all of you guys doing here?" The teen questioned as she closed her laptop and set it on the coffee table. Her mind unconsciously made the connection that something was wrong. However, she was focusing all of her attention on the adults in the room. "Are Mama and Daddy back yet?" _

"_That's the thing, Maggie." Fury sighed as he sat down on the couch next to her. He grabbed her two hands and held them in his, momentarily marveling in how mature she had become. "Your parents are missing." _

"Missing?_" Maggie squeaked in reply. "N-No, they can't be… They said it was a simple mission to gather intel!" _

"_It was, but something went wrong and they were ambushed. The rest of the strike team made it back because your parents protected them, just like the heroes they are." Fury said gently. "We have reason to believe they are still alive and out there, Maggie. They were last seen alive, and we didn't find any of their blood on the scene." _

_Maggie's eyes welled up in tears and she ripped her eyes from the stare down they had been in with Fury's. _

"_Listen to me, kid." Clint spoke up, crossing the room and kneeling in front of her. "We will find them. They're still out there, I just know it." _

"_But what if they're not?" The redhead asked quietly. _

"_They are. They're too stubborn to just give up." Tony said, trying to lighten the mood. _

"_I can assure you that we are using every available resource to find them." Fury assured the young girl. He glanced over at Clint and Tony. "That will also include you two, so suit up." _

"_You don't have to tell me twice." Tony said. "I was going to go out there whether you assigned me, or not." _

"_Same." Clint agreed. _

_Maggie hadn't spoken a word for a few minutes and the adults figured she was trying to comprehend what was happening. The three men gathered their things and left after assuring her they would bring the two missing heroes back. Afterwards, Maggie informed Pepper she needed space and all but ran out of the house._

* * *

She had walked, run, then walked again, and occasionally texted Pepper to let her know she was still in one piece. Hours later, Maggie had found herself standing in front of the Air and Space Museum, with only one exhibit in mind.

The teen walked through the section on her father's past quickly, before arriving to a wall not far from the end of the exhibit. It was the section on her family.

Maggie ran her hand over part of the wall, which had been painted by her and a few of her artistic friends from school the year before as a birthday present for her father. It was a painting of herself and her parents, based on an old photo she had found of the three from when she was younger.

In the picture, they were happy and laughing, completely oblivious to the stress and evil of the world for a few simple moments. They bore wide smiles and stood close together, showing the closeness and intimacy of their small family. The bright colors soon mixed and blurred together as tears welled up once again.

Maggie sniffled, turning to another wall. This one had a brief description of her mother, the famous Black Widow. After the sole female Avenger released both Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secrets on the Internet, her past was released and gave the museum something to write about her in the exhibit. The description was all positive, though, as her father fought to keep it that way.

Baby blue eyes poured into a reflection of themselves as Maggie looked at the wall dedicated to herself. Why the hell the museum had gone to all the trouble of including a description about a child who still had a lot of things to do in the future, the teen would never know.

She studied the numerous pictures of the Avengers, some of which she was meant to be in, others she had photobombed. A smirk played across her face at the playful memories.

Familiar footsteps sounded behind her, and she didn't comment as the owner of them stopped next to her. He wouldn't speak first; he had learned that she was her mother's daughter and would initiate the necessary conversation when she was ready.

"Uncle Sam." Maggie commented blankly. "I thought you would be out leading the search parties S.H.I.E.L.D. is sending out right now."

Sam Wilson, also known as Falcon after the help he lent the teen's parents to take down Hydra many years before, shrugged. "I thought I would be, too. 'Cept Fury sent me out here to make sure no one tried to pull any funny business on you." He replied.

"Please, I could take them." Maggie huffed as she gestured to the paragraph about herself. "Says right here I'm the only other person in the world to have the serum in me, so that's gotta count for something."

"Sounds like you've been spending a lot of time with your billionaire uncle." He commented with a chuckle.

"Playboy, billionaire, genius, philanthropist." The redhead recited.

"Something like that. How are you holding up?"

Maggie didn't answer at first. How was she _really? _She didn't even know, to be honest.

"Coping." She shrugged, but Sam knew it was much more than just "coping."

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault, they were just doing their job, being Earth's mightiest heroes…." She sighed and turned to face him. "How do you do it, Uncle Sam?" Maggie knew he had lost his best friend in the field back in the day. "How do you keep going?"

"That's just it. You keep moving forward. The pain never completely goes away, it just hurts less and less." Sam replied, meeting her frightened eyes. "However, your parents are expected to return. Just later than they were supposed to." He tried to reassure her.

It didn't work. "I don't want to get my hopes up."

He sighed. "Sometimes I think you are way too mature for your age."

"I might need that." And with that, Maggie whirled around and walked away. She left the exhibit.

* * *

Maggie closed the front door of the house as she returned. The sun was now setting, and she figured Pepper would want her back before nightfall.

Said assistant to Tony Stark had been in contact with Sam Wilson most of the time, who had been keeping tabs on the young redhead while she was out and about. Pepper patted the spot next to her on the couch as the teen strolled into the living room.

"How do you feel now?" The adult asked gently as Maggie sat down.

"Same."

"I see." Pepper paused, not sure how to converse with the usually chatty teen.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she offered her niece after a while.

Maggie didn't answer, but avoided Pepper's eyes.

"You don't have to hold it all in, Maggie, if that's what you're doing. 'Compartmentalization.' It's okay to cry." Pepper ventured out on a limb.

She knew that the teen idolized her parents and often strived to be like them. Of course, that included being able to bottle up her feelings like her mother had as the coldhearted Black Widow.

Maggie dragged her hands over her face stressfully.

Pepper sighed.

Then, "…Aunt Pepper?"

"Yeah?"

"…I'm scared." Maggie finally admitted, finally raising her tearful eyes to meet Pepper's concerned ones.

"Come here." Pepper soothed as she scooted closer with her arms open. The teen launched herself into them, and letting her emotions out for the first time since the announcement of her parents' missing status that day. She held her godmother tightly as she cried.

The two sat in silence, the only noise being Maggie's soft cries, for a good 20 minutes. When the only sound was just her the teen's sniffles, Pepper pulled back just enough so she could meet Maggie's eyes.

"I made cookies earlier, if you're interested." She offered.

"I think I am." Maggie managed to crack a small smile as she let go of Pepper and the two hurried into the kitchen to snack.

* * *

The redhead climbed up the tree that currently stood in their backyard. She climbed up to one of the highest branches, that was just a bit over the level of the roof of the house.

Maggie had climbed up to this branch with her mother many times in the past. It was a tradition they would partake in while her mother was gone on missions. It was simple: sit and watch the stars.

_"Mama, how many stars are there?" Eight year old Maggie asked as she sat next to her mother on the branch. _

_"Well, Лапушка, there's an infinite number of them. That means they're endless." The elder redhead answered. _

_Maggie squinted her eyes, as if she wasn't seeing the full picture. "But I don't see that many." _

_"We can't always see them, but they're always there. Sometimes they're too far away to be seen, or it's too bright here." _

_"Can Daddy see them?" The soldier had been gone on a mission for the past two days. _

_"Yup, no matter where you are on earth, there will be stars in the sky above you, even if you can't see them. Same with the moon and sun. It is something everyone will always be able to have in common." _

There weren't a bunch of stars visible, of course, because they lived in the nation's capital. But there were enough to know that they were still there. It was one of the few things she and her parents would have together while separated: the stars.

Sure, if they stood on different hemispheres, they would be looking at different stars. But, the sun was a star. And that was something anyone can see from anywhere, as long as it's day.

_Wherever you guys are, maybe you can see even more stars._

* * *

Pepper groaned as her phone rang on the bedside table in the middle of the night. She sleepily grabbed it and checked the caller ID with a yawn. Tony Stark.

"Tony, it's the middle of the night—"

"_We found them._"

The line was silent for a few moments as Pepper comprehended what was happening. She looked over at the sleeping form of Maggie lying next to her, and she remembered. It had been almost five days since the disappearance of Captain America and Black Widow, and Maggie was trying to cope. Pepper was trying her best to keep the teen's mind off the event, but they took it day by day. The duo was currently sharing the bed the two Avengers of the house slept in.

"What?" Was all Pepper managed to say after her mind finished waking up.

"_We found the Capsicle and Tasha, Pepper. They're okay, they're safe._"

"R-Really?" Pepper turned on the lamp next to her and Maggie shifted in her sleep.

"_Yes, we're coming back now. ETA at the Triskelion should be about an hour. The two parents want to see the munchkin._"

Maggie mumbled something as she turned towards Pepper and started to wake up. "Okay, she's waking up now. We'll be there." She informed Tony before hanging up.

"Maggie, sweetie, wake up." Pepper gently shook her goddaughter to quicken the pace. "We got to get to the Triskelion."

"Aunt Pepper?" Maggie yawned as she finally opened her eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong! Your parents are coming home today." Pepper broke the news happily.

Suddenly, Maggie shot up in the bed and was fully awake. "They're coming home?!"

"Uncle Tony just called and told me they are on their way back right now." Pepper replied with a smile. "ETA is an hour, so we better get going."

Maggie jumped out of bed and turned on the light. "Let's go, let's go!"

"Wait, don't you want to change first?" Pepper raised an eyebrow, but was relieved to see the young girl back to her enthusiastic self.

"There's no time! We gotta go now, Auntie Pep!" Maggie ran over to the bed and pulled her aunt up.

"Alright, alright, but I am definitely driving." Pepper joked, knowing the teen would most likely not obey speed limits with all her excitement.

* * *

"If you keep pacing like that, you're going to leave a mark on the ground." Maria Hill teased the fidgety teen as she continued her walking in circles in Fury's office.

"I can't help myself! I'm just so relieved and excited and a ton of other emotions!" Maggie replied.

"I'm just glad these past few days are over." Pepper commented.

"Yeah, it's been rough. Everyone's been on edge." Hill replied.

The conversation ended as the glass doors of Fury's office opened and the team of heroes strolled in, looking tired, but triumphant. Maggie held her breath until she caught sight of her parents, her eyes tearful again. "Mama! Daddy!"

"Maggie!" Came the equally emotional voices of her parents, as the teen ran up to them. Not caring about how strong she probably was because of the serum, she pulled the two adults into a bone crushing hug, holding them tightly as if they would disappear again.

"You're okay…" she cried softly as they hugged her back.

"Yeah, we are… We're so sorry, Mags, we never meant to do that to you." Her father replied, kissing her on the side of her head affectionately.

"I love you, so much; I thought I wouldn't be able to tell you that ever again."

"I love you, too, Лапушка. Never forget it." Her mother spoke up as she laid her chin on her daughter's shoulder. The two redheads were nearly equal in height now.

"I won't." Maggie promised. "I won't…"

"Maggie, sweetheart, wake up."

"W-What?"

"You're crying."

* * *

"Huh?"

The teen's blue eyes opened quickly, and she realized she had indeed been crying. She blinked a few times, registering the person beside her who woke her was Pepper.

"You were crying in your sleep again, I think you were dreaming." Her godmother clarified as she ran a hand through the redhead's hair affectionately.

"My parents…?"

"They're still not back yet, I'm sorry."

Oh.

Maggie's temporary bliss and peace quickly evaporated as the cruel reality of the world set in.

"Are you okay?" Pepper inquired.

"Yeah…" Maggie answered, not fully present.

"What did you dream about?"

"…My parents came back." The teen cursed her body as tears surfaced once again. She sighed tiredly, running a hand over her face. "I'm sorry I woke you up, Auntie Pep."

"Hey, it's okay." Pepper tried to comfort her. "They _will_ come back, I just know it."

"It's been five days. I'm losing hope."

"I know."

They fell into silence afterwards, and Pepper waited for the teen to eventually fall asleep again.

Sleep never came back for Maggie, and she wasn't sure if she was happy because she wasn't tricked by her dreams again, or sad because she had to stay in reality.

* * *

A week and a half went by slowly for the two current occupants of the Rogers home. A dull and depressing 10 days.

Maggie tried to keep herself busy as much as she could; she practiced ballet moves her mother had shown her, nearly filled all the pages of her sketchbook, baked with Pepper, went out for jogs, ate lots of food, went to the gym, only to come home to eat even more food, read books, and laid on the couch.

Her hobbies weren't keeping her entertained at all; the anxiety and worry was always eating at her, consuming her. She knew it wouldn't be much longer until she was finally broken, the remnants of a once clean glass now shattered on the floor.

It was a constant emotional roller coaster that Maggie felt bad for dragging Pepper on with her. She often went from sorrow to anger and then back again; it was times like these she feared for other people's safety within her presence. After all, she was the strongest 17 year old girl on the planet, and could easily cause harm to anyone. Despite this, Pepper stayed by her side and rode the hills of the ride with her.

"Do you think Mama and Daddy are sticking together? Or maybe one of them is already… gone? Or what if they got lost and separated?" she often wondered aloud to Pepper.

"I'm sure they're working together to come back to us, Maggie." Pepper would always answer in reply. "They won't stop until they've come back."

The cynical side of Maggie would always silently insert "or _dead_" into Pepper's statement. She tried to not let that side take over.

The teen had also attempted to write to Sif about it. She and the Asgardian warrior were still pen pals even after ten years, and had no intention of stopping soon. Thor happily played messenger for the two of them.

However, Maggie had no idea how to express her current problems in writing, and the trash can in her room was full of crumpled up balls of paper. The factory rejects, she would call them.

The redhead also kept in touch with all her uncles working on her parents' case. She always spoke on the phone with at least one of them daily.

Sam Wilson had come by often for a visit, to make sure the teen was still in one piece and doing as well as could be expected. Maggie appreciated him and his visits, though her anger had taken over during one of them.

"Uncle Sam, you're Falcon! Why aren't you over there helping them look?" she had grumbled. Upon reflecting, Maggie knew it was rude, but sometimes there are consequences of riding a roller coaster. Emotional ones were no exception.

"Maggie—" He had tried, but she cut him off. Rude again, she reflected.

"I don't need to be babysat by more than one person!"

"We aren't babysitting you, Maggie—" Pepper had tried to diffuse the situation, but the teen continued.

Maggie sighed as she closed her eyes, trying to shut out the memory of her rude words to both Sam and Pepper days before. She had texted him the next day, apologizing, and he replied saying it was no problem. As for Pepper, the redhead had apologized later that night after waking up from the now routine nightmares.

"Hey." Pepper spoke up as she walked over to the couch and sat down next to Maggie. "Wanna bake some brownies?"

"Sure." Maggie answered blankly. Pepper internally saddened; asking to bake brownies was something that had always gotten the young redhead excited, even as she grew older.

* * *

After they laid the ingredients out, Maggie heard her cell phone ring from the other room. "You go and I'll start working on this." Pepper said, and Maggie nodded, walking out of the kitchen.

Grabbing her phone, she checked the caller ID. _Uncle Tony_. Many emotions hit her at once. Fear. Joy. Suspense. Anger. The roller coaster was climbing up a hill, and this call would determine if a steep drop lay in wait for them at the top.

Taking a deep breath, she answered it. "Hello?" She cursed her shaking voice.

"_Maggie?_" Came the voice of Tony Stark.

Their phone calls usually started out like this, and Maggie would reply to Tony's "Maggie?" with something like "The one and only!" or "That's my name, don't wear it out!" She wasn't feeling up to continuing their banter today.

"What?" Her voice ended up sounding a bit colder than she meant to, but she didn't really care.

Luckily, Tony had learned that an upset Maggie is almost equivalent to an upset Natasha, which meant one thing for sure: no commenting. If he did tease, well, he would probably not live to see the light of day.

"_We found them_."

"What?" Maggie didn't understand.

"_Your parents, they're okay, they're safe. We're coming home._"

"Wait, seriously?!"

"_They're getting patched up by Bruce and some other doctors right now. Mostly cuts and bruises, but we will be back to the Triskelion today, I swear._"

"…I don't like it when you guys try to promise me things." Maggie, again, didn't mean to sound mean, but words were just tumbling out of her mouth. None of her family members had ever even broken promises to her that would trigger the gravity of the statement she had just said. But, she knew that their lives were crazy, and things could change forever in a moment.

"_Stop acting like your mother. You can relax now—_"

"_Tony, give me the phone._" Maggie heard Clint's voice.

"_What?_"

"_Give me the damn phone, you have no idea how to handle our redheads._" Maggie smirked; this was true. Besides Steve, Clint was the most qualified to deal with an upset Natasha, or herself. Meanwhile, Tony was the least qualified.

"_Alright, Legolas! No need to get so grabby._" She heard Tony pass off the phone.

"_Hey, kid._"

"Hey." For some reason, Maggie thought she could cry at the sound of her godfather's voice. She figured it was the news setting in.

Oh.

_Oh! _"Uncle Clint, you found them?!" she demanded into the phone.

"_Yup. Like your Uncle Tony said, they're getting patched up now, but they're coming home in one piece. Well, two, since they're two different people, technically._"

"I can't believe it…"

"_Believe it, kid, it's happening. How are you holding up?_"

"Better now, obviously." She breathed, still comprehending the news.

"_How about before? You were giving Tony the cold shoulder?_"

"I just… I didn't want him to try and make a promise to me when I know life sucks and can change for the worst in a split second."

She heard Clint whistle in awe over the phone. "_You've become intelligent, when did that happen?_"

"Hey, that's not nice!"

"_I'm just joking around, kid. Anyway, he was just trying to put your worries and anxieties to rest so you can focus on the present._"

"Yeah, I guess I've just been really moody lately, I'm sure Aunt Pepper would agree."

"_Well, it's a part of being a teenager. And for being a teenager surrounded by family members who constantly save the world for a job, I think you're doing a pretty good job of not going crazy on us._"

"I think I came close this time."

"_We all did, kid. Anyway, I better go so we can leave ASAP. I'll text you an ETA later._"

"Alright. Can you tell Uncle Tony I said that I'm sorry for being mean to him like that?"

"_Sure. He probably doesn't mind though. See ya._"

"I love you."

"_Love you, too." _

"Bye." Maggie hung up, and quickly ran back into the kitchen. "Uncle Tony and Uncle Clint said they found them!"

Pepper smiled widely. "That's great news! When are they coming home?"

"Sometime today. They're going to leave soon. Uncle Clint said he'd text me and ETA later."

"Well, I guess we won't have to finish eating all these brownies by ourselves, huh?" Pepper pouted.

"We could stash them somewhere…" Maggie smiled playfully, and Pepper laughed. It felt good to be back on the happier side of life.

* * *

"Pinch me again!"

"I'm telling you, this is no dream." Pepper assured Maggie for what felt like the millionth time as they waited in the Triskelion lobby.

"But what if it is, and I just have a high pain tolerance because of the serum in my sleep, so the pinching doesn't affect me? Maybe you should punch or kick me."

"Maggie, I'm not going to hit you."

"But Aunt Pepper!"

"You sound like a child." _Again_. Pepper silently added as she laughed. Maggie was starting to sound like her old, childish self.

Before the teen could protest, Fury and the Avengers strolled through the main entrance of the building. They looked exhausted, but triumphant. Maggie's face lit up instantly as she quickly ran over to them. "Mama! Daddy!" _Please be real this time_. She silently prayed.

Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff speed-limped/walked to their daughter to meet her halfway. Maggie threw her arms around both of them, hugging them tightly.

"Maggie…" Steve said hoarsely as he wrapped his arm around her back.

"You're okay…" The teen cried softly in relief and joy.

"Yeah, we are. Though, we kind of got our asses handed to us a few times." Natasha joked lightly as she felt her own tears of relief fall.

"I missed you so much."

"We missed you, too, kiddo."

"Good job, guys." Pepper praised the group as she walked over to them, specifically Tony. They shared a quick kiss.

"You're still in one piece. Good." Tony joked.

"And so are we." Fury commented from the side.

"What happened?" Maggie practically demanded as she pulled away just enough to meet both of her parents' eyes, as well as everyone else's in the room.

"Well, you already know the part about us being ambushed, right?" Steve asked. Maggie nodded.

"We were outnumbered, so we ran. They were hot on our trail for a while, and we led them in the opposite direction of where we had been based when we came. We lost them after a while, but by then, we were a bit lost." Natasha explained. "Luckily, your uncles all came just as we were running out of supplies."

"Thank you for finding them." Maggie said to the rest of the group. She wanted to hug everyone else, but she didn't want to let go of her parents. _Not again_. She silently vowed.

Clint noticed her internal struggle, and walked over to them. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Of course we would go after them, kid, it's just like that movie you used to watch. What was it called? It had something to do with aliens and Hawaii."

"_Lilo and Stitch._" Maggie, Pepper, Steve, and Natasha all answered at once.

"Ah, yes, family means no one gets left behind. There ya go."

Maggie smirked. "Thanks, Uncle Clint."


	13. I Can't Help Falling in Love With You

**A/N: **Woohoo! As of this past Tuesday, I am OUT OF SCHOOL! Hooray! I've been working on this chapter for a few weeks now, but it mostly came together earlier today.

Thanks so much for the reviews, faves, and follows! You all give me the courage to look over the term paper corrections I received and not totally die whilst reading them, haha! ;D

As usual, sorry if anyone is OOC, sorry I don't know how to really write dialogue for Thor, and sorry if anyone stole the cookies you were planning on eating. That last one is def the most tragic.

* * *

"Unca Clint!" Maggie giggled happily as she toddled over to the Avenger.

"Hey, kiddo!" Clint scooped the two year old up in his arms, tickling her slightly. "How are you?"

"Good! Auntie Pep!" Her attention was diverted as her godmother walked over to them.

"Alright, Clint, it's my turn now." Pepper announced as she opened her arms up.

"No way! I'm keeping her forever!" Clint teased in reply, holding the toddler tightly.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Natasha Romanoff murmured to Steve Rogers as he set down Maggie's bag. She watched the two godparents bicker over "hugging rights." "A week long mission?"

Fury had done his best in assignments for the two parents, trying to give either a short mission for both Avengers, or a longer mission for only one of them. So far, it had worked well, and Maggie had only spent a few nights without her parents in Stark Tower, and, more often, nights with only one of her parents present. It appeared their luck streak had come to an end.

"I think it will be okay. I sure am going to miss her while we're gone, though." Steve replied, standing next to Natasha. "At least Pepper will be here to keep things under control."

"Yeah, I don't trust the rest of 'Earth's Mightiest Heroes' to take care of a toddler for a week, let alone a day."

"You and me both." They turned their attention back to the toddler.

"We are gonna have fun all week and party, aren't we?" Pepper asked as she held Maggie.

"Party!" The young redhead threw her arms up victoriously in reply.

"And lots of naps, _please say you will take naps_." Tony pleaded as he walked into the room. He wasn't ready to deal with a ball of energy for a week.

"Unca Tony is silly." Maggie commented in reply.

"Yeah, he's a pretty funny guy. Maybe he's just getting too old for fun." Pepper teased the billionaire.

"Hey! Whose side are you on?" Tony pouted in reply, walking over.

"We girls gotta stick together. Right, Maggie?"

"Yeah!"

"Alright, alright, now come here, I want a hug from my favorite niece." Tony said, holding his arms out.

"Thanks again for taking her in, Tony." Steve said as he and Natasha walked up to the billionaire who now held Maggie.

"No problemo, Capsicle."

"Are you sure you can handle her for a week?" Natasha teased.

"Nope! That's why I have recruited Pepper and Clint to help me. Bruce should be coming over soon as well."

"Unca Brucie!" Maggie cheered happily.

Steve checked his watch with a sigh. "Looks like it's time for us to hit the road."

"Alright. One more hug!" Natasha said as she took the toddler from Tony, hugging her tightly. "Be good for everyone, okay?"

"Mama don't go." Maggie looked up at her mother.

"I'm sorry, Лапушка, but we gotta go. Uncle Nick needs us. We'll be back in a week."

"Promise?"

Natasha bit her lip. She could never promise she would return home from missions, nor could any members of the ragtag family; their jobs, and even their identities, put them in constant danger.

Sensing Natasha's hesitation, Steve decided to jump in. "We'll do our best, Maggie, and catch all the bad guys!" he hoped by ending his statement on an exciting note, the toddler would shift focus.

It worked, as Maggie cheered, "Yeah!" and Steve took her into his arms. "Make sure Uncle Tony stays good, too." he advised.

The little redhead giggled as Tony protested with a "Hey!"

* * *

"Sooooooo, are you feeling tired yet?" Tony asked as he sat on the ground with Maggie, hours later, practically begging her to go down for a nap.

"No." She answered simply, continuing to play with her toys. "I'm hungry."

"You're always hungry." Tony muttered half to himself.

Pepper rolled her eyes. "Alright, I'll go grab some things from the kitchen. How do animal crackers sound?"

"Yummy!" Maggie answered happily.

"Okay, I'll be right back. Both of you, be good." The billionaire's assistant ordered, getting up and leaving the two alone.

"I'm always good!" Tony protested after her, causing Maggie to giggle.

"_Sir, Dr. Banner is coming up now._"

"Awesome. Thanks, Jarvis." The genius acknowledged. "Hey, kid, did you hear that? A certain Uncle Brucie is coming up now."

The redhead set down the toys she was holding. "Unca Brucie!" She cheered. Moments later, the elevator doors opened to reveal Bruce.

"Finally! Someone else to handle her!" Tony joked in greeting as he stood up, watching Maggie run up to the newest arrival.

"Something tells me you aren't good at taking care of children." Bruce smirked as he pulled the toddler up into his arms. "Hey there, Maggie. Good to see you."

"Unca Brucie." Maggie stated happily.

"Y'know, I've been wondering, where did 'Brucie' come from, anyway?" Tony raised an eyebrow.

Bruce shrugged. "I don't know, it just happened. I like it." he replied. "And, no, you may not call me that."

"Unca Brucie, see my toys!" The redhead suggested before Tony could protest.

"Sure, Maggie. Let's go." Bruce carried her back over to the toy-covered section of the floor.

* * *

"Mama and Daddy?" Maggie asked Clint when she woke up the following morning.

"Sorry, kiddo, they're not back yet." He apologized. "They won't be back for a few more days."

"Oh." The disappointment in the toddler's voice saddened Clint. He knew she wasn't disappointed in having to spend time with the rest of her family; she just missed her parents.

"Well, Aunt Pepper said we would go do some fun stuff today! Like, go to the Disney Store." The archer offered. The toddler was currently obsessed with the colorful store.

"Okay!" Maggie cheered up instantaneously, making Clint smile. "Let's go!"

"Alright then!" He laughed at her enthusiasm, pulling her into his arms and walking out of the room.

* * *

"She's out cold." Clint confirmed as they walked into Stark Tower later that afternoon, carrying the sleeping toddler. "Congratulations, Tony, we got her to take a nap." He said, remembering Tony's desperate plea from the day before.

"Thank God." Tony said melodramatically, carrying Disney bags full of the things they bought. "You got the easier end of the job, though, seeing as I'm probably carrying twice her weight in all this useless stuff right now. What is so appealing about that store, anyway?"

"You had fun and you know it." Pepper laughed from next to him. "I saw you playing with Maggie and the rest of the kids at the little play table. Especially when the worker brought out that tub of fake snow while they played songs from _Frozen._"

"What can I say, snow is fun." Tony defended.

"Sure, but you were the only adult there who looked that elated over it." Bruce laughed.

"The other adults just don't know how to have fun! You guys included." Tony argued.

"Sshh, keep it down, will you? If we wake her up, she'll be cranky." Clint shushed the bickering trio, though there was amusement in his voice.

"Oh, don't act like you're the mature one here, Katniss! I saw you fanboying over that _Brave _themed bow and arrow set. You want to start teaching the squirt how to shoot people already!" Tony rolled his eyes.

"Okay, first off, I do not fanboy. Secondly, they did not have cool toys like that when I was growing up, so I got excited over the fact Maggie would get that privilege. And thirdly, it's not that she needs to learn how to shoot people, she just eventually needs to learn how to defend himself." Clint defended himself.

"She's two." Pepper reminded him.

"Exactly, which is why I said '_eventually_'." Clint emphasized.

"Can we all just agree that Disney has managed to reach out to the inner child in each of us and be done with it?" Bruce sighed.

"So agree to disagree." Tony abbreviated.

"That's not what I said."

"It was implied. So, sure."

"Whatever, Tony."

* * *

"I want Mama and Daddy." Maggie said sadly the next day, and everyone in the room held their breath. They knew that it would happen eventually.

"I know, kid, I know, but hey, they'll be back soon." Clint tried to soothe her.

"Wanna watch _Frozen_?" Pepper offered softly.

Maggie shook her head.

"Here we go." Tony muttered, running a hand over his face. He knew the moment Maggie didn't want to watch that movie was when things would take a turn for the worst.

"I want Mama and Daddy." The redhead repeated, now on the verge of tears.

Before anyone could say anything more, they were interrupted by the sound of thunder.

"Oh, thank God for that dude's timing!" Tony practically shed tears of joy as Thor landed on the deck just outside of the windows.

Natasha and Steve had managed to quickly extinguish Maggie's fear of thunder and lightning using Thor; any time there was a storm, they reminded her that it was just her Uncle Thor's way of reminding everyone he was still around and that he loved them. The two parents had to admit their explanation had been a stretch and romanticized things a bit, but it helped calm the toddler down.

"Unca Thor!" Maggie exclaimed as Thor entered the building, Jarvis closing the large glass panels behind him.

"Good morning, Lady Margaret." The Asgardian greeted happily, walking over to the now joyful child.

As Maggie launched herself in his large arms happily, everyone else let out the breath they had been holding.

"Thor, you have the best timing. Ever." Clint commented with a grateful smile.

"I fear I do not understand." Thor looked confused.

"We'll explain later." Bruce replied. "What brings you here?"

"I haven't visited Midguard in a while; I assumed I would be able to encounter Lady Margaret here if I came today, and it appears I was correct."

"Thank God you were." Tony said exasperatedly.

"Unca Thor." Maggie's voice brought Thor's eyes to her. "Can you tell me a story?"

"Aye, I have many stories waiting to be shared. Let us sit." Thor smiled, sitting down with the toddler on his lap. "Long ago, my friend Sif, my brother Loki, and I…"

"We've been saved. Somehow." Pepper chuckled as she and the three other Avengers gathered near the counter.

"We have always seemed to have great luck." Clint commented.

"Must be a side effect of being an Avenger." Bruce added.

"I don't care what caused it, I'm just glad that we avoided a toddler meltdown." Tony let of a breath of relief.

"For now." The others all commented in reply.

* * *

"Aw, that makes an adorable picture." Tony admired as he, Bruce, and Thor all walked into the room. It was the evening of the day following Thor's arrival, and the trio had gone out to get groceries and leave Maggie with some quality godparent time.

A huge, thick blanket had been laid out over the carpet on the floor in front of the TV, and the redhead and two adults were sprawled out on it, asleep, while the credits of _Brave_ rolled on the large TV. Stuffed animals and toys were scattered all over, and Maggie lay curled up against Clint, with Pepper's arm around her.

Tony quickly whipped out his phone and snapped a few pictures from different angles as the other two Avengers set their bags on the counter.

"Shall we wake them?" Thor asked as he walked up next to the billionaire.

"Nah, we should just make them comfier." Tony said, walking out of the room. He returned moments later with pillows and blankets.

"Here, let me help." Bruce offered, taking the large blanket and draping it over the three sleeping forms.

Clint, always being alert when he slept, woke up quickly.

"What are you guys doing?" He asked groggily, turning his head slowly to look at the three other Avengers in the room, careful not to wake the toddler curled up against his chest.

"Just go back to sleep, Legolas, you guys look adorable." Tony replied, placing a pillow under Pepper's head carefully, then following suit with Maggie. "Here." He handed Clint a pillow.

"Thanks. 'Night, guys." Clint yawned while placing the pillow under his head.

"Goodnight." Bruce replied while Tony removed _Brave _from the DVD player.

* * *

They all knew a meltdown was inevitable. And it finally came on the fifth day.

"I want Mama and Daddy!" Maggie cried over and over again.

They decided not to crowd her. Tony, of course, had been the first to leave, practically fleeing from the scene. Bruce feared seeing his niece so upset might yield a similar result in himself, so he went down to the labs to work on the things he had fallen behind on because of Maggie's long stay. Thor didn't really know what to do, so he just went to the kitchen and ate the majority of their pop tart stash.

"I know you do, sweetheart, I know. They will be back the day after tomorrow." Pepper said slowly and softly, trying to diffuse the situation.

It didn't work. "Come here, kid." Clint opened his arms to the upset toddler.

"No!" She protested, backing away.

"Maggie, you need to calm down." Pepper said sternly, but softly.

"No!" She repeated. "I want Mama and Daddy!"

"Listen, kid, they're going to be back in two days. _Two days. _We just have to be patient." Clint tried again.

"I want them now!"

"Maggie, you know that's not possible." Pepper replied.

The conversation went back and forth like this for a while, with Maggie rejecting all of their reassurances or attempts of cheering her up.

"You know what? I think it's time we call in the big guns; the guy who can for sure tell you when you're parents are coming back." Clint finally said, standing up, with a hint of impatience in his voice. He knew it wasn't anyone's fault, especially not Maggie's, but he hated feeling like he couldn't cheer up his goddaughter like usual.

Pepper raised an eyebrow at him as Maggie continued crying and pouting. Clint pulled up the screens on the other side of the room, and initiated a video call to the Triskelion.

"_Director Fury._" Fury answered as his face appeared on the screen. He blinked, registering the archer's face. "_Agent Barton. What are you calling for?_"

"I have an upset toddler who needs to hear that her parents are coming back soon from someone who has tabs on them." Clint stated. Normally, he knew, he would have to speak more professionally to his boss, but when it came to a certain young redhead, all the workplace barriers were broken.

Fury stared at Barton for a moment, and then gave the slightest hint of a smile. "_Put her on._"

"Pepper, could you bring the little monster over?" Clint called across the room.

"Maggie, come on, Uncle Clint has something to show you." Pepper urged.

"Mama and Daddy?"

"It has to do with them, now, come on." Pepper said cryptically, leading the sniffling toddler to Clint, who quickly pulled the squirming girl up.

"Chill, kiddo, there's someone here who wants to talk with you." Clint said, turning back towards Fury with the upset Maggie in his arms.

"_Hi, Maggie_." Fury greeted.

"Unca Nick." Maggie sniffled. "I want Mama and Daddy."

"_I know, Maggie. They're coming back real soon. They have to catch some bad guys and save the world first, though._"

"But I want them back now."

"_Me too. But we have to remember that there are people in trouble that they are saving. They're being superheroes. Do you want to be a superhero, too?_"

The redhead thought for a moment, before nodding."Uh-huh."

"_Then you have to hang tight, and protect your Uncle Clint and Aunt Pepper and everyone else with you while your parents are gone. Can you do that for me, Maggie?_"

"I think so."

"_Good. Think of it like a mission, like what your parents and your uncles have to do sometimes. You can be a hero just like them, okay?_"

"Okay, Unca Nick." Maggie had stopped crying now, except for the occasional sniffle.

"_Okay. I'll talk to you later. I'm expecting a complete mission report. Goodbye._"

"Bye, Unca Nick. Love you."

"_Love you, too._" After that, Fury hung up, and Clint and Pepper exchanged a look of relief.

"Can I have a hug _now_?" Clint asked the toddler. "Your Uncle Nick did say you have to protect us, and I really want a hug."

"Okay, Unca Clint." Maggie said as she wrapped her arms around Clint's neck. She yawned, having tired herself out.

"I think it's time for a nap." Pepper suggested, and the redhead didn't protest.

* * *

After Fury's pep talk, Maggie didn't mention her parents for the rest of the remaining two days. The closest she would come was recounting her mission to protect her aunt and uncles while they were absent to the rest of the Avengers who hadn't been present during the video call.

"I 'tect you, Unca Tony." Maggie declared happily, as she sat on the ground with the billionaire the following evening.

"You do that, squirt." Tony smiled in reply.

"Unca Nick said to. It's my mission!"

"I'm sure you will accomplish it."

On the day Steve and Natasha were due to arrive, Thor was telling Maggie an exciting Asgard story while everyone else waited eagerly for the two Avengers to return.

"As much as I love that kid, I need a break." Tony said tiredly. "That sugar rush yesterday was almost as challenging as the Battle of New York. Almost."

"Normally I would say that you're being a bit dramatic, but that was pretty rough. And it was all your fault." Bruce commented.

"I just wanted her to stay happy, I wasn't ready for another meltdown!"

"Excuses, excuses." Pepper rolled her eyes. "I warned you guys not to let her eat all of those pop tarts with Thor."

"At least it was a good workout, testing our speed and stamina. As well as our abilities to stop something from colliding with everything else in its path." Clint joked.

Before anyone could say anything else, Jarvis interrupted them.

"_Sir, Mr. Rogers and Ms. Romanoff are coming up now._"

"Awesome, thanks Jarvis." Tony said happily, and they walked back over to the Asgardian and toddler just as the former's story was ending.

"And then we returned to Asgard." Thor finished. "The end."

"Good story!" Maggie commented. "Thank you, Unca Thor."

"Yo, kiddo, your parentals are here." Clint gestured to the elevator doors, just as they opened to reveal the two Avengers in question.

"Mama! Daddy!" Maggie squealed excitedly, jumping off of Thor's lap and running over to them.

"Hi, Лапушка!" Natasha said happily, as she and Steve walked out of the elevator. She crouched down and pulled Maggie into her arms, hugging her tightly.

"We missed you, Mags." Steve said joyfully, placing his large hand on his daughter's back and kissing the top of her head affectionately.

"I missed you, too, but Unca Nick gave me a mission, too, and I had to 'tect Aunt Pepper an Unca Clint and everyone so I didn't miss you as much." The redhead babbled, trying to hastily explain the events of the past few days.

"Well, you did a great job." Natasha praised her daughter, kissing her on the side of her head.

"Welcome back, you two." Clint finally greeted the two newcomers. "How was _your_ mission?"

"It went well, and we got everything we needed." Steve replied.

"Did you stop the bad guys?" Maggie asked curiously, looking up at her father.

"We did." Steve said proudly.

"Yay!" The toddler cheered, and laid her head back down on her mother's shoulder.

"As much as I love the munchkin, I think she's ready to go back home." Tony commented.

Steve smirked. "Was it really that bad?" He laughed.

"Well, one of my highlights was definitely this." Tony said, showing Steve the picture of Maggie sleeping between Clint and Pepper on his phone.

"Hey! You took a picture of that?" Clint protested.

"Aw, come on, it was adorable!" Tony whined in reply.

"Not as adorable as you playing with other children at the Disney Store when the fake snow came out." Pepper retaliated, showing Steve the pictures she had from that event.

"You took pictures of that?" Tony protested, like Clint.

"It was adorable!" Pepper quoted the billionaire with a smirk.

"Well, it's nice to see Maggie brings out the child in each of you." Steve laughed at their bickering.

"Lady Margaret and I dined on the finest tarts of pop yesterday." Thor added.

Seeing the looks on everyone else's face, Steve laughed again. "Sugar rush?"

"The worst one ever." Bruce groaned in reply. "She was impossible to control."

"You guys should know better than to give an already energetic toddler a ton of sugar." Steve advised.

"_Now _you tell us." Tony sighed.

"Tony, _I specifically _warned you guys not to let her eat a bunch of pop tarts, and you didn't listen to me." Pepper reminded him.

While everyone was bickering over their different experiences from the past few days, Natasha continued to hold the young redhead tightly. She had suffered from separation anxiety throughout the entire mission, and occasionally struggled to work through it.

"I missed you so much, Лапушка." The spy murmured softly to Maggie.

"I missed you, too." Maggie echoed in reply. "But Unca Nick said you're a superhero so you hafta save the world a lot."

"Yeah. It's hard, but we do it because we love you so much." Natasha explained, smiling sadly.

"I love you, too." Maggie replied warmly. "Thank you for saving the world."

* * *

**A/N: **A couple things-

1\. Yes, once when I was at a Disney Store with my family, we were standing near the little play table area with the screen playing movie clips and such, and a worker came out with a small tub of fake snow and encouraged the kids to help him build a snowman. It was so cute! XP

2\. My little sister and best friend both own a toy bow and arrow set based off of Merida's in _Brave_, so that's also legit. :P

3\. This chapter is named "I Can't Help Falling in Love With You" after the Elvis Presley song-I figured it was fitting since it appears Maggie has all of the Avengers and some of the highest powers of S.H.I.E.L.D. wrapped around her finger, and they can't seem to help it. XP (Also, because Christina Grimmie performed it on The Voice episode earlier this week... UGH SO DISAPPOINTED SHE DIDN'T WIN D: *cries*)

That is all :P


	14. Everything Has Changed

**A/N: **Happy literally the last minutes of Memorial Day, everyone! (For anyone who might not know, it's a USA holiday.) This short installment is definitely not my best, as I've been battling with a cold these past two days, as well as being busy for the past three. 0_o Feels weird to actually have things to do, hehe~

Thanks for the all the faves and follows, I love you all~ Have a nice day. c:

* * *

"Happy Memorial Day, Daddy."

Steve Rogers looked down at his eight year old daughter who was beaming brightly up at him and waving a small American flag around excitedly. She smiled patiently as she waited for a reaction.

"Thanks, Mags." He said, amused, but then sighed sadly. "Guess you get to accompany me on my rounds today, huh?"

Natasha Romanoff was gone on a mission, and Steve didn't want to take Maggie to New York and interrupt his usual routine of laying flowers by his old friends' graves on the appropriate holidays. That left him with no choice but to bring her along, and let his daughter see him vulnerable and nostalgic. He knew someday she would have to learn more about his past and where the characters of his old stories had ended up, but he didn't think it would come so soon.

"Why are you sad?" The redhead asked, tilting her head to one side curiously. Steve envied the unknowing and childlike innocence in her round blue eyes.

"I'm sad because my old friends have passed away, so I miss them." He explained.

"Oh." Maggie appeared to understand, which Steve was grateful for; he didn't want to talk about it too much.

"Come on, then, we better get going and beat the crowds." He gestured to the door, and took her hand in his. "We still got to go to the grocery store and pick up flowers."

* * *

"Do I just set the flowers in front of it here?" The eight year old asked her father, gesturing to the green grass growing around the stone.

"Yeah, that's good." Steve replied, and Maggie set the flowers down gently.

"So, she's the person I'm named after?" She looked up at her father for confirmation.

"Yup. But, we called her 'Peggy' for short." He explained. "She helped start S.H.I.E.L.D., remember?"

"Uh-huh." Maggie nodded, and turned back to the stone. "Can I touch it?"

"Sure."

The redhead ran her hand over the imprinted words of the tombstone. She traced the name "Margaret 'Peggy' Carter" with gentle fingertips. "I wish I got to meet her." She said sadly.

Peggy had passed away before Maggie was born, and Steve visited her grave often. After Maggie was born, though, he reduced the times he visited the grave to only a few times a year, one of which was Memorial Day. He also left flowers by the graves of the Howling Commandos and his old war buddies who were buried in Arlington Cemetery in Washington, DC.

"I wish you did, too. She would have loved you. You guys are pretty similar, too." Steve replied.

"Really?" Maggie asked happily.

"Yeah, you're both brave, strong, and outgoing. You probably would be able to accomplish anything together." He couldn't help but chuckle at the idea of the two 'Margaret's wreaking havoc everywhere they went.

"She sounds fun." She smiled. "Can you tell me more about her?"

"Sure, kiddo." Steve complied with a warm smile, sitting down on the ground in front of the grave next to Maggie. "She was tough, and helped train all the soldiers that were going to fight in the war."

"Like you?"

"Yeah, like me, but remember how I used to be weak, before the serum?"

She nodded.

"Well, Peggy saw potential in me…"

Steve spent a good half hour talking all about his best gal. Maggie hung onto every word, determined to learn as much as she could about the woman she was named after, so she could aspire to be just like her.

"Did you have a crush on her?" The redhead inquired as Steve talked about his final mission before he was frozen. "Like, like-like her?"

He chuckled in amusement at her wording. "I suppose you could say I did."

"Did she like you back?"

"Yeah, but nothing came of it, since I was frozen for 70 years and she thought I was dead. She moved on and fell in love with another man, and I fell in love with Mama, so it all worked out." He didn't want her to feel he had divided loyalties in his love of Natasha; he knew Maggie just wouldn't really understand the jist of it all since she was only eight.

"Maybe she's our guardian angel now." She theorized excitedly. "Like, watching over us and helping you and everyone on missions!"

Steve smiled at Maggie's idea. "I like to think that, too." They fell into a comfortable silence.

It was broken a few moments later by the rumbling of her stomach. "Sounds like someone's hungry." The soldier commented.

"I'm always hungry! I could eat a horse!"

"I think you're exaggerating just a bit." He stood up with a laugh, and offered her his hand. "Now, then, let's go grab some food."

Maggie looked back at the tombstone one more time. "Bye, Ms. Peggy! It was fun hanging out with you." She said happily as she turned back to her father, taking his hand and standing up. "We'll come back and visit, right?"

Steve nodded. "Of course." The day had honestly gone better than he had thought; Maggie asked all the right questions and didn't push too much, as if she could sense when he needed to just quietly reflect. He was glad he now had someone to happily accompany him on his depressing routine.

* * *

"Daddy, I have something to give you!" Maggie declared as they walked through the front door of their house later that afternoon.

"Okay?" Steve raised an eyebrow, closing the door behind him.

The redhead ran off to her room, and quickly came out with a card and a letter.

"What's all this?" He asked as they sat on the couch together, taking the items into his hands.

"We made them in school last week! We had to make a card and write a letter for a soldier we are thankful for." She explained.

"Alright, then, let's take a look." He said as he examined the card. It said, "Happy Memorial Day!" on the front, and on the inside was a drawing of him decked out in his classic Captain America uniform and said "Love, Maggie."

"I love this card! Thanks so much, Mags. That drawing is really good." Steve said gratefully, closely inspecting her drawing.

"You gotta read the letter, though!" Maggie urged, forcing the hand holding the note closer to his face.

"Alright, alright! Give me a second." He laughed at her impatience. He then began to read.

"_Dear Daddy, _

"_Happy Memorial Day! Thank you for protecting our country. Even though it was a long time ago and you took a vacation from being a soldier for 70 years, thank you for keeping America safe during World War II, and every day now. And thank you for protecting me, Mama, and everyone else by working for S.H.I.E.L.D. now. _

"_Love, Maggie." _

Steve smiled warmly at the letter, and didn't know what to say. He could feel himself choking up.

"Well? Do you like it?" Maggie prompted, showing her impatient side again. _Must have learned that from Tony, _he silently mused.

"I love it. Thanks, kiddo." Steve finally said, and kissed her softly on the side of her head. "This means a lot to me. I love you so much." He didn't really know what else to say, and felt as if he didn't say enough.

"I love you, too." The redhead smiled, and hugged him tightly. "Thank you for protecting everyone."

"No, Mags, thank _you_."


	15. And I Won't Tell 'Em Your Name

**A/N: **Hooray for late night writing inspiration! :) This kinda came out of nowhere, haha. This oneshot takes place during "Miracle in the Making," after Nat and Steve find out they're having a girl, and decide on the name "Margaret" in dedication to Peggy.

The idea of how they tease the name to everyone else is based off of the YouTubers Missy and Bryan Lanning, who run a vlog-based channel named "daily bumps" :3 I borrowed their name revealing method here, haha.

Thanks for all the reviews, follows, and faves! :D Hope you enjoy~

* * *

"Alright, Capsicle and Tasha, we know that the Itsy Bitsy Spider is a girl. Now I would like to know her name." Tony Stark pleaded with the expecting couple.

"Mmmm, I don't think I'm going to tell you." Natasha Romanoff teased, holding her head up high.

"That's cold." Tony commented, faking a look of hurt.

"Sorry, Stark, but Nat and I both agreed that we're going to keep the name a surprise." Steve Rogers piped in with an amused smile on his face.

"That's not fair! I wanted to buy things customized with her name on it." Pepper pouted.

"Jesus, Pepper, if you keep buying her clothes, she's going to have a different outfit for each day of her life!" Natasha commented exasperatedly with a laugh. The billionaire's assistant had been going crazy with purchases for the Avengers' baby.

"I will always spoil her rotten, you can be sure of that." Pepper asserted, causing both parents to sigh.

"Why can't we know the name if we already know the gender?" Clint asked.

"Because it's fun to have something to dangle over your guys' heads like this." Natasha smirked playfully.

"If the little bundle of joy was a boy, I would have more guesses, but since it's a girl, there aren't as many people here that I could see you naming her after." Tony figured.

"Well, your first hint is that no one else from our group has the name. It would be too confusing to have another Pepper or Maria." Natasha teased.

"You'll never guess it correctly." Steve boasted.

"Can we at least have another hint?" Bruce was also eager to learn the name.

"I think I have an idea that will serve as a compromise." Natasha said. "You will see what I mean when Steve and I return home later."

Steve shot her a questioning look, but he trusted she had something up her sleeve.

"Alright, you're on, Spidey." Tony challenged.

* * *

"So, why did we stop to get this chalk board again?" Steve asked as he carried in said object, which the couple had bought on their way home.

"Torture." Natasha smiled with an evil glint in her eye. "Come with me." She led him to the other room that would become the nursery. It still had a lot of work to be done; however, the crib was in their bedroom because the two heroes decided they would feel safer sleeping in the same room as their daughter and it would be more practical.

"Set it here." The redhead gestured to the dresser, and Steve did as he was told. "Let me see the chalk."

"Nat, I'm still confused." He raised an eyebrow as she took a piece of chalk and walked over to the board.

"Just trust me on this! Can you hand me that list of our top choices of girl names?" She requested.

"Uh, sure." Steve shrugged, and left the room to retrieve the item. He quickly returned and handed it to her. "Now will you tell me what we're doing?"

Natasha counted on her hands instead of answering right away. "Roughly 15 weeks left…" she muttered as she started copying the names down on the board.

"I'm still not getting it." Steve crossed his arms skeptically. After she finished copying 15 names on the board, she turned to the soldier with a playful grin.

"Each week, we will send the others a video message of us erasing one name off the board. That way, they will get a better idea of what her name will be, but won't know for sure until it's the only name left, assuming that's how many weeks we'll have before little Ms. Maggie here decides to come out." Natasha explained, looking down at her swollen abdomen affectionately at the end.

"That's… A pretty good idea." Steve had to hand it to her; it was clever and would be amusing for the couple, watching everyone else struggle. "I like it."

"Alright then, soldier, let's get started." The redhead smiled, getting her phone out of her pocket. "Get in the shot with me. There." Steve held the phone up selfie-style, since he was considerably taller. He pushed the record button.

"Alright, guys, behind us here you see a chalkboard full of possibilities." She said to the camera, moving herself out of the shot just enough so the camera had a good view of the full board. "Each week, Steve and I will send you a video like this, where we erase one name off the board. So you'll be closer and closer to the final decision for the rest of the pregnancy."

"I give Natasha full credit for this idea; it was all hers." Steve added with a laugh. "Alright, Nat, since it's your plan, would you like to do the honors?" He offered, handing her the eraser.

"How sweet of you to offer. Sure, Rogers." She beamed, taking the eraser and examining the board closely. She read through each name she wrote: _Katherine, Isabelle, Hayley, Annie, Samantha, Margaret, Eva, Chloe, Scarlett, Lauren, Emma, Jennifer, Olivia, Kylie, Aria._

Of course, she and Steve already knew which name was going to be the final one. After a moment of debating, she eliminated _Samantha_.

"Well, there you guys go! We won't be having a _Samantha_." Natasha teased as she turned back to the camera. "See you next time in our weekly installment!" She waved to the camera playfully as Steve turned it off with a chuckle.

"_Samantha_ sure is a pretty name though." He said. "It's pretty popular."

"Yeah, maybe she'll have a best friend named Sam or something." Natasha shrugged as she set the eraser down. "Now, then, let's send it!" She took the phone excitedly and texted it to the rest of the Avengers and Pepper. After a moment of debate, she decided to send it to Hill and Fury, because they, too, had asked her or Steve about names before.

"These next few weeks are gonna be fun." She smiled mischievously to Steve, who smiled in amusement.

"I can tell you're looking forward to this." He commented.

* * *

As the final weeks flew by for the expecting couple, names continued to be erased weekly, and everyone on the receiving end of the videos were constantly arguing over their guesses.

"Director, I'm telling you, it's going to be _Aria_. The definition has to do with beautiful music; that sounds right up their alley." Hill argued as she walked with Fury through the Triskelion.

"It's definitely _Olivia_. I have a pretty good sense of things like this, Hill." Fury insisted. She rolled her eyes playfully and they resumed their work.

Meanwhile, in Stark Tower, the same argument was occurring, though a bit more heated.

"Tony, I just know it's going to be _Emma_. It's just too cute a name to pass up!" Pepper urged.

"No way, it's going to be _Scarlett_, 'cause the kid's gonna be ginger, I'm telling you." Tony declared.

"No, dumbass, there are two things wrong with that." Clint argued, holding his phone in one hand. "First, she just sent this week's video; _Scarlett_ was eliminated. Second, she always feels bad over the 'red in her ledger,' so why the hell would she name her kid something that has to do with the color red?"

"Well, why the hell was it even on the board, then, or even made it this far? Your logic is flawed." Tony argued heatedly.

Pepper just sighed, stressfuly massaging her temples with her hands.

"Lord Banner, I still do not understand this concept." Thor said while the archer and billionaire argued on the opposite side of the room.

"Basically, Thor, Natasha and Steve are making us guess what they will name their baby. They have a list of possible names, and they eliminate one each week. Currently, the choices left are _Hayley, Kylie, Emma, Aria, Lauren, Olivia, _and _Margaret._" Bruce explained.

"I believe I am starting to comprehend this. What is your guess, Lord Banner?"

"I think _Lauren_ sounds pretty. But I honestly don't know what to expect at this point."

"That is a pretty name, but I don't think it's their cup of tea." Clint butt into their conversation as the trio walked over. "I'm betting on _Kylie_."

"At this point, I'm going with _Hayley_, then." Tony declared.

"I still stand by _Emma_." Pepper emphasized.

"I think Lady _Margaret_ sounds rather nice..." Thor's input was not heard as the others continued to argue.

"Come on, Peps, that's definitely going to be the next one off the list." Tony teased.

"How would you know? Maybe _Hayley _will be the next to be cast aside." Pepper argued back.

"I think everyone needs to calm down; this is nothing to get so worked up over." Bruce advised. He didn't feel like turning into the Hulk to fight over baby names. "We'll just have to wait and see what they name her."

* * *

"Okay, we are down to the final two!" Natasha announced excitedly in, what she didn't know to be at the time, the final video. "The final contestants are _Olivia_ and _Margaret_. You all got a 50/50 chance here. Good luck."

"Think they'll be able to guess it now?" Steve asked curiously as he sent the video to all the appropriate receivers while they walked back into the living room.

"Maybe. Too bad Fury gave us this entire month off. I would pay to see him and Hill wreak havoc over it tomorrow." She smirked.

"That would be quite the sight to see." He agreed.

Natasha smiled as she glanced at the calendar on the wall, locating the current date with her eyes:

_April 17th._

* * *

**A/N: **In case anyone has forgotten, April 18th is the day Maggie was born, so they really cut it close to the wire with their little teaser videos! XD So, yes, she was born a week early. Always the excited and eager type, huh? :P It works for her personality, hehe~

I figured that the other Avengers and co wouldn't see the connection of Margaret and Peggy, because as seen in _The Winter Soldier_, Steve doesn't appear to be open about his lost love with her. Technically in the actual MCU canon, Nat doesn't know the truth either since Steve shrugged her off in the scene where she questioned him about it, but in my little fanfiction I figured Steve would have told Nat about it. :3

Oi, I'm rambling now XP Bye-bye!


	16. The End of the World

**A/N: **So sorry about the lack of updates guys... This is day #8 for my cold, and it has yet to show a sign that it's going away. D: It started with just a sore throat and fatigue for a few days, then the other normal symptoms like coughing and runny nose hit me like a ton of bricks. So trying to write these past couple of days has been basically going, "Type, cough, drink water, type, sneeze, blow nose, cough, drink water, type, cough, drink water, bathroom break" over and over bahhhhh

Here we have teenager Maggie again who decides that it's time to invest in a relationship with a boy... Oh, no! I decided to drift away a bit from the normal overprotective dad thing and go a bit unconventional... You'll see when you read it. ;) If anything feels weird about how Cap tackles the situation, I'll have an explanation at the end of this installment. :3

Thanks for the faves, follows, and reviews! You all knock my socks off! *raises my bare feet into the air victoriously* :D

* * *

"Jack and I decided to make things official and be boyfriend and girlfriend!" Maggie cheerfully announced as she walked into the room. Jack had been one of her friends since freshman year, and they had been hanging out a lot more lately. It seemed they decided to take the next step in their relationship.

Natasha Romanoff suddenly felt the urge to throw up, kill someone, and jump out a window all at once at her daughter's happy words. She was suffering from a sort of internal apocalypse.

"Just make sure he treats you right, or else he'll have all of S.H.I.E.L.D. after him." Steve Rogers replied calmly. He had met the boy before, so he knew he was a good kid. But he also didn't want to get on Maggie's bad side. "I want you to be respected and don't do anything you feel uncomfortable doing."

"It'll be okay, Daddy. He knows I'm not big on doing more than, like, holding hands or something, anyway." Maggie reassured him. She wasn't really a kisser or hugger outside of her ragtag family.

Natasha had opened and closed her mouth a few times, trying to find words to say to her 16 year old daughter. She didn't want to irritate her by going into overprotective mom mode, but at the same time, she wanted to take Maggie and hide her from the rest of the world. But she knew she couldn't do that.

"...Congratulations, Лапушка." She settled on, though both of the other people in the room could tell she was a bit more upset than she was letting on.

"Uh… Thanks, but are you feeling okay? You don't sound that good." Maggie raised an eyebrow. "I was also anticipating some kind of blow up, and a string of Russian curses and threatening to just kill Jack now."

"What? You're overreacting, I would never do that." Natasha tried to hide the fact that that was how she was initially going to react. She tried to appear relaxed. "I am just going to warn you that most men are stuck up jerks and that a sense of patriarchy still exists in today's society and culture."

"...Wow, that was a much more intellectual response than I expected. Thanks, Mama." The teen kissed her mother on the cheek before walking out of the room.

As soon as she was out of earshot, Natasha jumped up off the couch. "I need to do something. Anything." She announced. "Does Fury have any missions he needs us to do?"

"Uh, not that I know of… Are you okay, Nat?" Steve asked, concerned.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine, I just need to... kill something."

"That doesn't sound okay to me. It appears that you're taking this boyfriend news worse than me."

"I am not! You're her father, so naturally you should be taking this much worse and be going crazy."

"I'm terrified and feeling really protective, yes." Steve confirmed. "But I know that Maggie is smart and can take care of herself with other teenagers. Of course, I'll still pop in to save her even when she doesn't want it or need it, but I know she can handle this."

Natasha groaned. "I know she can, but I don't want her to! Men suck! No offense."

"None taken." Steve chuckled.

"Now, then, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go call Fury and ask him to send me on a mission. An action packed one."

"In this state, you'll probably be able to take out anyone." Steve joked as she went to go find her phone.

* * *

"Ugh, damn it, Fury!" Natasha angrily muttered as she set her phone down on the table. The director had no current missions for the spy.

Maggie, who had just been walking by at that moment, quickly poked her head into the room curiously. "What's wrong with Uncle Nick, Mama?"

Natasha was startled by her daughter, but quickly tried to play it cool and calm. "Oh, nothing, Лапушка... I was talking to Aunt Ria about some missions but then he interrupted our conversation so now I gotta go to the Triskelion later and get the info in person."

"Oh, that stinks. Well, have fun on your field trip." Maggie teased as she continued walking to her room. Once she was gone, Natasha sighed exasperatedly and leaned back into her seat.

"I take it that there are no new missions for you to go take out your anger on." Steve teased as he walked in and sat down next to her, having heard the whole conversation before he came in.

"Watch it, Rogers, I'm in a bad mood." Natasha warned coldly.

"Hey, there's no reason to be like that. You and I have both met Jack multiple times; he's a good kid. Respectful, caring, a good first boyfriend for Maggie."

"That sounds too good to be true. There's gotta be something that's gonna make him hurt her, I just know it. He could be just pretending, trying to get close to her. What if there's a lot more going on here than we think?"

"Nat, you're overthinking this. The chances of him having some other, bigger goal are slim."

"And _how _many times have we managed to defy odds?" Natasha shot back.

Steve just sighed, and didn't reply. Sometimes it was impossible to talk sense into the spy.

* * *

"Okay, Nat, please tell me you aren't doing what I think you're doing." Steve raised an eyebrow as he watched the redhead walk towards the front door.

"Depends on what you think I'm doing." Natasha called without looking up, putting her shoes on.

"I think you're about to go follow our daughter around while she's on a date. Again."

"No, I'm just going to the mall to get some things."

"Would one of those things be Mags as you coincidentally go to the same mall they're at?"

"No, that's pure coincidence. Besides, I wouldn't pull her from a date, I stay on the sidelines."

"So you are going for that, then."

Natasha let out a frustrated sigh. "Look. I just don't want her-"

"Getting hurt." Steve finished. "I know, Nat, and I don't want her to get hurt, either. But we have to give her some independence."

"Of course that would come from you, Captain America, the guy who is willing to always pay the price for freedom..." Natasha muttered to herself as she grabbed her keys.

"I heard that."

"And I'm going to the mall." She declared and gave him a light kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you later, probably before 8:30."

"You mean, before the time Maggie gets home." Steve raised an eyebrow.

"_Goodbye_, Rogers!" She said with a voice that left no room for argument and strode out the front door. The soldier sighed and prayed to God that the paths of the two redheads wouldn't cross that evening.

* * *

Maggie sighed as she arrived home one evening a couple months later, and dragged herself over to the living room couch next to her mother.

"Hey, Лапушка, how was your date?" Natasha asked, still hesitating on the word "date." She noticed the teen's sulking. "Are you okay?"

"We broke up." She said simply, and Natasha felt that internal Armageddon she had experienced when Maggie first shared the news of having a boyfriend return full force.

"Oh, sweetie." The spy said sadly, pulling her daughter into a hug. She resorted to English terms of endearment when things weren't going well. "I'm so sorry, what happened?"

"I ended it." Maggie replied, hugging her mom tightly. "But it turned out to be a mutual thing; neither of us were really feeling that romantic feeling for each other anymore, y'know? We just agreed to be friends."

"Yeah. I'm sorry it didn't work out." Natasha soothed, pulling out of the hug to meet Maggie's eyes. She held her hands comfortingly.

"It just wasn't meant to be." She shrugged. "But I'm sure you and Daddy and everyone else are happy; you guys want to kill every boy that comes near me." She joked with a smirk, but Natasha could sense the pain being masked behind the remark.

"Look, Maggie." Natasha began with a sigh. "We're all just like that because we want to protect you. We know that most guys out there aren't like the bad guys that we have to hunt down. But we just can't help feeling like they are and being scared. We were all trained to take out whatever causes us fear, and that isn't necessarily fair to you. Yeah, we all will attack anyone, regardless of age or gender, who tries to hurt you; but it's mainly because we're scared of the idea that you're going to be loved by other people, too."

Maggie avoided making eye contact with her mother during the whole explanation. The spy knew she was trying to hide her hurt and pain over the fact that her relationship didn't work out, and was convinced she was the only one truly upset.

Natasha smiled and gently lifted Maggie's chin to make eye contact with her. "We're all sad and disappointed that this didn't work out, too, believe me. We just don't want to share you with anyone else because you're our special little girl and we love you so much."

Maggie, too, smiled, and gave Natasha a bear hug, holding her tightly. "I love you, too." She said into the spy's shoulder. Then she pulled away, and shot her mom a curious look. "Does this mean you won't follow me around on dates anymore?"

Natasha opened her mouth, not sure what to say. "...I did no such thing!" She protested, trying to hide her surprise. _Busted_.

"Come on, you've told me all your different spy stories and stuff. I know all your moves." The teen teased.

The spy sighed, knowing she had been found out. "Alright, alright, which ones did you see me on? 'Cause I didn't follow you on all of them!"

"The first few. At first I was kinda annoyed, but then I decided I could have fun with it and increase the small amount of PDAs we were doing. Like, arm around the shoulders, holding hands, stuff like that. I knew it would drive you up the wall."

"You are cruel, Maggie, so cruel."

"What can I say? It was my way of getting back at you."

"You know, you really should be nicer to me. I grew you in my stomach for nine months!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, thanks for the free 9 month rent."

* * *

**A/N:** Hope you all enjoyed this little comedic one! I decided Maggie would be more of a tomboy, not romantic girly-girl when she aged. The kind of girl who will wear a sundress and makeup maybe once in a while, but won't be seen talking shop about fashion and boys with the other teenage girls. Ha, I guess we could assume she would be a total fandom bug like us!

I thought it would be more interesting to touch on Natasha's mama-bear instincts when it came to boys. Yeah, Steve's still terrified of the concept of Mags dating others, but he doesn't want to overreact and jeopardize the close relationship he has with her by stepping over the line. But he trusts her to be able to make the right decisions at her age. Nat does, too, but she has a harder time accepting it, but also doesn't want to mess up her relationship with her. So, she decides to be a total spy and follow them around on their dates ;D I figured Nat also might have more distaste towards the concept because we've seen her go undercover to be toyed around by dudes before. She knows they can be abusive first hand, so she wouldn't want that for her daughter!

Oops, I'm rambling again. xD See ya!


	17. Maybe

**A/N: **Daaaaaaaang this is a long one! Wasn't even intended to be this long! XP Just hit 70 faves and follows! :P Wow! You guys are awesome possum! Thanks so much~ :3

This one is based off an experience my family had when I was younger, and my little sister was a toddler. I brought home a nasty germ from preschool that completely wrecked her immune system, and after hearing my mom talk about her personal thoughts and experiences through the whole ordeal over the years (along with a few of the things I actually remember), I wanted to use it for Steve, Nat, and Mags. :O So, some of the things they go through in here, like feelings and personal experiences, are borrowed from my real life, I guess? XP

I apologize in advance for my lack of medical knowledge. When researching pneumonia in toddlers, it seems like the medical science behind it all has really improved! Apparently it can be treated with prescribed antibiotics at home now, assuming it isn't a really nasty form. Kudos to you, science! *applauds*

My update is overdue, I know. I've been a bit busier than usual in real life, and had to go through one of life's sadder obstacles. I also got a pretty discouraging comment in the reviews last chapter. I know, I shouldn't let it bother me too much, nor should I let it discourage me. For the most part, it hasn't, and I find it a bit humorous, but it has kinda been a negative effect on my motivation/creativity, y'know?

Anyway, sorry for the long author's note! Enjoy~ :)

* * *

"I'm gonna take her to the doctor's office. She hasn't improved at all these past few days."

Steve Rogers sighed at Natasha Romanoff's words. "Alright. I wish I didn't have to go on this mission so I could come with you."

"Don't worry, Steve, they'll probably just give her some antibiotics or something. I'll tell you all about it when you come home." Natasha reassured him.

Maggie had been suffering from a bad fever for the past couple of days, as well as a horrific cough and total loss of appetite. Both parents thought she might have caught some sort of flu bug, but Natasha decided to call Maggie's doctor's office just in case. After telling them her symptoms, they recommended that the spy bring her in later that evening for a quick check up to make sure it wasn't anything serious.

"Okay. I should be back home tonight." Steve replied, picking up his shield and hooking it on his back. He walked over to the couch where their feverish daughter sat, watching Disney's _Mulan, _and crouched down in front of her. "Hey, Mags, I'm going now, but I'll be home later, okay?"

"Okay, Daddy. Bye." The three year old said tiredly, giving him a hug. He then released her, giving her a light kiss on the temple, and let her resume watching Mulan train with the other soldiers.

"Bye, Steve." Natasha gave him a peck after he walked back over. "Have fun."

"Thanks, I'll try." He chuckled, walking out the door. "See you later tonight." And with that, Natasha closed the door behind him.

"Alright, Лапушка, we're going to have to finish _Mulan _later." She said as she walked back over to Maggie.

"Why?" The toddler looked at her curiously as she coughed. Natasha laid a comforting hand on her back.

"I called the doctor earlier. They want us to come in so they can see what they can do to help you get better."

"Uncle Brucie?"

"No, not Uncle Brucie. Dr. Cooper, the one you go see for check ups. Remember him?" Maggie had an official pediatrician that she saw for check ups, but Bruce Banner also acted as a doctor for her. He mainly monitored her for any signs of the serum, though.

"Yeah. But why can't we see Uncle Brucie?"

"He's in New York with Uncle Tony and Aunt Pepper, so he can't come help right now. Dr. Cooper can, though, so we are going to go see him. Let's go get changed, okay?"

"Okay." Maggie complied, and Natasha took her into her arms and carried her into her room to change. The spy's worries only increased as the usually energetic child seemed to be hanging tiredly in her arms, all her energy spent.

* * *

"I'm going to listen to your heart, so can you breathe deeply for me?"

"It's hard." Maggie replied, and Natasha tried to push down a deep feeling of dread.

"Try to do it as much as you can. It won't take long, I promise." Dr. Cooper gently encouraged her.

"Okay."

"Alright, now breathe in." He placed the cold stethoscope against her chest.

Maggie sucked in her breath, and Natasha could tell it was requiring a lot of energy.

"Now breathe out." And the toddler let go of the breath she was holding before breaking out into a small coughing fit.

"Okay..." The pediatrician said with a slight frown, scribbling some notes down on his clipboard. "I think we should do an X-Ray of her chest."

"Okay." Natasha said, unable to conceal the pang of worry in her voice.

"What's an X-Ray?" Maggie's curious voice lightened the mood.

* * *

Natasha hated hospitals. But now, she was starting to hate doctor's offices, too. Basically anything that could be associated with the medical field.

She had no idea what was going on, only able to draw one conclusion: something was seriously wrong with her daughter.

The two were sitting back in the original room they had been led to for the appointment, after Maggie's X-Ray. No one had said anything to her yet; she just watched as suddenly the medical staff members started moving fast.

_Very _fast. A speed that immediately told the spy something really was wrong.

Maggie, meanwhile, was curled up in her mother's lap, with her head against Natasha's chest. The older redhead could feel that the toddler was burning up, and coughs caused her small frame to shake with the effort of breathing.

_Damn it! Someone needs to tell me something! _Natasha internally cursed as she held Maggie tighter. With each minute going by, she felt her heart beat a little faster.

Finally, Dr. Cooper reappeared. "Okay, after examining the X-Rays," he began, standing in front of the two redheads, "we've determined that Maggie has fluid in her lungs. It seems to have built up in the space between her lungs and wall of her chest. That's called a pleural effusion, which is seen in patients with pneumonia. We want to take her in to the hospital for a few days and drain the fluid from her lungs. We have an ambulance ready."

Natasha opened and closed her mouth a few times, not sure what to say. She finally settled on, "Okay," and stood up slowly, still holding Maggie tightly. The toddler seemed unaware of what was going on.

As she followed the friendly pediatrician, Natasha was shell shocked. She couldn't believe this was happening. Her daughter was being admitted to the hospital. There was something very wrong with her health that needed to be treated.

_Maggie doesn't deserve this. _The redhead thought with a feeling of hopelessness. She knew life was cruel, as it had been to her; she believed that she herself deserved it and it was karma. But _this? _This was just unfair and brutal.

* * *

Natasha sighed as she laid on the hospital bed next to the finally sleeping Maggie. It had taken a lot of effort to get the toddler accustomed to everything, especially the breathing tube being inserted in her nose and the IV in her arm. She wasn't too keen on that, and cried for her mother to take her home through the entire ordeal. It had broken Natasha's heart; it was something she never wanted to have to witness. Watching her daughter go through that had pierced through her sharper than any wound she had experienced. Steve's absence made it worse, though she knew it wasn't his fault.

After a few minutes, Natasha grabbed her phone off the bedside table, careful not to disturb Maggie. She quickly dialed for Steve, wiping the stray tears that had escaped her eyes as if it would prepare her to make this call; in reality, nothing would.

"_Hey, Nat, we're just finishing up at the Triskelion. I should be home within the hour._"

"Actually, Steve..." Natasha cursed her shaking, upset voice that she knew Steve would be able to detect. "We aren't home right now." She spoke quietly since Maggie was sleeping.

"_Natasha, is everything okay? What's happening?_" Worry was evident in his voice.

"We're at the hospital. Maggie... She has pneumonia, with some bad fluid built up in and around her lungs... It's bad, Steve..." Natasha couldn't hide the subtle hint of fear in her voice, though the doctors had already assured her that Maggie would make a full recovery.

"_I'm coming right away. Which hospital?" _

The spy told him the address and room number, and they promptly ended the call afterwards. She then wrapped an arm around Maggie's sleeping form and held her close, as if she was going to disappear at any moment.

* * *

Steve never wanted to see his daughter hooked up to an IV and breathing through a tube in her nose. But that was the sight he walked in on when he entered the hospital room.

"Is she okay?" He asked breathlessly as he walked over to the bed.

"Yeah, they're giving her antibiotics to drain the fluids... But they want to monitor it for a few days to make sure it goes well." Natasha answered without looking up at him, still watching Maggie sleep.

Steve sighed as he sat down next to the bed on the opposite side Natasha was laying on, so Maggie was in between them. "Are _you _okay?"

"...I don't know." She replied honestly. She really had no clue how she was coping with everything. "It was scary..."

"I can only imagine. I'm sorry I wasn't there with you guys." He apologized, holding one of Maggie's hands.

"It's not your fault, Steve... It's no one's fault. Life just sucks like this."

A silence fell between them for a few moments. "Have you told anyone else yet? I told Fury and Hill since I needed to leave the meeting before it ended." Steve finally said.

"No, I've only managed to talk to you." She sighed. "I'm not ready to talk about it with anyone else yet."

"How long are they planning on keeping her here? I know you said a few days, but did they throw out any numbers?"

"One nurse guessed two or three nights. But it's going to be a day by day thing."

"Alright. I'll let Fury know that we are definitely going to be out for these next couple of days." Steve said, pulling out his phone. "This texting stuff is so convenient."

Natasha chuckled, genuinely smiling-not a reassuring one for her sickly daughter-for the first time since the ordeal began.

"It's ironic. Now I actually wished she was affected by your serum so we wouldn't have to worry about her getting sick like this." The redhead sighed.

"Yeah, I feel the same way. But at least she will grow up to be normal, right?" Steve tried to lighten the mood.

"As normal as possible with two Avengers for parents, as well as the rest of the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents for aunts and uncles." Natasha replied.

"I suppose there's that, too."

* * *

Neither parent wanted to leave their daughter alone in the hospital, so they spent the night.

Steve could see Natasha's protective maternal instincts were in overdrive, so he didn't even suggest getting another bed moved into the room for her to sleep in, nor offered to switch places with her in Maggie's bed.

Maggie woke up early the next morning, not long after the sun rose. She immediately saw Steve sleeping lightly in the chair next to the bed.

"Daddy?" She tried to wake him, squeezing the hand he had given her the night before while she was awake.

The soldier woke quickly, and smiled at the tired redhead. He leaned forward to talk to her. "Hey, kiddo, how are you feeling?"

"Better." She replied quietly. "But I wanna go home."

"I know you do, but we can't just yet. The doctors here want to make sure you're going to be okay first."

"How long do we have to stay?"

"Probably until tomorrow, or the day after. It depends on how fast you get better."

Natasha opened her eyes tiredly as the two were talking. She yawned and turned on her side so she was facing them. "Good morning."

"Good morning, Mama." Maggie replied.

"Are you feeling better, Лапушка?"

"Yeah, but I wanna go home."

Steve sighed, expecting a repeat of the exact same conversation he had just had with the toddler.

Natasha had heard that part of the conversation. "Well, like what Daddy said, we have to stay until you're all better."

"But I feel better." Steve held his breath as he felt they were on the potential verge of a meltdown.

"You're not completely healed, Лапушка. We have to let your lungs rest a little so they can heal." Natasha said gently.

Before Maggie could protest, a nurse came into the room, causing the toddler to cower into Natasha's chest. Natasha figured that Maggie was still very traumatized from the previous night's ordeal, and didn't trust any of the medical staff now.

"I'm just here to check on her and make sure everything's okay." The new arrival informed the two parents, who both nodded.

"Maggie, it's okay, this nice nurse is just here to make sure you're getting better." Steve tried to reassure her, but she didn't move.

"No."

"Come on, Лапушка, it'll only take a minute. She isn't going to hurt you." Natasha tried pushing her away gently.

"No!" Maggie still didn't move.

The two parents sighed. It was going to be a long hospital stay.

* * *

After a few more minutes of reassuring words, they managed to get Maggie to lie back down on her back and answer the nurse's questions as she made sure her IV was still good and gave her her next dose of antibiotics. She then left with a recommendation that they get Maggie to eat and drink something before letting her go back to sleep, which they knew would be harder than any mission Fury had given them.

It took a lot of persuading and bargaining, but they finally settled on Maggie earning one phone call to her godfather if she took a few bites. This ended up working, and the toddler practically demanded her mother's phone afterward.

"Alright, hold on, Лапушка, I'm going to talk to him first to tell him what's going on. Then he's all yours." Natasha said, silently praying he hadn't been sent on a mission and was unable to talk. Maggie just pouted, still very cranky, as the spy took the phone and got out of the bed before walking just outside the room.

She dialed for the archer and put the phone to her ear. She had no idea how to explain what was happening or anything, and knew that it would upset Clint just as much. He answered quickly.

"_Hey, Nat, what's up?_" Came his friendly greeting.

Natasha took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. She paused, not sure how to say what she was going to. "Where are you right now?" She settled on; this wasn't good news to share if he was driving or doing something that required his full attention.

"_Uh, I'm in DC right now, actually. Fury called and said I might get a new mission soon. Why?_"

"Maggie's in the hospital." She decided to be straightforward.

"_What?_"

"She was admitted to the hospital last night with pneumonia and has to stay here for a few days." Natasha hated thinking about it just as much as talking about it.

"_Which hospital are you at? I'm coming over right away._"

"I'll send you the address, but she wants to talk to you now. We used you as a bargaining tool to get her to eat something."

Normally, Clint would have found it hilarious. But given the circumstances, he found it concerning the toddler who was normally always hungry needed that much incentive to eat. "Put her on." He said to Natasha over the phone.

There was some shuffling on the other end of the phone, and the Natasha's voice saying "_Here, Лапушка, he's ready to talk to you_." in the background as the cell phone was passed over. Finally, Maggie's tired voice reached his ears. "_Uncle Clint?_"

"Hey, kid. How are you feeling?" He said gently.

"_I feel kinda bad but I wanna go home._" He could tell she was having a horrible day.

"I know you do, kid. Hospitals are scary, huh?"

"_Yeah, Uncle Clint, they had to put a needle in my arm and a tube in my nose! It hurt." _

She sounded frightened, tired, and overall, traumatized. "I'm sorry they had to do that, Mags. But it'll make you feel better."

There was a pause. Then, "_Will you come visit me?_" Maggie requested quietly, almost pitifully. Clint wanted to just tightly embrace her and tell her everything would be okay. But he couldn't do that over the phone.

"Of course I will. I'll come right after we end this call."

"_Promise?_"

"I promise."

"_Okay. I love you._"

"Love you, too. Can you hand the phone back to your mom now so I can get the address from her?"

"_Okay._" She sounded reluctant to let him go, and Clint sighed. A frightened Maggie was a clingy Maggie. He was upset that she was so terrified.

"_Thanks for doing that, Clint._" Came Natasha's voice a few moments later.

"Don't even go there, you know I would be there already if I could. I hate hearing her sound so scared."

"_Oh, yeah, it's been rough over here. Last night before Steve came was pretty eventful, like what she said about the IV and breathing tube._"

"I'm sorry. I can only imagine what it was like to have to watch all of that."

"_I'm just glad that that part is over. Now it's just trying to keep her entertained and as happy as possible for the rest of her stay._"

"I will gladly do my part in that. Want me to spread the message to the rest of the guys?"

"_Not yet. I don't think we should crowd her, or cause a huge scene at the hospital by having all of the Avengers present._" She sighed.

"Good point. Alright, well, send me the address and I'm coming now." He said and they soon ended the call.

* * *

Natasha and Steve had switched places during the phone call. He was now lying in the bed, a bit uncomfortably, with Maggie, trying to give her as much space as possible.

Said toddler was currently leaning her head against him as she laid in bed, sucking her thumb. Natasha ran a hand through Maggie's hair comfortingly as she sat down in the chair beside them, having just ended the call. "Uncle Clint's on his way now. Do you want to try and get some sleep before he comes?"

Maggie fiercely shook her head. "I wanna see him."

"Knowing him, he'll probably still be here when you wake up." Steve joked.

The young redhead still protested, even as she yawned.

"Are you _sure _you don't want to sleep?" Natasha teased lightly. "You look sleepy."

"I'm not!" Maggie protested crankily, tears visible in her eyes. Neither parent was surprised she was so grumpy after everything, so they backed off and just let her fight against sleep.

Clint had managed to beat her body's demand for sleep, as he strode into the room quickly about 15 minutes later, looking worried.

"Uncle Clint." Maggie said with a lazy smile, as she tried to fight against closing her droopy eyelids.

"Hey, kiddo." He said gently as he took the other seat next to Natasha, who smiled gratefully at him. "How are you?" He asked, though already knew the answer.

"Okay." Maggie replied, and Clint took her small hand in his comfortingly. "Better now that you're here." She added.

"I'm glad you're feeling better." Clint smiled.

"Okay, Uncle Clint is here now, so I think you can sleep now." Natasha urged.

"Can he tell me a story?" She asked sleepily.

"Sure, kid, as long as you close your eyes." He complied, and she nodded with a yawn. Steve and Natasha shared a victorious look with one another as Clint began telling her about his latest mission.

* * *

"Well this officially sucks." Clint whispered to Natasha about 10 minutes later, as both Maggie and her father had fallen asleep. Natasha figured Steve didn't sleep very well in the chair, so he needed more rest.

"It really does. I hate hospitals." The spy grumbled.

"How are you and Steve holding up?"

"We're okay, I guess. Just want to get out of here as soon as possible."

"That's understandable."

Natasha sighed exasperatedly, and leaned back in her chair. Clint took the moment to take in her appearance. There were slight bags under her eyes, and she looked more stressed than he had ever seen her before, even on the worst missions they had been on together. There was also a subtle hint of fear in her eyes, mixed in with an overwhelming sense of worry and concern.

"It was awful last night, Clint. Her pediatrician told me I took her in just in time, that there would've been many more risks and complications if I had waited a day longer..." She admitted quietly.

Clint knew she was sugar coating things a bit by saying "risks and complications." He sighed, and pulled her in for a half hug, since his other hand was holding onto Maggie's. "I'm sorry you had to go through all that, Nat. No parent should have to."

"I deserve it... But Maggie doesn't. Karma sucks."

"You do _not _deserve this, Nat. No one does. Stop feeling like you have to suffer to make up for your past. You already made up for it by joining S.H.I.E.L.D. and fighting for the good guys."

Natasha just closed her tired eyes and sighed. "All this time, I thought she was at the risk of being hurt by _people. _Ones who wanted to try and hurt Steve or me. But instead, she's going up against something so... _domestic_, it's weird and ironic."

"I feel the same way. I don't know how to protect her from things like this." Clint replied.

"Hey, that was my line." She teased.

"Great minds think alike."

* * *

Later that day, Natasha had resumed her spot in bed with Maggie as they watched some bland children's programming on the hospital TV. Clint and Steve had gone to retrieve her car from the doctor's office parking lot after she remembered she had left it there the previous day. Steve was also stopping by the house to pick up some more clothes for all three of them and toys for Maggie, as well as take a quick shower since he hadn't been home since before his mission the previous day. Meanwhile, Clint was getting some food for all of them at the hospital cafeteria after returning.

Maggie was sucking her thumb and her head was draped against Natasha's chest with her eyes up on the TV. Natasha had an arm around the toddler as she just laid there in quiet thought. Trying to wrap her head around everything that was happening.

She was interrupted by her phone ringing on the bedside table, though, and she picked it up. According to the called ID, Tony was calling, and she raised a suspicious eyebrow.

Maggie had started learning to read a bit before she turned three, and was able to recognize the names of her family members when they were spelled out. "Uncle Tony's calling you." She informed her mother, who was still looking at her phone confused.

"Yeah, he is. Good reading, Лапушка." She smiled and kissed her the top of her daughter's head. "Should I answer it?" She asked with a playful and teasing smile.

"Yeah! I wanna talk to him." Maggie said enthusiastically.

"Okay, okay, hold on." Natasha giggled, and answered it. "Hello?"

"_Tasha, why is the top news story about you and Cap being seen going into the hospital?_"

The spy's jaw dropped. "What?" Oh, how she hated the press.

"_It's all over the news, Black Widow and Captain America seen going to the hospital. Separately, that is, with him going in later last night. Then Hawkeye earlier this morning and then then he left with Capsicle later in the day? Natasha, what's going on?_"

She could hear the pang of worry in his voice at the end of his summary. She knew he was really asking, "Is Maggie okay?" "Tony... We're at the hospital because Maggie was admitted last night. She has pneumonia. She's going to be okay but we have been here since last night and we have to stay at least one more night."

"_When the hell were you planning on telling the rest of us?_" He sounded angry, but she knew he was more concerned than anything.

"I'm sorry, Tony, it's just been really stressful trying to deal with all... This." She said tiredly. "It's been hell and Clint only found out because we needed to use him as a bargaining tool for her to eat and she's scared and sick and all of this is just... Overwhelming." Her voice had cracked towards the end of her explanation, so she cut to the chase with a sigh. "Look, I wasn't trying to hide this from you or anything, I just haven't had a good chance to tell you."

"_It's okay, Tasha. I'm sorry I got angry. I'm just worried for the squirt. How's she doing?_"

Natasha was silently impressed that he actually apologized to her, but she didn't dwell on it for long. "Better, definitely. But still very against the whole concept of staying in the hospital." She said with an amused tone. "She also wants to talk to you. Feel free to pass off the phone to anyone else there while you're at it."

Maggie's hand was reaching for phone eagerly, and Natasha passed it to her. The toddler put the phone to her ear. "Uncle Tony?"

"_Hey, squirt. How are you feeling?_"

"Good. The nurse said I can go home tomorrow!"

"She said _maybe, _Лапушка."

Tony smirked in amusement at the two redheads on the other end of the phone. Pepper was still looking to him for an explanation, as was Bruce, both looking extremely concerned. "Well, that's good news. That means you're healing very well. Congratulations."

"_Can you come visit me?_" Her expectant voice came, along with Natasha's. "_Maggie, he's still in New York with Aunt Pepper and Uncle Brucie. They can come visit us when we go home, okay?" _

Tony figured she didn't want to attract more attention by having every single Avenger walk through those hospital doors. "Don't worry, kid, we'll come visit soon. Right now, we just want you to work on getting better, okay?"

"_I'm trying, Uncle Tony._"

"Then you're on the right track. Now, do you want to talk to Aunt Pepper?"

"_Yeah!_" She replied excitedly.

"Okay, hold on two seconds." He said and turned back to the other two people in the room. "Alright, long story short, the kid was admitted last night for pneumonia, but she's on the path to a full and speedy recovery, maybe leaving tomorrow." He said quietly, covering the microphone of the cell phone. Not giving them a chance to react, he then put it back to his ear. "Alright, I love you, here she is." He handed the phone off to Pepper, who was now eager to talk to Maggie.

"Hello?" She greeted when she put it to her ear.

"_Auntie Pep!_" Came the enthusiastic reply, causing her to smile.

As she was engaged into conversation with the toddler, Bruce turned to Tony. "So she's getting better?"

"Yeah. But Tasha's freaked out, and I imagine Capsicle and Birdbrain are as well, 'cause I am."

"Pneumonia can be pretty scary. For Maggie to be admitted, she must have been having a hard time breathing these past couple of days."

"Poor kid."

"No kidding. But at least she'll be better soon."

Before Tony could reply, Pepper came over to them.

"There's someone who wants to talk to you." She announced cheerfully, handing Bruce the phone.

* * *

After dinner, Clint decided to leave so the two parents could start settling Maggie down for the night. She protested and cried at first, but he promised and reassured her he would be back the next morning, so she finally let go of his hand.

Maggie then requested Steve to share the bed with her for the night, so they settled that and hoped she would be ready for bed then. However, she was not.

"Can we call Aunt Pepper again?" She requested.

"No, Mags, it's getting late. She and Uncle Tony and Uncle Brucie are probably going to bed already, like we should." Steve tried to convince her.

"But I'm not tired!" She protested firmly.

Natasha sighed, feeling frustrated. Her phone vibrated beside her, and she saw she had a text message from Fury, which she thought was curious. She opened her phone.

_Just thought I'd check in and see how Maggie is. Also to tell you that if you need a new distraction for her, I'm free for the rest of the night. _

Nights off were practically nonexistent for the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Natasha knew. She turned back to the pouting and insistent toddler, and figured they could use some new help.

"Alright, how about this." She began, grabbing the attention of both Steve and Maggie. "If Uncle Nick comes to visit for a little while, will you go to sleep afterwards?"

Steve shot her a puzzled look, and she just gave him a look that said "I'll explain later." Maggie, meanwhile, nodded eagerly. "I wanna see Uncle Nick!"

"Alright, alright, I'll tell him." Natasha chuckled, texting him back to let him know Maggie was very excited to see him, along with the hospital address and room number.

* * *

"Uncle Nick!" Maggie said happily as she sat up in bed, obviously doing much better than the night before. Steve chuckled as she used his reclining body to lean up against and face Fury as he sat down in the chair next to Natasha.

"Hello, Maggie. I heard you haven't been feeling well." He said.

"Uh-uh." She shook her head. "But I feel better now."

"That's good. I'm glad you feel better. Now, then, I assume you would like to hear a story."

"Yes, please!" Natasha smiled at her daughter's enthusiasm. It was nice to see some of her old energy return, since it meant that she was getting better.

"Alright. Lay down and get comfortable, this is going to be a long one." He directed, and she obeyed and laid on her side so she was facing him. Steve readjusted so she had plenty of room. Fury began his story. "One time, I sent your mama to spy on your Uncle Tony by pretending to be his assistant..."

* * *

Maggie had fallen asleep towards the end of Fury's story, for which both parents were grateful.

"Alright, I'll leave you two to it." He said quietly as he leaned over to kiss Maggie's forehead, and then stood up.

"Thanks again, Fury." Steve said from the bed, as he was trapped by the toddler who was currently curled up into him with her arm draped across his chest.

"Yeah, if you hadn't come, we were going to have a hell of a time trying to get her down for the night." Natasha added.

"I'm glad I could help." He smirked in reply, and walked towards the door. "Call me again if you ever need a distraction; I could use an excuse to get away from S.H.I.E.L.D. every once in a while."

"We might take you up on that." Natasha chuckled. He then left the room with a small wave.

"Here's to the hope that this is our last night here." Steve said when Natasha sat back down next to the bed.

"Indeed. I really want to go home." The spy said with a tired sigh.

"Me too."

* * *

"_We're sorry, we did everything we could…"_

"_If only you had brought her in one day sooner…" _

"_Time of death…" _

_Natasha couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her daughter couldn't be dead, no, that wasn't possible. It couldn't be true… _

"_Oh, Nat, why didn't you bring her in sooner? Why did you wait so long?" _

"_Steve, I…" She had no idea what was going on around her, and just stared at Steve blankly._

"_Our daughter is dead, because of you!" _

_His voice pierced through her like a sharp knife to her heart. _

_This couldn't be happening, she kept repeating over and over to herself. Maggie can't be dead, she's barely even three, she has so much more of her life to live. It couldn't be cut short like that! Just last week she had been running around and causing mayhem everywhere she went. An endless ball of energy. And yet… _

"_Mama?" _

_Natasha felt the lifeless eyes of Maggie stare into her soul. "Maggie, I'm sorry, I didn't…" _

"_Mama?" Something was different about the way the toddler was calling for her. _

"Mama?"

Natasha woke with a start, and looked down at Maggie, who was staring up at her curiously. She then realized it was morning, and she had been dreaming. Running a hand through her hair, she sighed, trying to calm herself back down as she reflected on the events of the nightmare. It stemmed from the fears she had housed ever since Maggie had come into the world, and the recent events of the past few days just reminded her of how realistic they were.

"Are you okay?" Maggie's concerned voice brought the spy back to the present.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks, Лапушка." Natasha smiled, and leaned forward to kiss Maggie's forehead gently. "How are you feeling?"

"Good. Can we go home now?"

_Same question as yesterday._ She mused, and gave Maggie's hand a reassuring squeeze. "Maybe, but it depends on what the nurse thinks."

"I hope we can."

"I hope so, too."

"Can I watch TV?"

"Sure." Natasha grabbed the remote off of the bedside table and turned the TV on. She flipped through the channels, reading off the names of the different shows-ones that were appropriate, of course-until Maggie picked one.

During this, Steve woke up. After hearing how the toddler felt, he announced he had to use the restroom, causing both redheads to giggle. When he got up, Maggie requested Natasha to join her in the bed, which the spy was more than happy to do, especially after the horrible dream she had had. During the switching and moving, she checked her phone and saw it was just after 8:00 AM. _Not too early. Thank God._ She thought as she texted Clint, letting them know they were all awake so he could come whenever he wanted.

He immediately replied saying he would be there between 8:30 and 9:00, which Natasha repeated to Maggie to let her know that he was indeed coming. She smiled happily, and then resumed playing with the stuffed animals Steve had brought for her from home the previous day.

Clint arrived while the nurse was doing her daily rounds of checking in, and heard the good news that Maggie would be able to be discharged later that day. Her fever had gone down significantly, and the breathing tube and IV would be removed soon as well, which caused both parents and the archer to sigh, knowing it wouldn't be a fun experience.

Maggie had regained a lot of the energy she seemed to have been lacking for the entirety of the time she had been sick. Though she was definitely not 100%, she was able to hold up a conversation with Clint and get him and her parents to play with her, using her stuffed animals and imagination.

About an hour and a half later, a few nurses came in to remove the tube and IV. Maggie had been surprisingly cooperative, after being reassured by her parents that it would be over fairly quickly. She ate more than just a few small bites at lunch, for which they were eternally grateful, and then Clint left them to pack up and get ready to go home.

Maggie was discharged afterwards, and was more than happy to be leaving. The doctor prescribed some antibiotics for her to take for the following week, as he noted that not all the fluid was gone from her lungs; just enough to be dealt with at home. He then scheduled a follow-up appointment for the final day Maggie was expected to take the prescribed medication. The two Avengers thanked him extensively and walked out of the room happily, Natasha carrying Maggie and Steve carrying all their stuff.

"Oh, Captain, can I speak to you for just a moment?" The doctor called the older hero back in.

Steve told Natasha, "I'll meet you by the elevator." and walked back to the doctor. "Yes, doctor, what is it?"

"Maggie's body healed incredibly quickly." He told Steve quietly. "She probably would have been okay leaving yesterday with that prescription, in fact."

Steve raised an eyebrow. "What are you saying?"

"What I'm saying is she might be affected by the serum." He replied. "Even though she shows no other signs of it yet, and was able to get sick, her body managed to heal incredibly fast. When she was first brought in, she was laying in bed miserably, and now she appears strong enough to run from here down to the main entrance. Of course, I'm not telling you to let her do that. I'm telling you to just keep watching for more signs of the serum having effects on her."

"Okay…" Steve nodded, and then shook his hand. "Thanks, Doc."

"Don't mention it. Now, as much as I enjoy being able to see Captain America, I don't want to see you back for a long time. Stay healthy." He said playfully and dismissed Steve.

* * *

"What'd the doctor tell you about?" Natasha asked as they got into the elevator, Maggie beaming brightly up at her father from her mother's arms.

"Oh, uh, I'll tell you later when we get home. It's not important now." Steve replied, and Natasha could tell he meant, "I'll tell you when we're alone."

"Alright. Are you excited to go home, Лапушка?" Natasha changed the subject, turning to the happy toddler in her arms.

"Yeah! 'Cause that means Uncle Tony and Aunt Pepper and Uncle Brucie can come visit now!" Maggie said happily.

"Oh, yeah, that's right." Natasha replied, bouncing her lightly. "And now we can finish _Mulan_!"

"Yeah!"

* * *

A week later, after Maggie was deemed 100% healthy and the doctor reiterated his theory that the serum was helping out, the two Avengers watched Maggie animatedly tell Pepper and Tony all about her experience in the hospital and at home for the past week and a half.

"I think the doc was onto something when he suggested the serum starting to take effect." Clint commented to the two parents and Bruce. "She seems as good as new already."

"No kidding. I read online that it usually takes about two weeks of for kids to really recover from pneumonia after beginning treatment, and yet if you saw her today you wouldn't be able to tell what we've been through this past week and a half." Natasha replied.

"Has she shown any other signs?" Bruce asked curiously.

"None that we've seen." Steve sighed. "She seems to have the average strength and endurance of a girl her age, and still gets sick, obviously. So far it just seems that she's good at bouncing back and recovering quickly."

"Guess we'll have to be on the lookout even more now." Clint said.

* * *

**A/N: **Wow! My longest installment to date. Still can't believe it! I hope you all enjoyed it. :)

So, this is also my way of saying I've been thinking long and hard of how I should play the serum card with Maggie. Basically from this chapter, and the one with 17 year old Maggie when Steve and Nat were missing, you can infer that the serum's effects develop as her body does. I am planning on having a specific one shot that delves into this process and kinda provides an overview of how it all works out over time. Long story short, she starts out normal, but then the serum starts showing a few effects-the first incident being here, with Mags recovering fairly quickly. I figured since the serum was a one time deal with Steve as the only successful test subject, I had some leeway and room to work with as far as creativity goes when presenting the concept of the serum's effects in her. :P

See ya next time!


	18. Father's Day

**A/N: **Uh, yeah, I know, I suck. It's been over a week since the last update, whoops... Sorry guys, just haven't been really feeling motivated; I've had some serious writing block, as well as having to say goodbye to someone I have no idea when/if I'll ever see again... It's been kinda rough, busy, and emotional. Not to mention seeing _Wicked, Maleficent, _and _The Fault in Our Stars_ nearly consecutively in the midst of all this. EMOTIONS.

So, yeah, this one is pretty short compared to the last one and it was my backup plan for a Father's Day installment. I originally had a different idea that would be focusing on Steve and just Maggie's existence in general-kinda like how I posted 'Miracle in the Making' for Mother's Day-but it ended up not really working out. Sigh. Hopefully there will be more fun things to come soon!

Thanks for the faves, follows, and positive reviews! You all are more awesome than a batch of warm chocolate chip cookies :3 Enjoy~

* * *

"Uh, what's all this?" Natasha Romanoff raised an eyebrow as she walked through the front door of her home that was now heavily decorated in American colors. There were colored streamers hanging from the walls and ceiling, as well as a few small plastic flags.

"It's for Father's Day!" Eleven year old Maggie poked her head out of the entrance to the kitchen a few feet ahead of Natasha. "Uncle Clint and I went to the party store and bought a bunch of red, white, and blue stuff so we could decorate the house for Daddy!"

"And now you can just leave everything up and you'll be ready for the Fourth coming up next month." Clint added from the living room.

"Wow, that's… Creative." Natasha chuckled, for lack of a better word. She walked into the kitchen after Maggie pulled her head back in, and noted it was as heavily decorated as what she had seen of the rest of the house. "Daddy will love it."

"I hope so! He should, anyway, since he's Captain America." Maggie said confidently as she hung a flag up on the refrigerator doors with magnets.

"Did you make him a card?" Natasha inquired.

"Yeah! You gotta sign it, too!" The younger redhead exclaimed, hurrying out of the room and nearly running into Clint. "Sorry, Uncle Clint!" She laughed as she passed him.

"Man, that kid's always in a hurry." Clint laughed as he walked over to Natasha.

"You guys seriously went to the party store and practically bought out their entire Fourth of July section?" She asked in amusement as she ran her hand through some of the streamers.

"More or less." He replied with a toothy grin. "And before you worry, we used coupons and Tony's credit card to pay for it all."

"That's good enough for me." She smirked.

Maggie then entered the room with her drawing. "I worked really hard on this drawing! It was hard to keep it a secret from Daddy." She said, handing it to Natasha with a pen for her to sign. It was a drawing of the three of them wearing happy smiles on their faces, brightly colored hearts surrounding them. Above them, it said, "Happy Father's Day!"

"Well, I think it's beautiful, Лапушка." Natasha smiled, giving Maggie a light kiss on her forehead. "Are you sure you want me to sign it, though? You drew it all yourself."

"Well, just draw a happy face or something in the corner and sign next to that! Then you will have added to the drawing." Maggie reasoned.

"Good idea." Clint commented.

"Alright, alright." The spy laughed, doing as her daughter instructed.

"When's Daddy coming home?"

"Later tonight. It might be after you go to bed, though."

"Can we wait up for him? Pleeeaaaaase?" She drew out the last word. "Tomorrow's Father's Day!"

Natasha gave an exaggerated sigh, making Maggie giggle. "Sure."

"Hooray!" Maggie cheered triumphantly. "Oh! Uncle Clint, we should show Mama your card!"

"_Your_ card?" Natasha turned to Clint curiously.

"More like everyone's card. Come on, I'll show you." He answered vaguely, and the three walked out of the kitchen and into the living room. He picked up a large piece of construction paper off the table and handed it to her.

"'Happy Father's Day even though you aren't our dad.'" Natasha read out loud. "'You're a cool dad and awesome superhero! We love you! Love, The Avengers and co.' Maggie, why do I have a feeling you wrote this?" She asked her daughter suspiciously, though there was amusement in her voice.

"Maybe I wrote it, maybe I didn't, but Uncle Clint got everyone to sign it! Well, almost everyone, at least. I only gave him two days to pass it around." Maggie explained.

"Uh, yeah, you should definitely give me more of a 'head's up' next time I have to chase down everyone." Clint commented, causing Maggie to stick her tongue out at him.

Natasha smiled at all the little notes and signatures scattered over the page. She knew it would be well received.

* * *

After dinner, Clint left the two redheads so he could go home to his DC apartment for the evening and return to Stark Tower in the morning. The mother daughter duo then sat on the couch and watched Disney movies for the rest of the evening, singing along to the majority of the songs and waiting for their super soldier to return.

Finally, just after 11:00 PM, Natasha's phone vibrated on the table in front of them. She carefully maneuvered around Maggie, who had fallen asleep with her head on her mother's lap. The phone displayed a text message from Steve Rogers.

_Just returned to the Triskelion, finally. Fury's letting me go early so I'm leaving soon. I should be back around midnight. Don't wait up for me._

_Always so concerned about how much sleep we get_. Natasha mused as she replied, letting him know she got the message. After setting her phone back down, she looked down at Maggie's sleeping form and sighed. Natasha could not really carry her daughter in her arms anymore; she was just too big. That meant she would have to wake her.

_She looks so peaceful, though_. Natasha silently debated the pros and cons of waking her up and making her go to bed, since Steve wasn't home yet and Maggie would probably prefer not to be woken until he returned.

She finally decided on just waiting until Steve arrived, since it wouldn't be too long until he did, anyway. Natasha focused on the ending of _Aladdin_ playing on their TV. Soon, she dozed off as well.

* * *

Steve walked through the front door, feeling exhausted. He frowned at the light coming from the living room, meaning that Natasha hadn't gone to bed yet. As he walked in, he took in the brightly decorated surroundings, confused. Natasha had woken up right as he entered the house, and had her hidden gun ready.

"Whoa, Nat, it's just me." He said softly, and she quickly lowered the gun apologetically. "Sorry, old habits die hard." She sighed sheepishly in reply.

"It's okay. What are you two still doing out here?" He asked curiously, gesturing to the still sleeping Maggie. "And what happened to the house?"

"Oh, yeah, I forgot it looked like Captain America threw up in here. No offense" She teased with a smirk, and he rolled his eyes playfully. "I didn't feel like waking her to get her to go to bed, so you can do it."

Steve crouched down in front of the couch and gently shook their daughter awake, and it only took a few seconds for her tired blue eyes to meet his. "Daddy?"

"Yeah, Mags, I just got home."

"Oh, good, Mama said we could wait for you." She smiled sleepily and sat up.

"I figured. What's with all the decorations?"

"Uncle Clint and I bought them from the party store. Since tomorrow's Father's Day, and you're Captain America, we thought we should put up red, white, and blue decorations for you when you got home. Do you like it?"

"I love it." Steve smiled. "Thank you, Maggie."

She instinctively reached her arms out, and he pulled her into his arms. After all, he had super strength, so he still could carry her, though he scarcely did anymore. "I'm glad you like it." She yawned, laying her head on his shoulder tiredly. "What time is it?"

"Just past midnight, Лапушка." Natasha answered, getting up off the couch and turning off the TV.

"Then it's Father's Day! Happy Father's Day, Daddy." Maggie said sleepily.

"Thanks, Mags." Steve chuckled. "But for me, every day is Father's Day." Natasha rolled her eyes.

"You say that every year!" Maggie commented.

"But it's true." He said, and she yawned again. "I think it's time for bed."

Maggie didn't protest, and after shutting off all the lights, Steve carried the eleven year old into her bedroom and Natasha followed closely behind.

"Goodnight, Maggie." He said softly after setting her down in her bed.

"Nighty night. I love you."

"I love you, too. See you in the morning." He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, and stepped aside to let Natasha have her turn.

"Goodnight, Лапушка." The spy said.

"Can't we technically say 'good morning'?"

"I guess technically."

"Then, good morning."

Natasha gave an amused smile and kissed Maggie's cheek. "I love you."

"Love you, too."

And with that, Maggie was already asleep by the time Natasha and Steve even left the room.

* * *

"Cards! We gotta do cards!" Maggie exclaimed as she jumped onto her parents' bed the following morning, holding the cards in her hands. "Wake up!"

Both Avengers just groaned in reply. "Mags, what time is it?" Steve asked groggily.

"It's 8:45! AKA, time to get up! It's Father's Day!"

"Did you hear that, Steve? It's Father's Day, so get up and appease your eager daughter." Natasha's voice was muffled as she had pushed her face into her pillow in a poor attempt of blocking out Maggie's loud entrance.

"If it's Father's Day, then I should be able to relax, shouldn't I-"

"Daddy! You gotta read your cards!" Maggie insisted, jumping on top of him.

"Can we just have five more minutes?"

"No!"

"Y'know, I thought these early morning hype sessions would end when you reached middle school age, Лапушка." Natasha wondered if Maggie would always be this childish and energetic, despite what age she was. She knew deep down, though, that she enjoyed the youthful aura Maggie always gave off, and the spy never wanted this playfulness to go away.

"School literally just ended, Mama. I'm barely a sixth grader." Maggie replied as if it were obvious.

"Close enough. Anyways, you're still growing, so I think you should get more sleep."

"But it's almost 9:00!"

"I just fought off bad guys not even 12 hours ago..."

"Daddy, please?" Maggie pouted, meeting his tired eyes with an exaggerated sad expression.

Steve sighed in defeat. "Alright, I'm up. You can get off me now." Maggie smiled happily and scooted off him, sitting at the foot of the bed.

A snort of laughter came from Natasha's side. "Wow, you still fall for her pleading; I can't believe this."

"Ha, ha, very funny, Nat." Steve sat up with a yawn.

"Come on, Mama!" Maggie urged her mother. "You have to watch, too!"

"Alright, alright." Natasha yawned, turning her body towards them so she could see. "I'm watching."

"Which one should I give him first?" Maggie couldn't decide as she examined the two cards.

"How about the one from Uncle Clint and everyone?" Natasha suggested. "And then ours."

"Okay!" Maggie handed Steve the larger piece of paper, and he read it out loud quietly to himself. He was amused that he was receiving a card from the Avengers. He chuckled at the main message, knowing his daughter had written it. Then he moved onto the small notes scattered over the paper.

_Happy Father's Day, Steve! You're an awesome father. Maggie looks up to you so much and she couldn't have a better dad! And you being Captain America is pretty cool, too, I guess. - Clint_ _Barton_

_Capsicle, keep being a good dad for the munchkin. She's good (most of the time) and I know she gets that from you. (No offense, Tasha.) - Tony Stark_

_Happy Father's Day! You are an amazing father, Steve. Maggie will sometimes talk nonstop about you; she loves you and Natasha so much! Have a great day! - Pepper Potts_

_Cap, you're not only an honorable leader, but also a great father. I'm sure Maggie will grow up to lead people just like you. Happy Father's Day. - Bruce Banner_

_Lord Steven, there is no better father for Lady Margaret than you. Midguard is lucky to have men like you. - Thor _

_Happy Father's Day, Cap. It's amazing how good you are at being an incredible father as well as one of Earth's greatest heroes. Even if you weren't a superhero, I know Maggie would love you the same. See you around. - Maria Hill_

_Well, Captain Rogers, I think it's safe to say "Mission Success" for being a father. Maggie is a bright, intelligent, and compassionate young girl thanks to you and Natasha. You two have both done your parts in raising her well, though there are still many things left for you to teach her. Keep up the good work. - Nick Fury _

"Wow, how did you guys get all these signatures?" Steve asked the two redheads curiously after looking up from the card.

"It was a last minute idea I had a few days ago when I was with Uncle Clint! He took the card to Stark Tower and then to the Triskelion. We didn't have enough time to get Uncle Sam or Uncle Bucky to sign it, though." Maggie admitted sadly.

"It's okay, Mags, I love it just the way it is." Steve assured her. "Thank you for coming up with the idea. I'll have to call Uncle Clint and everyone else later to thank them as well."

"You're welcome! Now, look at our card!" Maggie handed him her drawing.

"I think it's more from Maggie than me. She drew it all by herself." Natasha informed Steve proudly.

"Mama added the smiley face in the corner."

Steve smiled happily as he closely examined the detailed drawing. He noted all the small things Maggie had included-the different colored designs on his Captain America uniform, Natasha's guns on her legs and widow's bites on her wrists, and accurate hair and eye color for all three of them.

"Thank you so much." He finally said, opening his arms up. Maggie responded quickly by launching herself into them and wrapping her arms around his neck happily. "I love this drawing. It must have taken you so long."

"It did! I've been working on it for a while; it was hard to hide it from you sometimes." She explained.

"Well, thank you." He repeated.

"Do you like Mama's part?"

"Yes, I do. Nice smiley face, Nat."

"Thank you! I am quite proud of it, actually." Natasha beamed.

"I love you." Maggie pulled out of the hug just enough so she could meet Steve's eyes.

He smiled and kissed her forehead gently. "I love you, too."

"Now, can we go make breakfast?" Maggie looked between her two parents curiously.

"Always hungry. Alright, let's go. We should serve Daddy breakfast in bed." Natasha suggested.

"Good idea! Let's go!" Maggie jumped off of him and hurried out of the room. "Come on, Mama!" She called behind her.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Natasha yelled in reply, getting out of the bed. "Happy Father's Day. You've survived another year, Rogers."

"Thanks. I plan on sticking around for many more." Steve chuckled. "I also plan on calling Clint later to ask him about his adventure of getting these signatures, especially Fury's."

"Oh, I definitely want to be around for that." She smirked, giving him a quick peck on the lips before exiting the room.

* * *

**A/N: **Whhhhaaaaaatttt? _Uncle Bucky_?! *suspense music* Haha, yes, I plan on bringing everyone's favorite best friend of Steve! I already have some form of a oneshot for this in mind, so it's coming eventually. :D


	19. I Thought I Lost You

**A/N: **Welp, it's 2 AM, and I'm still horrible at updating, lol. XD Sorry, guys. Not sure how I feel about this one either, hmm.

Thanks for the nice reviews, faves, and follows! You all are super duper! :D

* * *

"You're going on a _date?!_" The nine year old practically screeched.

"Yes, Mags, I am. I've been on a couple dates with her already, actually; her name is Bobbi." Clint Barton answered as he continued getting ready. "She's a really good friend of mine, but she might become more. You've met her a few times before, but it was a really long time ago and you were little. I've mentioned her in some of my stories, remember?"

"Yeah." Maggie didn't know what else to say, but felt as if her world was crashing down. She anxiously followed the archer out of his bedroom and into the living room area where Tony was sitting.

"Oh, you clean up nice, Birdbrain." The billionaire teased as he looked up at them.

"Thanks, Stark." Clint rolled his eyes. He looked down at his watch. "I gotta go now. We agreed to meet at the restaurant at 8:00."

"Alright, well, have fun, don't go too crazy tonight." Tony waved his hand in a farewell manner. "And remember that we have a child in our presence tonight, so no _you-know-what _after your date. At least, not here."

"Ew, okay, I'm leaving now." Clint turned away from Tony grossed out. "Bye, Mags." He said, crouching down in front of her and pulling her into his arms.

"I'll see you later, okay?" He placed a kiss to her temple.

"Okay." She replied reluctantly.

"...If you don't want me to go on my date, Mags, it's fine." Clint said after evaluating her behavior and trying to read her emotions for a moment. "I can stay with you tonight."

As much as the redhead wanted to say yes, she couldn't bring herself to do it. Her conscience told her that she had to let him go. "No, I want you to go on your date." She insisted with a forced smile.

The archer didn't look too convinced, and shot a concerned glance at Tony. The genius dismissed him with his hand, as if saying _I'll handle this._ Clint sighed, and stood up. He gave one last wave of his hand before the elevator doors closed.

After she was sure he was gone, Maggie whirled around and practically ran out of the room.

"Kid, wait!" Tony called, chasing after her, but she slammed her bedroom door in his face. "Squirt?" He tried again.

"Go away." Her voice was muffled by the door.

Tony sighed, figuring that he might as well give her some space for a while. "I'll be coming back in a little while." He informed her before walking back out into the main room.

Taking back the spot he was initially sitting in, he said, "JARVIS, pull up the feed from Maggie's room, please."

"_Certainly, sir._"

The billionaire sighed as he watched the nine year old curl up on her bed, knowing that she would only shut him out if he pushed her too hard. They had learned the hard way that her hair color was not the only thing Maggie seemed to have gotten from her mother.

* * *

Maggie sighed as she twisted and turned the small arrow charm necklace Clint had given her for her seventh birthday in her fingers. She had always wanted one just like her mother's, not only due to childish tendencies of wanting to be just like everyone around her, but also because of its meaning-the connection and link it provided the wearer with the archer. It wasn't exactly the same as the one Clint gave the spy, but it was very similar and Maggie treasured it. She wore it every day and took extra care not to lose it.

It had been about 20 minutes since Tony promised he would return, and in that time Maggie had cried into her pillow over the raging storm of emotions coursing through her ever since Clint informed her he was going on a date. Her family often described her as being mature for her age, and the fact that she knew she was being selfish supported that notion. She knew Clint deserved his own chance at happiness and true love, but that couldn't stop her heart from aching with jealousy and contempt.

Finally, there was a knock on her door, and she didn't move as a voice soon followed. "Munchkin? I'm coming in now."

Tony waited a few seconds for a reply, and when there was none, he took it as an invitation to come in. After entering, he gently closed the door and sat on the foot of her bed. "Hey." He awkwardly greeted.

"Hi." She weakly replied, not taking her eyes off of the small silver charm in her hands.

"So," he began after a pause, "wanna tell me what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong." She tried.

"Really. I find that hard to believe."

"Really."

"If nothing was wrong, you would be out there playing video games or watching movies and trying to convince me why you should be allowed to stay up until Uncle Clint returns." He commented. "Speaking of him, he's really worried."

"Why should he care? He's on a _date_." She said the second sentence in a mocking tone, adding extra emphasis on the word "date."

"Why are you upset with him being on a date?"

"I'm not."

Tony ran a hand over his face stressfully. This was like pulling teeth.

"Alright, look, kid. I know that I'm the worst person to be giving you a pep talk and trying to comfort you and all that jazz, but work with me here. All I've gathered from this is that you are upset about Uncle Clint going on a date. I want to know _why_."

Maggie's eyes met his for the first time since he entered the room, and he internally considered it a small victory. She gave him a curious look. "Why does it matter?"

"It matters because it's obviously making you upset. And I don't like seeing my favorite niece upset." He tried playing the card that usually got a laugh out of her as he scooted closer.

"I'm your only niece." She mumbled halfheartedly, sounding almost irritated, in reply. She then turned back to her necklace.

_Wow, that felt like being slapped in the face._ Tony blinked, trying to figure out what to say next.

"Besides, it's stupid, anyway." Maggie added a few seconds later, shifting so she was lying down on her back. She gently laid the arrow charm back down on her chest.

"I doubt that. Please, Maggie, I'm begging you now." Tony pleaded, leaning closer so he could make eye contact again. "It's not good to keep emotions to yourself."

No response. He knew he was going to have to tackle this another way, possibly a more offensive way.

"So, you're upset about him going on a date. Is it because you think he should stay single forever?"

"No."

"Do you want him to move somewhere by himself and suffer being alone for the rest of his life because he did something bad?"

"No!"

"Do you think he should date your mom?" He tried not to sound like he was teasing.

"Ew, no!" She looked grossed out.

"Or maybe it's that he should dedicate his life to his job and spend way more time away from all of us and go on even more dangerous missions without having to worry about a girlfriend-"

"I don't want him to replace me!" The fourth-grader cut Tony off angrily, sitting up quickly. She breathed for a few seconds, realizing her outburst and then pulled her knees into her chest tightly. He interpreted this as her trying to shut him out, and he knew he had to act fast.

"What do you mean?" He inquired gently.

"I just… It's stupid…" She repeated, laying her head down on top of her kneecaps with a sigh. "He's been my best friend for… _Forever_, for as long as I can remember, and if he gets girlfriend, I won't be his favorite anymore. He'll love and spend time with someone else more than me."

Tony wasn't surprised this was what had set her off. Clint had told Maggie a few times over the years that she was his favorite girl, the one he would always be closest with and would treasure the most. He had adored her from the moment he first held her, and took his title as godfather very seriously, always ensuring she would be safe and have the best time. The adoration soon became mutual, and even in her earliest days Maggie would instinctively reach out for the archer and loved spending time with him more than anyone else. Not that she didn't love the rest of her extended family, but she and Clint had a deep bond that she didn't have with anyone else.

Natasha Romanoff had teased Clint, saying he was good at connecting with redheads and managing to befriend them swiftly. In reply, he joked that perhaps the spy's red hair gene came packaged with a natural close relationship with him, meaning Maggie was just bound to instantly be best friends with him.

Maggie's anxious feelings all made sense, really, and Tony knew he would have to diffuse the situation carefully. "Come here, squirt." He opened his arms up to her, and she scooted over to him. He wrapped his arms around her comfortingly, silently praying he was doing this 'parenting' thing right.

"Your feelings are not stupid, Maggie. They're normal, and I can understand where you're coming from. But I can assure you," he pulled away just enough to meet her eyes, "you occupy a very special place in Uncle Clint's heart. Even if he dates someone and falls in love with them, you will always mean the world to him. Just like, uh…" He figured kids understood things better with examples. "Like, your parents. They love each other very much, don't they?"

"Yeah."

"And they still love you so much. It isn't fair to compare the people you love, really…"

Maggie looked like she was starting to understand. "Just like how you and Aunt Pepper love me a lot, but you guys still love each other a lot?"

"Now you're getting it, squirt. Exactly."

"But, Uncle Tony," the redhead appeared upset again, "what if Uncle Clint gets married and has his own kids? He'll spend even more time with them and he'll stop being my best friend and be theirs!"

Tony knew this one would be a bit more challenging to tackle. "Well, what I said still stands; he'll still love you very much and you'll always have an extra special bond with him. Even if he has his own kids someday, he already loves you like one of his own. He will never replace you, Maggie. I promise."

Maggie blinked, and he could tell the gears in her head were turning as she was trying to grasp everything. "So, we can still be best friends, even if he gets married and has his own kids?"

"Of course! Trust me, munchkin, nothing you do or say could ever stop him from wanting to be _your_ best friend." He assured her with a warm smile, gently tapping her nose with his index finger to emphasize the word "your."

The redhead returned the smile, though it was small compared to her normal ones. But Tony knew a full recovery wouldn't be achieved until she had this conversation with Clint when he returned.

"Come on, now, squirt." He said, standing up."I challenge you to a round of Mario Kart. And I suppose we can _try_ to wait up for Uncle Clint's return…"

That got her attention, and she jumped off her bed eagerly. "Let's go!" She insisted, grabbing his hand and dragging him out of the room.

* * *

Clint returned to the tower just after 10:00 PM. He smiled as he was met by the sound of Maggie's laughter and Tony's exasperated comments insisting she was cheating.

"I'm not cheating, Uncle Tony! You're just really bad at this game." She giggled as she drove past him for what seemed like the millionth time.

"I think throwing turtle shells and bombs while driving is cheating, and most certainly illegal." He argued.

"They're _koopa_ shells, Uncle Tony. And bob-ombs." She informed him.

"You and all your gaming terms…" He grumbled to himself.

"Hey, guys. I see you both had fun." Clint laughed as he walked over to them. "Though, I'm surprised there are no Disney movies playing on the TV."

Maggie looked up at him happily, pausing the game and jumping out of her seat to run over to him.

"Um, excuse me, I did not agree to pausing the game." Tony protested, but was ignored.

"Uncle Clint, I missed you!" She said as she hugged him tightly, and he looked down at her, thinking about how she was acting earlier.

"I missed you too, Mags." He replied, reaching down to pick her up and hold her in his arms. That didn't happen much anymore, since she was almost ten years old.

Tony put down his controller and stood up. "I'm gonna go get ready for bed. I'll give you two some time to catch up." He announced, shooting Clint a look that said it was important they talk. The archer nodded and Tony then left the room.

"So, how was your night?" Clint asked as he sat down on the couch with Maggie in his lap.

"It was good." She said vaguely.

"Oh, really? You seemed upset earlier. You wanna tell me what's going on?" He replied carefully.

He knew something was up when she immediately broke eye contact with him. He waited patiently for her to talk.

"I was afraid." She finally said sheepishly, still not looking up at him. "When you said you were going out on a date, I thought that meant that you wouldn't love me as much anymore, 'cause you would get a girlfriend and love her more than anyone. I thought I wouldn't be special anymore."

"No, no, _no_, Mags, that's not true at all." Clint's heart practically broke at the thought. "You will always be special to me, and I will always love you more than anything. Even if I do fall in love with someone, they won't replace you. I would never replace you."

Maggie sniffled, feeling her tears return. It was from a combination of guilt and embarrassment over her fear, as well as the fear itself. "I-I thought we couldn't be best friends anymore if you started your own family." She stuttered, biting her lip.

"Mags. Look at me." Clint said firmly, and she slowly obeyed. "I _promise_ you, no one will _ever_ take your place in my heart. No one. We will _always_ be best friends, and I will _always_ be there for you. You mean more than the world to me, and nothing will ever change that. I swear. Avenger's honor." He added lightly at the end.

"Cross your heart?" She asked quietly with a smile, and he chuckled, performing the requested action.

"Cross my heart." He swore, and she wrapped her arms around his neck tightly, tucking her head into the space between his neck and shoulder.

"I'm sorry…" She softly cried into his shirt, and he wrapped his arms around her torso tightly.

"It's okay, kid, it's gonna be okay." He gently soothed, rubbing her back with his hand. "I've got you."

After a few more minutes, she sniffled. "So, she's nice?" She asked without moving her head. "I don't really remember her."

"Oh, yeah, she's great. We work well together as a team on missions." He replied happily.

"So, she's not, like, an undercover HYDRA agent or something?" Worry was clear in Maggie's voice.

"I'm pretty sure she's not, but I'll be extra careful next time to make sure she isn't." He chuckled.

"Good." She stated firmly.

* * *

**A/N: **I've been trying so hard for, like, ever to capture Maggie and Clint's close relationship in a oneshot! This angsty thing was my latest idea. But basically they're super tight, as mentioned a lot in here: best friends. I kinda based it off Michelle and Uncle Jesse's relationship from _Full House_. So, I figured it would be natural that Mags would feel threatened by any other new 'special friend' in Clint's life, haha xP


	20. A Literary Odyssey: The Odyssey

**A/N: **Oi... Updates are trickling in just barely... I apologize for my tardiness; this is WAY overdue. I guess I've just been struggling with not really being confident enough in my abilities to put new content out? I dunno, but here's a oneshot dealing with something many of you are probably familiar with the struggle of: homework over summer break. ;D Some of Maggie's experiences with it here are based on my own. Hehe~

Thanks for the faves, follows, and reviews! You are all beautiful! :3

* * *

"Have you started reading _The Odyssey _yet?"

"No… I still have two months before school starts, Mama! I don't need to start yet."

"Okay, Лапушка, but don't put it off until the last minute. You won't have fun if you do." Natasha Romanoff warned the twelve year old.

Maggie shrugged, resuming playing on her tablet. She would be going into seventh grade at the end of summer, and her school assigned her class to read Homer's infamous epic _The Odyssey_ and answer questions over the long break. It was Maggie's first real summer break assignment, and Natasha wanted to make sure she didn't procrastinate.

"I read the first page. It was really boring." Maggie informed her mother. "And hard to understand."

"Just take your time and look up definitions for the words you don't know."

* * *

"I'm so bored." Maggie groaned for what sounded like the millionth time to Fury. She was currently stuck in his office with him until her parents returned from a short day mission.

"Don't you have that book of yours to read for school?" Fury suggested, not looking up from his files. He had already heard an earful about the book from the girl.

"Yes, and I've been reading it for the past hour! I only got through twenty pages. It's killing me!"

"Well, trust me, if you plan on working for S.H.I.E.L.D. someday, you are going to be wishing that you just had to read books. This job is way harder."

"What do you mean by '_if_'? I get a choice?"

"You didn't think you did?"

"Well, with Uncle Brucie and Uncle Tony's predictions that I'll become as strong as Daddy when I grow up... Nope, I thought I was gonna be thrown into the family business."

"You have a choice."

"I'll probably still choose S.H.I.E.L.D."

Hill poked her head into the room. "Sir, I'm doing a lunch run. Do you want your usual?"

"Yes, thank you, Hill." He answered her, and then looked over at Maggie, who was sitting in a large leather chair upside down, with her feet raised in the air near the head of the seat. "I also think you should take Ms. Rogers over here with you, because she keeps insisting she's bored. Frequently."

"Aunt Ria, I have to read this stupid book for school and it's taking forever!" Maggie explained when Hill looked over at her.

"Oh, wow, _The Odyssey_? I didn't read that until I was in high school." Hill commented as she walked over to the young redhead.

"See! That's what everyone keeps saying! So why do I have to read it now?" She huffed, flipping herself over so she was back to sitting in the chair properly.

"It just means you're smarter than we were at your age." Hill offered.

"I guess." Maggie shrugged.

"Well, let's take a lunch break. Maybe some food will help you read it faster."

"Okay!" Maggie looked delighted to be able to leave the small room. Fury sighed in relief.

* * *

"I miss the days when my homework was just coloring." Maggie complained to her godfather as she tossed the book aside onto the coffee table.

"Those days are long gone, kid." Clint chuckled as he looked down at her. She had laid her head on his lap and held the book up over her face after he sat down next to her on the couch.

"I wanna go back." She pouted.

"You know, squirt, you could always use Sparkno-mph!" Pepper cut off Tony's statement by slapping her hand over his mouth. Clint gave him a sharp glare.

"What?" Maggie asked, confused, looking over at the billionaire.

Pepper gave him a warning glare as she removed her hand from his mouth. "Uh, I was saying… You could always use, uh, spark... noodles, which is a brand of noodles, for making pasta." He weakly offered. Clint facepalmed.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Maggie looked confused again.

"Nothing, Maggie. Your Uncle Tony drank too much so he's a little tipsy and is saying random things." Pepper hastily explained. "Come on, Tony, you should go lay down." She ushered him out of the room.

"Uncle Clint, it's only noon. How is he drunk already?"

"You know Uncle Tony; he's good at being different."

* * *

"Daddy, does the serum give you super speed for reading?"

"Uh, I don't think so, Mags." Steve Rogers chuckled.

"Oh, darn. I was hoping it did so I would inherit it and finish reading this thing!"

"Just try to focus on how happy you'll be when you're done."

"That'll mean school's starting again soon." Maggie deadpanned.

"Well, then you'll be able to see all your friends and classmates again!" He offered.

"Meh." She stuck her tongue out in reply.

Steve sighed, not sure how to help.

* * *

_Dear Siffy,_

_I got a special present for you! It's a book called "The Odyssey" and it's really, really old. I thought you might enjoy it. I would love to receive the book back with your thoughts on it no later than August 1st. _

_Love, _

_Lady Margaret _

Maggie grinned evilly as she stuck the note in the book, and then put it into a small cardboard box.

"Freeze!" Clint called as he entered the room. "Put the packaging tape and epic poem down!"

The redhead frowned as she did as she was told. "I wasn't doing anything!" She tried as he walked up to her.

"Nice try, kid, but you were about to ship off that book to Asgard, were you not?" He raised an eyebrow, amusement in his voice.

"Maybe, but either way, Siffy would _love_ this book! I was just being kind and generous like you guys tell me to be." She insisted confidently.

"Really." Clint smirked as he removed the book from her hand and pulled out the note.

"Hey! Mail fraud is illegal!" She pouted, jumping up in an attempt to take the paper back. "You're infringing on my rights!"

"How the hell do you know what 'infringing on my rights' even means?" Clint teased as he quickly read over the note. "You sound like you've been watching the news or something."

"I'm smart! And what you're doing is still illegal. Next time I see Uncle Nick, I'm gonna tell him!"

"He can't do anything, Mags. S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't arrest people for mail fraud."

"You admitted to your crime!" She said boastfully, pointing an accusing finger. "A-ha!"

Just then, the elevator doors opened and Natasha walked in with Bruce. They paused as they observed Clint still maintaining a "keep away" position with the note, with Maggie stretching her arms up toward his raised hand.

"Oh, Nat, thank God! Get your daughter off me!" Clint yelled melodramatically.

"Uncle Clint broke the law! He committed mail fraud! Mama, arrest him!" Maggie called to her mother.

"Oh, boy. Have fun diffusing this, Tasha." Bruce teased the spy as he walked of the room.

"Children, settle down." Natasha sighed, walking over to them. "What's with you two?"

"He's a lawbreaker."

"She's a cheater."

"I wasn't cheating! I was simply using my resources."

"Nat, I think your kid swallowed a dictionary."

"Mama, Uncle Clint's being mean to me!"

"Alright, alright, you both need to calm down. Do I have to separate you two?" Natasha said in her "motherly" voice.

"No, you need to arrest him for-"

"_Technically_, you would have been breaking the law, too, kid, 'cause using Sif's words in your school report would be plagiarism."

"That doesn't apply to Asgardians!"

"How would _you_ know? You aren't one."

"I can clearly see that you two need to be separated." Natasha cut in. "Clint, go to your room."

Maggie hid her evil grin behind her hand. "What? Nat, I don't take orders from you-" Clint tried.

"Go now, or I'll make you." Natasha said firmly, but the archer could see amusement in her eyes. He sighed dramatically, putting the note on the table.

"I'll get you for this later!" He hissed playfully to Maggie as he walked by her, prompting her to swat him on the arm. After he was gone, both redheads burst into laughter.

"I love it when you do that!" Maggie giggled.

"It never gets old." Natasha smirked in agreement. "Now, then, what was all that about me arresting him?"

"Oh, right, well, he committed mail fraud..."

* * *

"Uncle Phil! Uncle Phil!" Maggie called to the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent as he walked by. "I need your help!"

"What's wrong?" Coulson rushed over.

"Nothing's wrong. I just need to help figuring out what's going on here." She told him, pointing to the passage. "Odysseus is at this place with a cyclops and he tricked him somehow, and it has to do with the word 'Nobody' as if it's someone's name?"

"Ah, yes, see where Odysseus is saying his name is Nobody?" He said, pointing to the beginning of the passage. "He's doing that so when the cyclops is injured here-" he pointed out a part a few pages later, "the cyclops is announcing that 'nobody' is hurting him. So all the other cyclops think that he hurt himself since he's saying no one was there, when he really means Odysseus."

"Oh!" Suddenly it all became clear to the redhead. "That makes sense! Thanks so much, Uncle Phil!" She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling his head down for a hug.

"You're welcome. I had to read _The Odyssey_ in high school, so I remember the story a little bit."

"I probably won't remember any of it in, like, a year from now."

* * *

"When you see me reading this book, does it make me look smart?" Maggie asked as she lounged on a couch in Stark Tower one afternoon.

"It makes you look bored, that's for sure." Tony answered, not looking up from his work.

"Aunt Ria said I'm smarter than you guys were at my age since I'm reading it." She informed him.

"Yeah, sure, kid." He agreed, not paying attention.

"You're not paying attention, are you?"

"What?"

Maggie sighed. She turned to Thor. "Uncle Thor, can you read this for me?"

The demi-god had received specific instructions from everyone that Maggie had to read the book by herself, and he could not do it for her. He didn't really understand all the Midguardian forms of education and homework. "I have been informed that you are to read it for yourself, Lady Margaret."

"But all the words are really weird and big! They're like the ones you say!"

Tony laughed from his location across the room.

"Is this literature Asgardian?"

"No, it's Greek. And really old. Older than you!"

"Which is really old." Tony joked.

"What is this 'Greek' you speak of?" Thor asked curiously, ignoring Tony's remark.

"It means it's from the country Greece, which is in Europe. Here, I'll show you!" Maggie happily picked up her tablet to pull up a map of the world. They spent the next half hour learning all about Greece and its culture.

* * *

"Can I borrow your Falcon wings?"

"Sorry, Maggie, no can do." Sam Wilson answered in reply. He was on babysitting duty for the evening.

"I just want to do something that isn't reading this stupid book!" She groaned.

"How far are you now?"

"Almost three fourths through. There are some weird things in here, Uncle Sam. Like, a lot of inappropriate stuff."

"Your parents have given you… 'The talk,' right?" He was _not_ informed that babysitting came with explaining "certain things" to the girl.

Maggie laughed. "Yes, Uncle Sam, don't worry. You don't have to tell me what all this means. It's really gross. I told Uncle Tony about this one part with this Calypso person and she's pretty sketchy, but Uncle Tony thought it was cool."

"Yeah, Tony's pretty… Interesting."

"Is that what the 'playboy' part of his really long title means?"

"What?"

"You know, 'genius billionaire playboy philanthropist'?" Maggie recited easily, before furrowing her brow. "Wait, then what's a 'philanthropist'?"

"That's someone who donates a lot of money to charities and people who need help."

"Oh. Then what's a 'playboy'?"

"...Y'know, as great as this conversation is, I gotta go call my mom. Bye." Sam practically ran out of the room, not wanting to explain these things to his niece.

* * *

"I finished it, I finished it!" Maggie quickly ran into the large room where all her family members were. She took the book and raised it in the air victoriously. "Operation Homer Phase 1 was a success!"

"Good job, Лапушка! I knew you could do it!" Natasha congratulated her with a smile and a hug.

"See, Mags? I told you it wouldn't be so bad!" Steve said as he hugged her next.

"Finally! No more complaining!" Tony cheered, and Clint nodded in agreement.

"Wait, 'Phase 1'? Why is there a 'Phase 1'?" Bruce raised an eyebrow.

"Well, Phase 1 is reading it." Maggie turned to explain. "Phase 1.5 is answering the questions."

"Why didn't you just call that 'Phase 2'?" Pepper asked.

"'Cause next year I have to read _The Iliad._"

Everyone groaned, knowing what the following summer would have in store for them.

* * *

"It's official: middle school teachers are liars." The 15 year old freshman complained as she got into her parents' car after the end of her school day.

"Why do you say that?" Natasha asked, amused, from the passenger seat. Steve looked confused.

"Well, remember when I had to read _The Odyssey_?"

"_Everyone _remembers when you had to read it, Лапушка. You never let us forget." The spy teased.

"Ha, ha, very funny. Anyway, I was told when I had to read that that it would make high school English really easy for when we got to it. Well, we started going over it in class, but we're not even reading it! We just have to read the chapter where Odysseus kills the cyclops and then we're gonna talk about Homer and his stuff for, like, one class, and then start finals prep!" Maggie explained.

"Well, at least that one class should be a breeze." Steve offered, meeting her eyes in the rearview mirror.

"Yeah, but it's definitely underwhelming compared to what they were trying to prepare us for." Maggie huffed.

"At least you can say that you read it." Natasha offered.

"And I barely remember any of it." She grumbled.

* * *

**A/N: **In case anyone didn't understand what Tony was going to say when Pepper covered his mouth (the "spark noodles" part), he was gonna recommend using Sparknotes which is a website that provides free summaries and analysis of books, chapter by chapter. It's a lot like Cliffnotes. I use Sparknotes after I read chapters in books for school to make sure I remember all the factual information before we take each quiz. :3


	21. Growing Pains

**A/N**: ...Anyone still out there? I know, I haven't updated in 3 weeks! I just got home late last night from a trip with my family that we had been on for two weeks. I meant to post this chapter up with the announcement of my absence before we left, but I got caught up in major trip prep in the days leading up to when we left. We went to Europe, so there was a LOT of prep to be done. :D But I'm really sorry about abandoning you guys like that!

I'm still, even three weeks later, on the fence about this chapter. We will finally be tackling the serum's effects on Maggie. There will be an explanation of it at the end in an Author's Note. Also, there's something in this chapter that could be seen as copying another author on here, which I promise is not the case. There will also be an explanation of how/why in the bottom A/N.

Thanks for the faves, follows, and reviews. :3 You all are one of the best things to happen to me!

* * *

"Uncle Clint, I am _so _sorry!" The ten year old apologized again.

"Kid, it's okay, I'm okay." Clint Barton reassured her, shaking out his hand. "It's not your fault."

"Yes it is! I hurt your hand..." Maggie fussed, reaching out to grab his hand, but then quickly pulled her hands back, fearing she might hurt him again.

"Mags, it's not your fault the serum is affecting you in these little episodes. They're just growing pains."

"But it's supposed to be _my_ pain, not yours!"

"Kid." Clint tried to reach out to her.

"No, don't touch me!" She snapped, stepping back. She then immediately looked guilty for her outburst, and met his eyes sadly. "I'm sorry..."

"Maggie... Maggie!" Clint called after her as she hurried out of the room. He sighed in frustration.

Tony had walked in at the end of the conversation from the other side of the room. "Legolas, what happened?" He asked curiously.

"Mags had another serum... Thing. Where she accidentally used too much strength while doing something. My hand was the victim." Clint explained.

"Ouch. So that explains why she's so upset." Tony said.

"Yup. She thinks she's just gonna hurt us now." The archer sighed.

"Should we talk to her?" Tony asked.

"I think we should let her cool off for a while." Clint replied. "Or else she might immediately push us away when we try to talk to her."

Tony nodded. "I'm gonna talk to Bruce, tell him what happened." Bruce acted as a secondary pediatrician to Maggie to monitor her for signs of the serum.

"Yeah, that would be good." Clint nodded in agreement.

* * *

Maggie sat on her bed with a frown. She always wanted to have super abilities like her father, but she didn't think it would happen like this. Bruce had explained it to her once, but she still didn't really get it. All she could remember was something about it occasionally affecting her muscle memory and causing little accidents to happen every now and then.

She didn't mean to squeeze Clint's hand like the death grip of a woman giving birth; she only intended for a little, playful squeeze. Unfortunately, the former happened for a few moments before he cried out in pain and she realized what was happening.

She also remembered Bruce mentioning it getting worse when puberty came along. Which was in a few years. She sighed.

After entertaining herself for a while by drawing (and not crushing her pencil despite her anxiously tight grip), a knock sounded from her door. "Hey, Queen Elsa, can I enter your little kingdom of isolation?"

"Sure." She called in reply, not as amused by the comment as she normally would've been.

The billionaire walked in. "Hey, squirt, I just came in to bribe you."

"Bribe me? To do what?"

"Well, in my hand, I hold one of the heavily coveted, chocolate chip cookies baked by a certain Russian spy." Maggie realized Tony had a hand behind his back.

"What?! There are some left?" She jumped off her bed and ran up to him.

"Just this one. You can have it, _if,_" He emphasized, holding the cookie just out of reach from the redhead, "you come back out there and hang out with us. Your Aunt Pepper also mentioned something about baking brownies."

He expected that to immediately win her over. But instead, she paused, and looked up at him sadly. "But what if I mess it up? What if I hurt her, or you, or someone?"

"Munchkin, listen." Tony said firmly. "Even if something happens, another little... 'Serum spasm,' if you will, we will be there to help you through it. It's just something we are going to have to live with for a while."

Maggie thought for a few moments, and then finally nodded. "Okay." She said quietly, and he happily handed her the cookie.

"Awesome, now, how about a hug?"

"What if I hug you too hard?"

"Do you really think that'll happen?"

"It's possible."

"You worry too much." He teased, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close.

"Uncle Tony!" She laughed as her face was squished against his side. "I just wanna eat my cookie!"

"You would rather eat a cookie than hug your favorite Avenger? I'm hurt, kid." He mocked a pained expression as he let her go.

"I never told you you're my favorite Avenger!" She said playfully.

"It was implied. Now, come on, then." He led her out of the bedroom as she took a bite of the delicious cookie.

* * *

Maggie flinched as glass broke. For whatever reason, her body translated the concept of "grabbing her glass of water" to "hitting it off the table." She sheepishly opened her eyes to meet her family's surprised faces.

"Lady Margaret is truly like one of Asgardian descent! Another!" Thor's loud voice boomed, breaking the momentary awkward silence, as he threw his own glass down on the ground next to him.

That helped break the ice, as they all burst into laughter. Everyone knew Maggie was sensitive after having a "serum spasm," as they all called it after Tony introduced them to the term. The billionaire faked an angry expression.

"Hey, you two, you need to go on time-out and think about what you've done!" He chastised them playfully.

"What is this 'time-out' you speak of? We are out of time?" Thor was confused.

Steve stood up with a chuckle as Tony tried to explain what a time-out was, and crouched down on the ground in front of the broken glass. "I'll clean it up." He announced. "Well, Maggie's that is. Someone else can handle Thor."

Maggie watched her family, amused, but still quiet. Natasha noticed her distant look, and decided to inquire.

"Лапушка, are you okay?" She asked the quiet 11 year old.

"Yeah, just kinda... Startled. And embarrassed." Maggie admitted to her mother quietly, looking down at her guilty hands, which were lying in her lap. She and Natasha looked over to where Pepper was nagging Tony about how to properly clean up the broken glass on the ground. "Are you mad?"

"No, sweetheart, no one's mad." Natasha assured the younger redhead. "It was just an accident."

Maggie didn't look too convinced. Natasha sighed, and placed a comforting hand on her daughter's shoulder.

"Hey." She called softly, prompting Maggie to look up at her. "You heard Uncle Thor; you're practically Asgardian now." She tried to cheer her up.

Maggie gave a small smile. "I guess so." She agreed. "Does that mean I can go to Asgard now?"

They glanced over at Thor, who was now educated in the definition of a time-out. "No mortal would dare to use such a practice on the Son of Odin!" He declared.

"Uh-huh, sure thing, big guy." Tony rolled his eyes.

"Tony, stop getting distracted and help me make sure there aren't any more shards we missed." Pepper brought his attention back down to the glass he was helping her sweep up.

Natasha smirked, looking back at Maggie. "Maybe one of these days."

* * *

"Daddy, is this what being injected with the serum was like for you?" Maggie sat down on the couch beside her father with an exasperated sigh.

"Not really, no." Steve answered honestly. "Though, I am pretty clumsy. I run into things a lot."

"That's not the same." She insisted.

"You're right. It isn't." He sighed, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. He was pretty much the only person she got physically close to anymore these days, since he had superhuman abilities of his own. She figured she couldn't hurt him as much as her other family. "I'm sorry I passed the serum onto you, Mags. I never thought it would make things so much harder for you."

"It's not your... Well, technically, it is." Maggie corrected herself, causing Steve to smile. "But it's okay. It's just a thing."

"I think it's more than 'just a thing.' You seem more upset lately."

"It's kind of hard to keep it under control at school." The 13 year old admitted. "I can feel when it's coming on sometimes, but other times I'll randomly slam my desk closed, or accidentally crush a pen, or something."

"I'm sorry." He repeated guiltily.

"Don't be." She assured him. "I'm sure it's better than being frozen for 70 years."

"It was worth it to get to meet you." He replied.

"That was cheesy!" She laughed. "Was that the pick-up line you used to ask Mama out?"

"Definitely not." He chuckled, and they fell into a comfortable silence.

"At least it means I won't grow old really fast, right?" Maggie joked a few minutes later.

"I guess so."

"I mean, you and Mama don't really look much different since, well, forever, so I assume both of your messed up genes are gonna do the same to me."

"They are pretty messed up, huh?"

"Yup." Then, Maggie looked up at him excitedly. "Does this make me a mutant?!"

"...I don't think so."

"Darn! I was hoping that that would make Uncle Nick let me join S.H.I.E.L.D. already."

"Regardless of what you are, I think he wants to keep you away from having our jobs as much as possible. As do the rest of us."

"He told me last summer, while I was reading _The Odyssey_ in his office, that I had a choice in what I do in the future. That I don't have to join S.H.I.E.L.D." _  
_

"He was right, you don't have to. We all highly discourage it."

"I wanna be an Avenger, though!"

"Technically, you kind of already are." Steve tried.

"By default, not by proving it!" Maggie rolled her eyes. "I wanna be an Avenger because it will mean I am strong enough to help protect people and be strong enough to defend the world."

"Well, at this rate, looks like you'll be getting pretty strong by the time you're old enough to join S.H.I.E.L.D."

* * *

"Uncle Bru-Ah! Crap! Sorry about your door!" Maggie anxiously grabbed hold of the doorknob, pulling the door away from the wall she had just accidentally slammed it against. She glanced back at him apologetically.

"It's fine, Maggie." Bruce chuckled, walking over to the redhead. "What brings you here?"

"Oh, I just wanted to say, 'Hi!'" She said happily, turning to him. "And tell you that Auntie Pep and I are gonna bake soon, so you might wanna be ready for delicious awesomeness that will probably be devoured by a certain archer and genius billionaire playboy philanthropist right away…" She frowned. "Wow, does Uncle Tony seriously say that every time he introduces himself to someone?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if he did." Bruce replied with an amused smile. "And thanks for the heads up; I will hopefully not have to threaten to unleash the other guy if I don't get any brownies."

"That was funny that one time you did, though! You scared them _so_ bad." The teen laughed at the memory. "Their faces were priceless!"

"I wish I had a camera."

"Same. Well, I better get back to Aunt Pepper so we can mess up the kitchen for Uncle Tony."

"Try to get more of the ingredients in the bowl this time."

"I think your door is a perfect example of the fact that I can't always control what I'm doing!" Maggie called after exiting the room.

* * *

"So, am I on threat watch for S.H.I.E.L.D. and the World Security Council yet?" Maggie asked with a smirk.

"You're starting to sound a lot like your mother." Fury commented, amused. "And no, you aren't, since your abilities are still being kept classified… Right?"

"You don't have to worry, Uncle Nick, I haven't told anyone. I'm generally not really good at the 'friend' thing at school." The 16 year old rolled her eyes playfully. "But, does this mean I can join S.H.I.E.L.D. now? I mean, I'm pretty sure my PE teacher at school is convinced I'm on steroids; some days, I suck, but other days I will randomly outrun everyone. I'm a very inconsistent student."

"Maggie, no matter how many times you ask me, no, you cannot join yet. Not until you've finished high school." He stated.

"But Uncle Niiiiick." She drew out his name in a whiny voice.

"If you keep whining like that, I'll push it back to after you finish college." He warned her.

That shut her up. "No need to get your eye-patch in a bunch! It's just, that, three years is a long time." She said hastily.

"It'll come before you know it. Just be patient."

"Patience has never really been my thing."

"Trust me, I know."

* * *

"This is so uncomfortable." Maggie huffed as she walked into the living room in a S.H.I.E.L.D. catsuit, much like her mother's. She held both of her arms out on either side of her, not being able to comfortably move in the leather. "How the hell do you move in this?"

"Does this mean _now _you'll stop trying to work for S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Steve teased, but there was a subtle hint of pleading in his voice. They were all concerned with the young redhead following in their footsteps of having a dangerous career.

"I don't give up that easily, Daddy!" Maggie assured him. "Someone's gotta carry on the Avengers after you all get old and shrivel up."

"Well, Capsicle and Goldilocks are _well_ over the hill, so you've got a while to wait, munchkin." Tony teased. "Katniss and I might have to retire eventually."

"Never!" Clint disagreed.

Maggie rolled her eyes. "Mama, can I have some words of wisdom for working in leather?"

"It just takes some getting used to; you just have to break it in." Natasha smiled, amused. "You look good, though."

"All of this leather makes me feel like a walking target for PETA." Maggie grumbled.

"I can't believe you're already a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent in the making." Steve sighed, feeling nostalgic. "Seems like just yesterday you were putting Thor's hair in pigtails."

"Well, to be fair, I was trying to braid it yesterday, so." Maggie smirked.

"What! Please tell me there is photographic evidence of this." Tony demanded.

"Why can't I kick ass in, say, yoga pants, or, perhaps, a Snuggie?" Maggie ignored Tony. "Why does it have to be tight leather? What do they want me to do, woo the baddies with my butt?"

"Kid, Snuggies are definitely not the way to go with this. Trust me." Clint advised.

"And I think your mom probably had to woo some people with her butt." Tony commented, causing Natasha to glare at him. "Not that I've been looking at her butt!" He added hastily, causing Steve to shoot him a look. "Seriously, though, I haven't been!"

"Ew, gross! I'm sorry I asked." Maggie scrunched up her face in disgust and turned away from them. "I'm leaving now. Goodbye." She waddled out of the room.

"So, that's the future of S.H.I.E.L.D." Clint smiled in amusement.

"I wish it wasn't." Steve sighed honestly.

"At least she's mainly got the serum under control." Bruce commented, walking into the room. "The little glitches seem to be practically nonexistent now; her base strength will just continue to grow with her body."

"Thank God." Natasha sighed in relief. "That won't be stressing her out anymore."

"Hey! Do you think if I ask Uncle Nick to change the dress code away from leather catsuit type outfits, he'll listen?" Maggie called from her room.

"He'll probably just tell you to suck it up!" Natasha called back. Maggie groaned in reply.

* * *

**A/N: **Okay, first, disclaimer: the term "serum spasm" is _very _similar to "serum attack," which the author Fayth Grimmly uses in their stories "Anna's Life" and "Young Anna" to describe the effects of the serum in Steve and Natasha's daughter. I came up with my term before they posted their stories, so neither of us copied/influenced each other (I've been trying to figure out how to depict my ideas behind "serum spasms" for over almost 2 months now). This is pure coincidence, I promise.

Secondly, basically what's happening with Maggie is the serum's effects with enhancing her abilities isn't just growing with her over time. Instead of being the strongest 10 year old on Earth, then subsequently the strongest 11 year old, and so on, the serum is settling in awkwardly and at no pace whatsoever. It's kind of similar to, say, (lol this is gonna be the most random comparison ever I apologize) in MLP when Twilight Sparkle absorbs a ton of magic and randomly casts spells and flies way faster than normal. For example, when she tried to open her door, she accidentally destroyed it with her magic. Maggie doesn't have magic, but will randomly put too much strength into physical actions, like we see here. It settles down over time, basically after she is an adult and development of her body slows down a lot. I don't actually have much medical/scientific knowledge about how the body develops and such, but hey, this is just a fanfic, so I think it's alright to stray a bit away from normal things. :-)


	22. I Will Fight For You

**A/N: **Jet lag is awful 0/10 does not recommend ugh I'm sorry guys I'm just not getting enough sleep? I guess my body is only good at adjusting forward in time

This oneshot almost seems like the writing equivalent of a sketch dump to me. Seriously. I mean, the overall theme in this one is Natasha and Maggie's relationship, but it kinda jumps all over the place and shifts focus a looooottttt but always features only the two of them. Not to mention some of these scenes I wrote like a long time ago and now they're just compiled here. I dunno, maybe you guys will get it better than I do. There will be more rambling in the form of an author's note at the end.

Thanks for the faves, follows, and reviews! You all are cooler than cool: ICE COLD! ALRIGHT ALRIGHT ALRIGHT ALRIGHT ALRIGHT enjoy

* * *

Natasha Romanoff sighed as the six month old in her arms continued to cry. She had been trying to put Maggie down for bed for a while, but it wasn't working at all.

"Come on, Лапушка, I know you're tired." She said in exasperation as she sat down on the bed she shared with Steve Rogers, who was currently gone on a mission. She cradled Maggie in her arms, calming her down. "Do you just not like your crib tonight, or something?"

Maggie's crying faded after a few minutes, and her round, blue eyes met Natasha's green ones. The spy gave her a warm smile, deciding to hold her for a bit longer before trying to put her down again. Maggie reached up towards her mother with one of her small hands, causing Natasha to grab it with her own. Maggie giggled, looking happy for the first time since the whole ordeal began.

Natasha finally felt like she had an idea of what was going on. "You miss Daddy, don't you?" She guessed, though she knew Maggie wouldn't understand what she was saying. "You just don't want to be alone." She realized.

An idea suddenly popped into her mind. She had read about co-sleeping while she was pregnant, but never really gave it much thought. Seeing Maggie's total 180 in mood just by being physically closer to her mother made Natasha realize this may be the only way either of them would get any sleep.

"Just for tonight." She said softly, but firmly, her mind made up as she set Maggie down on the large bed and pulled the covers back.

* * *

Natasha groaned as a large weight was dropped on her torso. To her, it was just another day. To her daughter, it was a whole new day of fun adventures and playing.

"Mama, wake up!" She heard her four year old daughter say quietly, but energetically. "Wake up!"

"_Just for one night,"_ she had said. She didn't want it to become a habit for every night Steve was gone, and, yet, here they were, four years later, with no progress made.

"Mmm, I think we should sleep some more." Natasha murmured into her pillow.

"I'm not tired!" Maggie announced, poking the spy's cheek.

Natasha opened one eye, looking up at her daughter's expectant face. Smirking, she gently pushed Maggie off, and pulled the covers up over her head.

"Hey!" Maggie laughed as she fell back. She quickly sat back up, and then unsuccessfully tried to pull the blankets off her mother's covered head. "Get out of there!"

Natasha waited until Maggie stopped pulling at the blankets, and then quickly threw them off, grabbing her daughter in a tight grip in the process.

"Mama!" Maggie giggled as Natasha tickled her slightly, holding the younger redhead down next to her.

"Come on, I'm tired, let's go back to sleep." The spy said playfully, holding Maggie in place as they both lied there. Natasha rested her chin against Maggie's head, closing her eyes.

"Let me go!" Maggie squirmed, trying to break free. She was unsuccessful.

"Little girls need lots of sleep to grow." Natasha stated.

"I'm not little!" Maggie pouted.

"Trust me, Лапушка, you are younger than you think." Natasha said, amused.

Maggie continued to struggle, trying to escape Natasha's strong arms. After a while, Maggie gave up with a frustrated huff.

"I'm hungry." She informed the spy. "And I have to go potty!"

"Hm, guess we can't have that, can we?" Natasha chuckled and opened her eyes. She released Maggie and sat up with a stretch. "What do you want for breakfast?"

"Chocolate chip pancakes!" Maggie answered enthusiastically, sitting up next to her mother.

"I was expecting that answer." Natasha smirked, giving Maggie a quick kiss on the temple before finally getting out of bed.

* * *

Natasha and Maggie clung to each other tightly as they both occupied a hospital bed. To say they were both traumatized would be an understatement.

A few days prior, while Steve was gone on a mission, Red Room agents attacked the small Rogers home in the middle of the night. Natasha, being an expert spy, had woken up as soon as she heard them outside, and managed to get Maggie out of there. They were on the run off the grid for a few days, until a final confrontation with Alexei Shostakov left Natasha on the ground with a gunshot wound to the abdomen and a frantic Maggie. Luckily for them, the Avengers showed up shortly after, and rescued them, but both redheads were definitely scarred for life.

Maggie had watched Natasha bleed out and slip into unconsciousness. Natasha felt guilty because she was the reason why the Red Room agents came in the first place. They were both badly broken now, though Natasha figured she already was decently messed up before all of this.

Now, Maggie laid her head against her mother's shoulder. Natasha had an arm around Maggie's back. Silence filled the room.

Finally, Maggie looked up at Natasha. "Mama?" Her voice was barely louder than a whisper.

"Yeah?" Natasha asked in the same volume.

"Thank you for protecting me."

Natasha forced the threatening tears back down with a deep breath. She pulled Maggie even closer, which was barely possible. The six year old didn't protest, though.

"I didn't protect you." She replied, her voice filled with guilt. "I nearly lost you. Daddy and the Avengers saved you."

"But you got hurt for me." Maggie objected. "Isn't that protecting me?"

Natasha couldn't help the small laugh that escaped her mouth. Guilt just seemed to be passed down in their genetics.

"Yeah. You're right." Natasha rubbed Maggie's arm affectionately.

Silence filled the room again. After a few moments, Natasha decided to be the one to break it. "Maggie?"

"Yeah?" She looked back up at her mother.

"Thank you for saving me, too." She whispered in Russian. Though Maggie was not bilingual, Natasha had spoken Russian to her quite often since she was a baby, which led to Maggie being able to understand the language, but not necessarily speak it.

Maggie looked confused, though they both knew that she understood what Natasha said. "How did I save you?"

"You just do all the time." Natasha continued in Russian with a soft smile. She couldn't imagine a life without the young redhead by her side.

Maggie frowned, still not sure what exactly her mother meant, but didn't reply. Natasha kissed the top of her head affectionately. She couldn't believe she almost not only lost her, but wouldn't be able to save her from having the same, horrible childhood she had had.

"Can we just stay like this forever?" Maggie asked.

"What, in the hospital? You know that's not really my style." Natasha teased.

"No." Maggie giggled, which sounded like music to Natasha's ears. She hadn't seen the younger redhead genuinely happy since before they ran. "I meant together forever. Like we are now."

Natasha frowned. That's right. Despite how personal this whole thing had been, the world would continue to spin and move on. In that time, she would heal, and be sent out on missions time and time again. She would heal physically, of course, but emotionally? She had to admit this was probably the worst psychological torture to be inflicted on her. Maggie. The Red Room. Maggie being turned into a heartless killer. Losing her personality and loving spirit. The thought made Natasha want to die.

Even through all of this pain, they would have to move on. Somehow.

"I will always be with you." Natasha finally answered. "Not always physically, like this. But in spirit, or heart, or whatever those Disney movies say..."

"But I want you here physically with me forever!" Maggie sounded like she could cry. Natasha was silently amused in how easily the six year old learned and applied the word "physically."

"I know. And I want you to always be with me, too. But sometimes you'll have to go to school, or I'll have to go..." She figured mentioning missions or work at all right now would only make things much worse. "I'll always protect you, Лапушка."

That answer seemed to appease her, as Maggie let out a small sniffle. "Okay." She whispered.

* * *

"We should pull an all-nighter!" Natasha raised an eyebrow at the enthusiastic suggestion of the eight year old.

"I think we should sleep." The spy countered.

"And _I _think we should party!" Maggie insisted.

Natasha sighed in exasperation, but was unable to hide the smile on her face. Maggie was staring intensely at her as if challenging her to stop her.

"You sound a lot like Uncle Tony." Natasha commented.

"Uncle Tony knows how to have fun!" Maggie replied. "Pleeeeeaaase, Mama?"

Natasha threw up her hands in defeat with another sigh.

"Alright, we'll try. But I don't think it'll work." She complied, figuring the eight year old would fall asleep relatively quickly.

"Why are you so tired?" Maggie teased.

"Why are you not?" Natasha asked, wondering how in the world children could have so much energy.

"We didn't really do anything today." Maggie shrugged.

Natasha glanced at the clock. It was currently 9:30 PM. She didn't think Maggie would last until midnight.

Boy, was she wrong.

"Let's play again!" Maggie cheered at some ungodly hour in the night, causing Natasha to groan, then yawn.

"I dunno, Лапушка, I'm getting pretty tired..." She tried as her eyes drooped and felt heavy.

"Come on, Mama, I thought you're supposed to be good at staying up late since you're a spy!" Maggie pouted.

"Honestly, I think you're a better spy than me right now, Maggie." Natasha said tiredly.

"That's why we should keep playing cards, so you won't fall asleep! It's only 2:00 AM!"

_Only?! _Natasha internally echoed in shock. "How are you even still awake right now?"

"I dunno." Maggie shrugged.

"Why don't we go to bed and try again another time? Preferably in the distant future... _Very _distant future." Natasha yawned again.

A few seconds later, Maggie yawned and rubbed her eyes. Natasha smirked to herself.

"I don't wanna sleep, though." Maggie said, her exhaustion finally visible.

"Why not?" Natasha asked curiously.

"When we all sleep, we all have bad dreams! You, Daddy, Uncle Clint, Uncle Tony... No one has fun when they sleep!" Maggie insisted.

Natasha frowned sadly. "And what about you? Do you have bad dreams, too?"

"Sometimes, but not as much as you guys." Maggie shrugged, dismissing the question. Natasha knew Maggie was downplaying her own troubles, and sighed.

"Well, then, let's stay extra close tonight when we sleep to help keep the bad guys away." Natasha suggested, picking Maggie up off the couch and holding her tightly.

She quickly made her rounds of turning off the lights in the living room as they walked into the master bedroom. She gently tucked Maggie in before going to the bathroom. Afterwards, Natasha crawled in with her, and let out a peaceful sigh. After a few minutes, Maggie turned back to face her mother with a frown.

"I dream about... That one time when I was six... And we ran away..." She confessed quietly.

Natasha looked at Maggie sadly, and then pulled her body closer. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault..."

_Yes, it is! _"I'm so sorry." The apologies had come out of her mouth before Natasha could actually think of what to say. Maggie didn't reply for a few moments.

"Is something bad gonna happen to me?" Maggie's quiet voice changed the subject.

"What? Why would you think something bad will happen?" Natasha looked at Maggie curiously as she pulled away just enough to meet her blue eyes.

"Well, you were raised by the mean people, Uncle Clint was hurt, Uncle Brucie loses control, Uncle Tony was kidnapped, Daddy was frozen, Uncle Thor had to defeat his own brother, Aunt Pepper was hurt by the Mandarin, Uncle Nick was beat up by Uncle Bucky, Uncle Bucky was brainwashed and forced to fight you guys..." She listed easily.

"Okay, okay, I get it. Our family has a bad track record for staying safe... And alive." Natasha sighed, sad amusement in her voice.

"What's gonna happen to me?" Maggie's voice sounded small.

"We are going to do our best to make sure nothing happens to you." Natasha assured her. "Like I said, I'll protect you."

"Okay." Maggie yawned, and snuggled up closer to Natasha. "Goodnight." She said, half asleep.

Natasha chuckled lightly. "Goodnight, Лапушка."

* * *

Maggie stopped getting so close to her mother after the incident of hurting Clint's hand. She never knew when she might be trying to reach out for something but end up sending something flying instead. So, she isolated herself from being in close proximity with others for a few years.

After high school started, her body calmed down a little bit, and the serum spasms were pretty rare by the time Maggie was 16. She was thrilled.

"Guess what day it is?" Maggie asked happily one day as she slid by her mother, using the wooden floor of their home as a place to glide around in her socks.

"You just love those 'hump day' commercials, don't you?" Natasha answered, not looking up from her book.

"Oh, yeah, I guess it is Wednesday, too!" Maggie paused in realization. She walked over to her mother. "Anyway, that's not what I was going for. I was gonna say it's been a month since my last serum spasm!" The sixteen year old clapped her hands together happily. "Well, at least, the kind where I totally break or slam something. I have very inconsistent stamina patterns in PE all the time."

"Oh, wow! It really is getting better." Natasha put her book down, looking up at Maggie happily. "I'm so glad; I hate seeing you stressed out all the time. Congratulations!"

"Thanks! I'm pretty proud of myself." Maggie said, putting her hands on her hips and standing up to her full height confidently. "Maybe I can be a normal teenager now and get people to like me!"

Natasha smiled sadly. Maggie had been excellent at making friends in elementary school, but when everyone started maturing and going through puberty during middle school, she struggled with trying to socialize with other girls who mostly cared for girly things and didn't necessarily enjoy running around anymore. As for the boys, they were all just as awkward as her, so she didn't bother stepping out of her social comfort zone. The redhead had retained her playful, childish spirit her whole life-something that most of the other kids don't do. She wasn't bullied or hated by everyone, but she didn't have a lot of trusted companions.

"Hey, I bet everyone will think I'm the coolest teen ever if I can drink at Uncle Tony's next party." Maggie tried, pulling Natasha from her thoughts.

"Yeah, I don't think so. Sorry, Лапушка." Natasha teased.

Maggie shrugged. "I thought it was worth a shot. Enjoy your book!" She called as she slid across the floor and out of the room.

Natasha rolled her eyes and then returned to her book.

* * *

**A/N: **Yeah, I don't? This is just? I dunno.

The Red Room part is something I've been sitting on for a looooong time. But I just felt like I could never write it out that well, y'know? I've tried different times from different angles, but for the overall theme of Natasha and Maggie's close relationship in this chapter, I decided to put it in as a 'passive' subject, I guess. Like I said earlier, this oneshot feels like a sketch dump of all my Motherly Natasha feels.

Your guys' positive reviews always make me so happy. Thank you all so much! I would definitely not be able to continue writing for this story without your guys' support. C: See you all next time!


	23. We Got the Party With Us

**A/N: **HOLY-! I don't even know how this one got so long! It just... Happened? :O

Perhaps this will make up for my week-long absence. My family traveled out of town yet again, though not nearly as far as Europe this time! We had a family thing on Sunday to go to, and we just got back home a few hours ago.

I don't know how I feel about this one, to be honest. It shifts from everyone-centric, to Maggie-and-Clint-centric. I don't even know. All I know is it takes place before Maggie starts having serum spasms. Sorry if any characters seem OOC in this chapter-I was just having too much fun with this party idea.

Thanks for the faves, follows, and reviews! You all make _me _want to party! :P

* * *

"Can I go to Uncle Tony's party, too? Please, please, please?" Maggie bounced on her toes. "Last time you said I could when I got older, and I'm older now!"

"I don't know, Лапушка, they're usually only for adults..." Natasha wasn't sure Tony would appreciate a ten year old at his party, nor was she sure about how appropriate it would be.

"That's not fair!" Maggie pouted. "Does he not want me at his party?"

"It's not that, Mags, it's just that there will be a lot of people you don't know and will probably be really boring. Everyone just stands around and talks." Steve tried to explain it as something she wasn't missing out on.

"Don't you guys have fun?"

"Sometimes. We usually just stay together in a corner somewhere since we don't really know everyone." He answered.

"I prefer small parties." Natasha commented.

"Can I at least try going so I can see if I like it or not? I promise I'll be good!" Maggie continued.

Both parents shared a look, and came to a silent agreement.

"I'll talk to Uncle Tony and see if you can come." Natasha said a moment later, and Steve nodded his consent. "No promises." She quickly added.

"Hooray! Thank you, Mama!" Maggie cheered, hugging her parents tightly. "I'm ready to party!"

* * *

"Stark, would you say your party will be appropriate enough for a ten year old?"

"Tasha, what the hell?"

"I'm serious." Natasha rolled her eyes. "Maggie wants to go to your upcoming party that you are forcing Steve and I to attend. Of course, she asks if she can come every time, but this time we are actually considering it; she is determined to go despite mine and Steve's warnings of it being boring."

Tony paused for a moment, thinking, and then shrugged. "Sure, she can come, I just won't have complete control in keeping everything PG. I'll leave the responsibility of shielding her young, innocent eyes up to you guys. Attend at your own risk."

Natasha smirked in amusement. "Thanks, Stark. She will be really excited."

"I'm sure she will be. This should be interesting."

* * *

"Do I need a date for this party?" Maggie asked Tony curiously.

The billionaire burst out laughing, leaving Maggie confused. "What's so funny? I just need to know these things so I don't mess up!"

"Squirt, it is not required to have a date to this party. Recommend, yes, but in your case, no. No offense, but I don't want to party with ten year old boys." Tony replied after his laughter subsided.

"I don't want to, either; they're all gross." Maggie declared.

"Who's gross?" Clint asked curiously, walking in.

"Ten year old boys." Tony answered.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, why are we talking about ten year old boys? Mags, do you have a crush or something?" Clint raised an eyebrow. "Please, do tell."

"No, I don't have a crush! We were talking about if I need a date to the party this weekend!" Maggie explained.

"Oh, then please tell me you aren't bringing a ten year old boy." Clint commented.

"She's not, we settled it. She's just going stag." Tony replied.

"Yeah, I'm going stag! ...What does going stag mean?" Maggie looked back at her genius uncle for an answer.

"Going alone, without a date." Tony explained, patting her on the head. "Trust me, you don't need a date for anything yet, munchkin. And how about you, Birdbrain? You bringing the other bird?"

"Nah, Bobbi's on a month-long mission right now. I will also be a stag attendee." Clint replied.

"Uncle Clint and I can go stag together!" Maggie suggested happily. "Not, like, as a date, because that's gross; he's my uncle."

"Well, I _guess_ he's better than a ten year old boy..." Tony teased.

"I'm right here, you know!" Clint rolled his eyes.

"I'm gonna make sure no other girls try to get you." Maggie declared. "What if they hit on you? Bobbi will be mad!"

"I'm sure she will appreciate you keeping me in line, Mags." Clint laughed.

* * *

"What should I wear to Uncle Tony's party, Auntie Pep? It's the day after tomorrow! Is it a pajama party, or more formal?"

Pepper chuckled at Maggie's sudden interest in fashion. "It's more formal. Though, maybe next time, Uncle Tony can host a pajama party. Do you have any nice dresses?"

"They're all at home in DC."

"I guess it's time for us to go shopping, then."

The redhead groaned, and dramatically pulled her hands down her face. "Shopping for clothes is so boring!"

"Oh, come on, don't you wanna have some quality time with your favorite aunt?" Pepper teased.

"You're starting to sound like Uncle Tony." Maggie smiled playfully.

"Well, since your mom is away on a mission, it is my duty to fulfill the role in helping you find something to wear." Pepper said confidently.

"Well, even with Mama, clothes shopping is boring."

"Well, lucky for you, I like to think I'm pretty fun to shop with."

"Then, let's go!"

* * *

"These dresses are all so_ itchy_. Aunt Pepper, how many more do I have to try on?" Maggie awkwardly held her arms out, looking down at the sequins-heavy blue dress she was wearing uncomfortably.

"However many until you've found one you liked." Pepper said, amused. "How about this one?" She offered up a black and red dress.

"Can I just say 'yes' so I don't have to try on any more?"

"Maggie..."

"Alright, alright, I'll try it on!" Maggie hastily tried to remove her current dress.

"Here, let me help." Pepper quickly intervened, gently helping the redhead out of the dress and into her new one.

"What do you think?" Pepper asked as Maggie turned back to the full body length mirror.

Maggie inspected her reflection. "It looks good, easy to move in." She raised her arms up and down, testing its flexibility. "And they're Mama's colors!"

"So...?" Pepper prompted.

"So," Maggie turned back to her godmother excitedly. "I'm ready to party!"

* * *

Bruce walked into the living room casually, intending to quickly cut through to the kitchen to grab a snack.

"Oh, oh, Uncle Brucie!" Maggie quickly jumped off her spot on the couch and hurried over to him.

_So much for a shortcut. _"Oh, hey, Maggie-" He started, but she cut him off.

"Does this sound formal? Ahem," Maggie cleared her throat and stood at her full height, placing her hands down in front of her. "Good evening, Dr. Banner. Lovely weather we are having, is it not?" She said in what sounded like a poor mix of the Asgardian and New York accents.

"...Uh, I think," He paused, meeting her expectant gaze. "You sound great when you talk normally. You don't need to talk different to be formal or polite."

"Really?" Maggie asked, and then gave a sigh of relief. "Good, 'cause trying to talk with Uncle Thor's accent is really hard. I feel like I sound like Miss Hannigan a little bit, too."

_Ah, that explains the Asgardian and New York mixture,_ he mused. "Trust me, you don't need it for this party." Bruce assured the redhead with an amused smile.

"Okay, if you say so." Maggie happily took his advice.

* * *

"Who else is coming to the party that I know?" Maggie asked her father curiously.

"Hm, I'm not sure. How about we go ask Uncle Tony?" Steve had to admit he was also curious.

"Is he in the lab?"

"Most likely. Let's go."

A few minutes and an elevator ride later, the duo found themselves in Tony's lab. He quickly turned at their arrival.

"Oh, hey, you two. Capsicle, are you finally agreeing to let me build a suit for the squirt?" Tony asked with a smirk.

Maggie perked up at the question, but her face fell as her father answered. "Definitely not, Stark. That is way too dangerous." Steve rolled his eyes, and looked down at the redhead apologetically. "Sorry, Mags."

"I was expecting that answer." Maggie shrugged, and then walked up to the billionaire. "We came to ask who else is coming to the party that I will know!"

"Oh, well, I know that I will be there." He teased.

"I know that already, Uncle Tony!" Maggie laughed. "That's why I asked who _else_!"

"Well, I'm pretty sure Rhodey is coming. Thor also plans on coming, so probably Darcy and Jane will be there. Oh, and Coulson and maybe Sam Wilson." Tony answered. "I don't think Fury or Hill are showing up, though, 'cause they're always busy."

"How out of control do you think this party will get?" Steve asked.

"If Thor brings some 'special drinks' from Asgard, you might want to be ready to ship the munchkin off somewhere." Tony smirked.

"'Special drinks'?" Maggie echoed in confusion.

"Alcohol." Steve clarified.

"Aw, I was hoping it would be something _I_ could drink! Like, juice or something that would give me powers." Maggie said sadly.

"I don't think that's how drinks in Asgard work, Mags. I think you are thinking of potions." Steve commented.

"Oh." Maggie turned back to Tony. "Is anyone bringing potions?" She questioned hopefully.

"Nope. Sorry, squirt, but I don't think any of us would be able to handle you with powers." Tony said.

Maggie replied by sticking her tongue out at him and making a face.

* * *

"I have some musical recommendations!" Maggie announced to Tony during the morning hours on the day of the party as she dumped a pile of CDs in his lap.

"What the...?" He set his coffee down, examining the discs, which were mostly movie and video game soundtracks. "_High School Musical, Frozen, High School Musical 2, High School Musical 3_... The complete soundtrack of the _Pokemon Mystery Dungeon_ games? Kid, really?" He questioned as he continued thumbing through her selection. "Also, how do you even know what CDs are?"

"Uncle Clint told me you needed some new music for the party and that you love video game and musical soundtracks." Maggie informed him. Tony glanced over at Clint, who flashed him a mischievous smile over the book he was reading.

"Uh, sorry, munchkin, I already have a DJ coming, so I can't play these CDs. If only Uncle Clint was able to remember these kinds of things." Tony shot the archer a glare.

"Aw, I wanted to watch people try to dance to some of the weird tracks on the Pokemon CD." She frowned.

"Maybe next time, squirt. Say, how about at Uncle Clint's birthday party?" He suggested, causing Clint to look up at them again.

Maggie gasped excitedly. "That's a great idea!" She said happily, and gathered up all the CDs. She walked back over to Clint, and dropped them all in his lap. "Here you go, Uncle Clint! I am willing to help with your party playlist."

"Oh, uh, thanks, Mags." He shot a glare in Tony's direction as Maggie started talking animatedly about her ideas.

"We can have karaoke! Yes!" Maggie clapped her hands together.

"I'm sure this party you guys are planning is gonna be grand." Tony commented honestly as he stood to leave the room. "I definitely want to be invited."

"Oh, yeah, you won't wanna miss Frozen karaoke!" Maggie informed him. "You and Uncle Clint should do a duet!"

"Yeah, no thanks." Clint shook his head. He was amused by Maggie's plans for his birthday party. Despite how random and unfitting for him they were, he didn't mind as long as Maggie was happy.

"Oh, come on, Birdbrain! We could totally rock it. _Let it go, let it go! Can't hold it back anymore!_" Tony sang way off key, causing Maggie and Clint to wince.

* * *

"Alright, I think we are ready." Natasha smiled as she studied herself and Maggie in the mirror, dressed up for the night.

"Mama, you look so pretty." Maggie said as she examined her mother's appearance. "Everyone will be super jealous."

"Thanks, Лапушка." Natasha smiled as she planted a kiss on Maggie's forehead. "And you look beautiful."

"Thank you." Maggie said, smiling happily.

A knock sounded at the door. "Are you guys ready yet?" Steve called.

"Yeah, come in." Natasha called back in reply.

"Oh, wow, you guys look incredible." Steve commented as he walked in. "You both look amazing."

"Thanks!" The two redheads said at the same time.

"Jinx!" Maggie declared, pointing at her mother. "You owe me a million dollars!"

"Isn't it supposed to be, 'you owe me a soda' or something?" Natasha raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, but I would rather have a million bucks." Maggie explained simply, holding out her hand to her mother. "So..."

"So, I don't have a million bucks. That's something you'll have to ask Uncle Tony for." Natasha said playfully, as she grabbed Maggie's extended hand and pushed it away. She walked towards Steve. "Hey, handsome, you look good tonight." She commented.

"Thanks." Steve smiled, leaning down to kiss her.

"Ewwww!" Maggie groaned from the background, making a face. "You guys are gross."

* * *

"So, we need to go over rules." Natasha stated as she stood in front of Maggie, who was sitting on the couch, waiting for everyone to finish getting ready.

"Okay."

"Try to always stay with one of us, or just someone that you know. I know that you won't get lost or anything, but I don't think you want to get stuck in the middle of a crowd of people." Natasha felt that she was being paranoid, but she would rather be safe than sorry.

"I'm gonna be with Uncle Clint a lot to make sure girls don't hit on him." Maggie informed her, letting her know she had the full intention to follow the first rule.

"Good. Bobbi will appreciate it." Natasha smiled. "Next is your bedtime." She began, causing Maggie to groan.

"No one else here has a bedtime!"

"No, but no one else here is ten years old." Steve pointed out. "Midnight is your cut off time. Don't worry, you won't be alone; I'll be pretty tired by then, too."

"Oh, so we can have an exclusive pajama after party!" Maggie said.

"Sure, but I think you'll be pretty exhausted by then." Steve chuckled.

"We'll see." Maggie said in a singsong voice.

"Ooh, are we going over the rules over here?" Tony asked as he and Pepper entered the room.

"Yup." Maggie answered. "Aunt Pepper, you look so pretty!"

"Thank you, Maggie." Pepper said, walking over. "You look gorgeous as well. Same with you, Natasha."

"Thank you!" Maggie beamed as Natasha also thanked Pepper and the two engaged in a conversation.

"So, you're gonna be keeping all the ladies off Katniss tonight?" Tony asked as he sat next to Maggie.

"Yup! Bobbi isn't here to glare at anyone if she catches them staring at Uncle Clint, so that's my job." She said proudly.

"I see. Have you been working on imitating your mom's glare?" He inquired.

"Uh-huh! Trust me, it's much better than when I first tried it on you when I was six." She assured him.

Tony laughed at the memory. "You remember that?"

"Of course!" Maggie said happily. "I have a giraffe's memory."

"Mags, the phrase is 'an elephant's memory.'" Steve corrected.

"That doesn't make any sense! What makes elephant brains so powerful?" Maggie scrunched her face up in confusion.

"Well, what makes giraffe brains so powerful?" Tony couldn't help but counter.

"Tush!"

"You mean 'touche'?"

"Daddy! Stop correcting me!"

* * *

"I'm so hungry I could eat a Hulk." Maggie huffed as she sat at the round dinner table with her parents and uncles, waiting for everyone to take their seats so food could be served.

"I hope you don't mean that." Bruce chuckled from across the table.

"Nah, the Hulk probably doesn't taste that good. No offense." Maggie giggled.

"None taken." He assured her.

"I already forgot. What's for dinner?" Clint asked from his seat next to Maggie.

"You had to choose either chicken or salmon." Natasha said matter-of-factly.

Clint furrowed his brow. "I did?" Natasha rolled her eyes.

"Mama, what did you get for me?" Maggie asked.

"Chicken." Natasha answered.

"Yummy!" Maggie beamed. "I hope Uncle Tony and Aunt Pepper sit down soon so we can start eating!"

"I hope Tony isn't drunk yet." Steve commented, causing everyone else to laugh.

"At least he isn't dying at this party." Natasha murmured to herself, remembering her old days as "Natalie Rushman." Steve, having overheard her and knowing the whole story of her undercover mission, chuckled.

"What's for dessert?" Maggie tilted her head to one side, holding her fork and knife eagerly.

"Perhaps Friend Stark will serve tarts of pop!" Thor said excitedly as he walked up to the group with Jane and Darcy.

"Uncle Thor!" Maggie placed her silverware back on the table, and quickly jumped out of her seat. "Auntie Jane! Aunt Darcy!" She ran over to the three of them and happily gave them hugs.

"You guys made it!" Clint commented.

"Of course! We couldn't miss out on a party hosted by Tony Stark." Jane said warmly as she and Thor sat down.

"How's my favorite baby nerd doing?" Darcy asked as she poked Maggie's side.

Maggie giggled. "I'm good! Uncle Clint and I found some cheat codes for _Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker_ that we want to try next time you come over!" She informed her. Darcy, Clint, Maggie, and Tony had become a tightly knit group of "nerds" as Darcy called them. They enjoyed powering through seasons of shows on Netflix and playing (mostly hacking) video games together.

"Good, good." Darcy pat the ten year old's head. "I'll have to visit one of these days."

"Yes!" Maggie clapped her hands together happily.

* * *

"Uncle Clint, what do you think this is...?"

"I have no idea, kid... Why is it so sparkly?"

"And pink! ...Look how squishy it is!" Maggie observed as she poked the odd dessert with her fork. It looked like a piece of cake, but things are not always as they seem.

"Guys, look!" Darcy quickly got their attention as she stuck her fork under the questionably glitter-covered pink top layer, and pushed it back, rolling it up like a carpet. "It's solid, and it doesn't break when you push and pull on it!"

Maggie giggled, and Clint stabbed the dessert with his fork, trying to obtain a bite-sized piece that contained each layer. "I can't even eat it! What the hel-_heck_?" He quickly corrected his language. Darcy just rolled her eyes.

Finally, Clint's fork broke through the bottom layer that was surprisingly a hard solid, like a cracker. "There we go." He said as he took a bite. Maggie and Darcy watched closely to determine his reaction.

"So...?" Maggie asked a few moments later. Clint swallowed and blinked.

"That was... Different." He finally commented.

"A good different or a yucky different?" Darcy questioned.

"I don't even know. It went from good to bad, then bad to good, and then was finally 'meh.'" Clint explained.

"Meh?" Maggie echoed.

"Yeah. Meh."

Maggie continued poking the dessert with her fork, and then shoved the utensil between two of the layers. The layers easily separated and the top two pink and white layers fell off the dark maroon layer. Maggie, Darcy, and Clint cracked up at their discovery.

"Wow, this dessert is fun to deconstruct!" Darcy grinned as she copied what Maggie did, but separated each layer individually. "Ah, here is the weird graham cracker part." She held the thin bottom "layer" with her hand.

"So, I guess this is like a s'more gone wrong." Maggie assumed.

"Or a s'more gone healthy, but not that healthy." Darcy corrected.

Maggie cracked up. "I guess you could say they need _s'more _chocolate and marshmallows."

Darcy and Clint laughed so hard, everyone else at the Avengers table looked over at them. Maggie was also laughing.

"Do we want to know...?" Bruce raised an eyebrow.

"Probably not." Darcy dismissed him with a wave of her hand. Everyone returned to their previous conversations.

Darcy then handed the hard piece to Clint. "Eat it."

"Hey! You can't boss me around like that." Clint frowned.

"Yes, we can!" Maggie piped in. "Eat it!"

"But I already tried every part of this God forsaken dessert." Clint protested.

"Eat it, eat it, eat it!" Maggie and Darcy cheered.

"Ugh, fine." Clint reluctantly took a bite out of the cracker. He chewed for a few seconds and then made a face. Grabbing his glass of water, he quickly drank from it. "What the heck did I just eat? That was _not _a cracker. At all."

"Maybe you should try this weird jello-y layer next!" Maggie suggested, shoveling the maroon layer originally from her cake to his plate.

"Or maybe you three should stop playing with your food." Natasha suggested casually from behind Maggie.

The three troublemakers looked up, startled, at the voice. They saw Natasha and Steve staring at them curiously. Maggie and Darcy shot each other looks of concern, but Clint saw the amusement in their eyes.

"We weren't playing with it! We were just, uh... Dissecting it! For science!" Maggie offered up.

"That's right." Darcy backed her up. "We were so inspired by Tony and Bruce and their science brother-from-another-mother bonding that we just _had _to investigate the dessert."

"Uncle Clint was our pig!" Maggie added.

"_Guinea _pig, Little Red Riding Hood." Darcy corrected. "Though, an argument can be made for him being a pig."

"Gee, thanks, guys." Clint rolled his eyes.

"Just try to tone it down a little." Steve suggested with a small smile.

"But it's for science!"

"Лапушка, despite what your uncles might say, that phrase alone will not get you through life."

* * *

"There are so many people here." Maggie observed, wide-eyed, as she stood off to the side of the crowd with her godfather. After the dinner part of the night concluded, it was time to dance.

"What?" He yelled back at her, not able to hear her over the loud music.

"I said, there are so many people here!" She yelled in reply, causing them to both start laughing.

Maggie struggled to recognize people in the dark room of colorful, flashing lights. She held onto Clint's hand anxiously.

"Have you seen where anyone else from our group went?" Clint yelled.

"No, it's too dark to tell!" She yelled back. "Have you seen my parents?"

"No, they're probably hiding in a corner somewhere to avoid having to socialize!" He guessed.

"I can see why now!" She admitted.

"Let's go find people we know before Tony tries to make us do something!" Clint decided, leading her through the crowd, never letting go of her hand.

They headed in the direction of the bar. "Look, there's Uncle Phil!" She pointed out.

"Good, we can go talk to him!" Clint led her over there, stopping in front of Coulson.

"Hey, Phil!" Clint greeted loudly.

"Hi, Uncle Phil!" Maggie said with a wave of her hand.

"Hi, Clint and... Wow, Maggie, I didn't expect to see you here, too." Coulson replied. "So, your parents finally let you come to one of Tony's parties?"

"Yeah! It's really loud and I don't know most of these people, but I'm having fun!" She replied.

"That's good!" Coulson replied.

"Are you having fun?" She asked.

"Yeah, it's nice getting to see everyone outside of work!"

"What?!"

"I said, it's nice to see everyone outside of work!"

"Oh, that's nice!"

Clint laughed at the exchange. "Alright, well, we'll leave you to it, Phil. Mags, I think it's time we liven the party up a bit!" He said.

"How?" She yelled back.

"Pranks, of course!" He declared. "Phil, if anyone asks, it wasn't us! Got it?"

"Got it. You two have fun." Coulson replied, amused, as he walked away.

"Will Uncle Tony get mad?"

"No, he'll be too drunk to figure out it was us!"

"Good point! Let's do it!"

* * *

"Pass me the water." Clint said as he bent down under the bar to grab a shot glass.

Maggie cackled as she passed him the glass that once held vodka, but now held water, thanks to them.

"Here you go." Clint handed the guest their ordered drink.

"Thanks." The tipsy woman said, downing it. She made a face at the taste. "Are you sure this is vodka?"

The back of the bar had glass panels that acted as mirrors for Maggie, so she could watch the scenes unfold from her hidden position. She struggled to stifle her laughter at the confused woman.

"Of course! Do you think Tony Stark would not have the best vodka in supply at his parties?" Clint challenged her, causing her to frown and walk away.

Maggie laughed as she watched the lady walk away. They continued to replace the drinks of already tipsy and drunk people with water and juice for a while, until Clint spotted a familiar face heading towards them.

"Uh oh, busted!" He looked down at Maggie. "Code red, literally! Your mom's coming!"

"Oh no!" Maggie gasped, gathering up their "supplies."

"Clint, I didn't know you were a bartender now." Natasha said suspiciously as she walked up to him.

Maggie watched her mother in the mirrors. "Play it cool, Uncle Clint!" She called up to him quietly.

Clint cleared his throat hesitantly. "Why, yes, Nat, I am a bartender on the side of being a master assassin. Aren't you?" He replied coolly.

Maggie facepalmed.

Natasha raised an eyebrow. "Sure, Clint. Anyway, do you know where Maggie is? I just wanted to make sure she's with someone she knows." She asked.

"Don't say Uncle Tony." Maggie advised at the same time as Clint immediately answered, "She's with Tony, last I saw her."

Maggie groaned, running her hands down her face. "Mama will not approve of your parenting skills, Uncle Clint."

"Really." Natasha gave him a look. "You think it's a good idea to leave her with the already drunk Tony Stark who's running all over the place."

"Told you so." Maggie deadpanned.

"Well, Pepper was with him-"

"Hey, guys!" Pepper greeted as she walked up to the bar. "Are you enjoying the party? ...Clint, why are you bartending?"

"Oh, yeah, Pepper! This party's great! I was just feeling generous, so I thought I'd give the other guy a break." Clint immediately answered, brushing off the question. "Having fun trying to keep Tony under control?"

Pepper rolled her eyes. "I have come to just let him run wild. I only intervene now before he does something stupid or dangerous."

"Smart. Otherwise you would be wasting your entire night having to keep track of him." Natasha agreed, shooting Clint a quick glance that said, "Our conversation isn't over yet."

"How's Maggie enjoying the party?" Pepper asked.

"I'm not sure. I haven't seen her since the dancing started." Natasha admitted. "Clint said she's with Tony."

"Oh, I don't think she's with..." Pepper's voice trailed off as she caught sight of said billionaire standing on the stage, about to jump off. "TONY, DON'T YOU DARE TRY CROWD SURFING AGAIN! Sorry, guys, I gotta deal with this." She yelled as she ran off to go stop him.

"Tony Stark never changes." Clint sighed.

"Clint, something tells me you aren't supposed to be running this bar. And I think that fact has to do with my daughter." Natasha said in a dangerous tone of voice, stepping up closer to the counter.

"What makes you say that?" Clint shrugged off the question as Maggie bumped her head against the shelves below. "Owwww..." She hissed quietly, holding her head.

Clint's concern for Maggie won out over his prankster tendencies as he instinctively crouched down under the bar in front of her. "Kid, you okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She assured him, sitting up carefully. "Just hit my head kinda hard."

"Clint!" Natasha's voice from above cut through the moment.

"Uh oh." The pranking duo uttered.

"We better run for it." Clint suggested.

"Yeah, we should."

The two crawled out of the bar, standing up and trying to run.

"Freeze!" Natasha stood in front of them.

"Busted for real now..." Maggie muttered.

"What were you two doing in the bar?" Natasha inquired.

"Nothing!" The two pranksters quickly answered.

"Uh huh, I doubt that."

"We were making the drinks healthier for everyone!" Clint tried, which wasn't really a lie.

"We used all natural products instead of yucky alcohol!" Maggie added. "So, I never broke the law by handling it. Ha!"

Natasha looked between the two, who were now smiling innocently at her. "How many people's drinks did you mess with?"

"Um... Maybe 20?" Clint guessed.

"We only did it to people who were already kinda drunk so they wouldn't notice!" Maggie defended.

"Alright, I'll let you two off the hook this time." Natasha said with a small smirk of amusement. "Just try not to get kicked out of the party."

"Uncle Tony wouldn't kick us out! He loves us!" Maggie protested.

"I don't know about when he's drunk, Лапушка." Natasha warned.

"Hey! Where's the bartender?!" They heard Tony complain loudly. "And who the hell replaced the vodka with water?!"

Clint and Maggie exchanged looks of panic. "Run!" They both exclaimed, running off, leaving an amused Natasha.

* * *

Maggie took a deep breath to calm the normal butterflies in her stomach she felt when she was high up.

"You good, kid?" Clint checked in.

"Yeah. Since we climb in here a lot, I've gotten used to it." She assured him.

"Alright. I was just making sure."

"Im so excited! This time, no one can see us!" Maggie boasted confidently as she sat in the air vents above the room with Clint. The part of the floor they were currently above wasn't occupied by people, as it was off to the side of the dance floor. They just had to wait for the right people to walk through at the right time.

"Yup! And we can just stay up here, though they might have a better idea of who's doing this." Clint replied. "Alright, we got confetti?"

"Check!"

"Feathers?"

"Check!"

"Streamers?"

"Check!"

"Glitter?"

"Check!"

"This should be fun." Clint grinned evilly as they watched the party floor beneath them.

"I see Uncle Thor!" Maggie reported about a minute later.

"Is he stationary?"

"No, he's Asgardian!"

Clint laughed. "Stationary means not moving, Mags. Standing in one place."

"Oh... Yes! Oh, Auntie Jane is there, too! We can hit both of them!" Maggie replied.

"Perfect." Clint smirked, grabbing a bag of feathers and glitter. "You got the confetti?"

"Yup!"

"Alright, let's do it!" He removed the metal plate.

Together, they dumped down the contents that soon made their way to their targets.

"This party is really fun!" Jane commented to Thor.

"Aye, it i-" He was cut off after being hit by feathers and confetti. He sneezed from the feathers, causing Jane to laugh. Then she, too, was hit, and she looked up at the ceiling curiously. She noticed the metal plate of the vent slide back into place.

"Where the hell-"

"WHO DARES 'PRANK' THE SON OF ODIN?!"

Thor's loud voice startled Maggie and Clint, who looked at each other, wide-eyed.

"'Prank' is in Thor's vocabulary?!" Clint asked, surprised.

"Yeah, he learned it last time we did something! Do you think he's gonna shoot some lightning up here?" Maggie asked worriedly.

"I don't think he can while he's indoors with all these people..." Clint reassured her. They both turned their attention to the scene below them.

Jane was laughing, while Thor smiled. They couldn't hear what they were saying, but Clint was impressed. "She knows how to calm him down fast." He commented.

"She sure does!" Maggie replied as the couple walked out of view. "And now we wait again." She grumbled.

They waited for a few minutes, until their next target came into view: Tony and Pepper.

"Uncle Tony and Aunt Pepper!" Maggie pointed excitedly.

"Oh, we gotta use a lot on them." Clint declared, and Maggie nodded in agreement.

After removing the metal plate, they dumped even more of their contents down.

"Tony, maybe you should take a breather." Pepper advised with a sigh.

"I don't need a break! The night is still young, Pep!" Tony protested.

Pepper opened her mouth to say something else, but got distracted by the massive amount of feathers, confetti, glitter, and streamers that spontaneously covered them.

"Ah! What the hell is this?!" Tony yelled in protest. "Why is it raining things in my tower?!"

"I have one idea..." Pepper stated, looking up at the now closed air vent.

"Are there monsters in our air vents?"

"What? No, that's-"

"MONSTERS IN MY AIR VENTS! I'M SUITING UP! JARVIS, DEPLOY-"

"Nope, you can't summon your suits tonight without me confirming the command with JARVIS."

"What?!"

"Tony, this was just a harmless prank." Pepper tried to calm him down. She gestured to Thor and Jane standing a few feet away. "See? They got stuff dumped on them, too."

"HEY! WHOEVER'S UP THERE, YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS!"

Maggie and Clint were practically dying of laughter from the obviously drunk Tony's reaction.

"This is great! I wish I had a camera!" Clint commented between laughs.

"Same here! I just hope Uncle Thor and Uncle Tony don't team up to-"

"HEY, GOLDILOCKS, HOW ABOUT WE GO INVESTIGATE WHO'S UP IN THE CEILING?"

"AYE, FRIEND STARK, I SHALL JOIN YOU! WE SHALL END THIS SERIES OF MIDGARDIAN 'PRANKS.'"

"-Find us." Maggie finished with a sigh.

"Guess this is our cue to run." Clint commented.

They returned their attention down below them at the sounds of laughter.

"Oh my gosh, this is great!" Natasha laughed as she took pictures of the two disoriented Avengers.

"What happened?" Steve questioned them.

"Friend Stark's ceiling drops feathers and paper like rain!" Thor explained in both fascination and irritation. "We shall investigate."

"I'm already willing to bet who's behind this." Jane commented with a smirk.

"Who is in my air vents?! Who, Jane, who?!" Tony begged dramatically.

"Maggie and Clint, obviously." Jane replied. "This is right up their alley."

"Katniss and the squirt teamed up against me! I cannot believe..." Tony growled.

"Tony, this is hardly the first time they've pranked us." Pepper rolled her eyes.

"You two produce very dangerous children!" Tony pointed an accusing finger at Natasha and Steve. "Thank God there's only one of them!"

Natasha rolled her eyes. "Tony, maybe you should go lay down now." Steve recommended.

"Abandon ship! They know about us!" Maggie said.

"Hey, but your parents are perfectly under us! Would you like to do the honors before we run?" Clint said with a smirk, giving her the remaining amounts of their stuff.

"I would, thank you." Maggie accepted the offer with an evil grin as Clint opened the vent again. She then quickly emptied the bags, watching it drop upon her parents.

"The munchkin is evil, I'm telling you!" Tony continued rambling.

"I think that's overstating things." Natasha commented.

"Lady Margaret is an honorable young woman, Friend Stark!" Thor protested.

"Yeah, she just likes to have fun." Pepper added.

Before anyone could say anything else, Natasha and Steve found themselves covered head to toe in the pranksters' remaining supplies.

Natasha removed a feather from her mouth and shook her head, causing some confetti that had piled up to fall off. Steve tilted his head up to look at the vent, but was not able to spot the archer or redhead. Tony burst out laughing.

"Wow, looks like you guys got the worst of it!" Jane laughed.

"I guess so. I'll be right back. Hold my drink, please." Natasha said with too sweet of a tone of voice as she handed her drink to Steve. They watched her walk away.

"I would not want to be Maggie or Clint right now." Pepper commented.

"Maggie is too much like her mother." Steve sighed in exasperation. Jane pat his upper arm comfortingly.

"Oh no, Uncle Clint! Mama's coming!" Maggie said worriedly.

"Ah, crap, you're right! Crawl, kid, crawl-"

"MAGGIE? CLINT?" Natasha's voice echoed loudly through the ventilation system.

"How did she come so fast?!" Maggie exclaimed as she and Clint scurried away, crawling in the opposite direction of where they came in from. Clint knew the vent tunnels well, so Maggie let him go in front to lead them out.

They exited the vents a few floors below. "Where should we go now?" Maggie asked as Clint stuck the cover back on the vent.

"Elevator! We can hide in the crowd of people at the party!" Clint decided as they hastily ran to the elevator.

"JARVIS, save us!" Maggie called, summoning the elevator. They jumped in, and punched the button for the correct floor. However, the elevator stopped halfway there. The doors opened, revealing Natasha standing a few feet away, arms crossed over her chest.

"Oh no! She's here! JARVIS, close the doors!" Maggie screeched, frantically pushing the "close door" button.

"JARVIS, keep the doors open." Natasha commanded as the doors opened again.

"We're gonna die, we're gonna die!" Maggie cried dramatically.

"No, we won't! JARVIS, close the doors!" Clint commanded, and the doors closed.

"JARVIS, open the elevator doors!" They heard Natasha order from outside as the doors opened.

"Close them, close them!"

"Open them!"

"JARVIS!"

"JARVIS!"

"Tasha, stop! We're gonna break-"

The elevator let out a long beep, and stopped functioning. As Maggie input button commands, nothing happened.

"Now we're _really _gonna die!" Maggie shrieked. "We're trapped!"

"We get to choose how we die. By your mom's wrath, or being stuck in an elevator? What's your preference?"

"Is there a third choice?"

Clint sighed, and pried the doors open. Maggie instinctively hid behind him as they walked out, and faced Natasha.

"Hello, you two." Natasha greeted them civilly.

"Hi..." They both sheepishly replied.

Maggie stuck her head out to peek at her mother, still covered in the assortment of items from their prank, and started giggling. "Mama... You look really funny!" She laughed.

Clint smirked. "She's right... Those streamers suit you very well." He commented, causing Maggie to crack up even more.

"Yes, well, I now match the rest of the people you hit with stuff." Natasha replied.

"We only hit people we knew!" Maggie quickly defended. "We only hit you, Daddy, Auntie Jane, Uncle Thor, Aunt Pepper, and Uncle Tony!"

"All of which were hilarious to watch." Clint added.

"Uh huh, alright, we're taking the stairs back up there. Start walking." Natasha said firmly, pointing to the stairwell.

"Yes, Mama." Maggie said as Clint said, "Yes, Natasha."

They started walking towards the stairs, and then Maggie ran in front of Clint. "Race you back to our floor!" She declared, running off up the stairs.

"Hey! Get back here!" Clint called, quickly following her.

Natasha smiled to herself. What was she going to do with those two?

* * *

"We're sorry." Clint and Maggie said half-heartedly to their family ten minutes later.

"Why are you apologizing? It was hilarious watching Capsicle and Spidey get hit with stuff!" Tony slurred, apparently forgetting all his previous anger.

This caused the two pranksters to snicker, until Natasha cleared her throat. "You two will enjoy cleaning all of this up tomorrow, I'm sure." She commented with a smirk.

"Um, can we call a 'nose goes' for that job?" Maggie asked sheepishly, not looking forward to her punishment.

Clint nudged Maggie. "Don't forget to mention the elevator."

"Oh yeah, Uncle Tony... We also kinda... Broke the elevator." Maggie admitted sheepishly. "But it was mainly their fault!" She pointed at her mother and godfather. "They kept yelling at JARVIS!"

"Hey! No one's allowed to yell at JARVIS except me!" Tony grumbled.

"Guess everyone's gonna have to take the stairs down to get home tonight." Clint joked. "Good thing we live here!"

"And you're _this_ close to being kicked out." Tony threatened.

"Sure." Maggie shrugged.

"...I think we need a slow song!" Tony said suddenly, and ran off to tell the DJ. Everyone looked at each other in confusion.

"Yuck! Slow song. That means people are gonna be kissing! Gross!" Maggie stuck her tongue out.

"It's not that big of a deal, Maggie." Steve chuckled. "It's normal."

"Maybe for you and Mama. But not for me, yuck." Maggie replied stubbornly.

As the slow song started to play, couples filled up the dance floor. Jane tried teaching Thor how to slow dance, and Tony immediately dragged Pepper over.

"Come on, Rogers. We still need to work on that dancing of yours." Natasha said playfully, leading Steve away.

"Who's Aunt Darcy dancing with?" Maggie pointed to her.

"Her intern or something. Jane mentioned it once, but I forgot." Clint replied.

"Aw, look! Uncle Phil is dancing with Agent May! I didn't know she was here! Oh! And someone got Uncle Brucie to dance, too!" Maggie continued pointing out people she knew. "And Rhodey is, too! There's Uncle Sam!"

"Wow, everyone has someone to dance with." Clint observed, impressed.

"Hey, wanna dance with me?" A woman came up to Clint and asked, not even noticing Maggie standing next to him and holding his hand. The redhead immediately frowned.

"Um, no thanks, I'm good." Clint said awkwardly.

"Aw, come on!" The woman slurred.

"He already has a girlfriend. Her name is Bobbi and she can kick your butt!" Maggie spoke up, imitating one of her mother's Black Widow-like glares.

Clint snickered, appreciating the little fireball next to him. The woman seemed weirded out, so she turned around and left.

"Thanks, Mags. You're a lifesaver." Clint said, crouching down to her level to gently kiss her forehead.

"You're welcome! That lady looked mean, and her dress was too tight." Maggie said with a disapproving frown. "She also sounded drunk."

"I agree." Clint said with a laugh.

"Too bad we aren't making those fake drinks anymore. I totally want to give her one!" She said, disappointed.

"Ooh, that would have been interesting and very entertaining." He commented with a smirk.

As the slow song ended, Maggie dragged Clint out onto the dance floor, finding the rest of their family grouped up together.

"Let's dance!" She cheered, moving to the beat of whatever song was playing.

The group continued dancing and laughing together in a circle.

"Cap, your dance moves aren't too bad!" Bruce commented.

"Thanks, Bruce. I try my best." Steve laughed in reply.

"'Cause you had a great teacher." Natasha added proudly.

"I'm the best at dancing! I'm the best at everything!" Tony slurred, moving around in random patterns. Everyone laughed.

"This Midgardian music is strange! What are these strange sounds?" Thor commented.

"Dubstep, Thor, Dubstep! And Skrillex!" Darcy answered.

"It's not the conventional type of music." Jane added.

"This is why I suggested the complete soundtrack of _Frozen _for the music!" Maggie said.

"I'm not sure how we would dance to some of those songs, Maggie." Pepper replied.

"Point taken! But Uncle Clint said we could have _Frozen _karaoke at his birthday party!" Maggie announced happily.

"Yup, and you all are invited." Clint laughed.

They continued dancing for a while, until Maggie started getting tired. Steve picked her up and swayed her around a bit, making her laugh.

"It's almost midnight." Clint announced, looking at his watch. "Which I am pretty sure is someone's bedtime."

Maggie didn't protest. She had laid her head on Steve's shoulder with her arms wrapped around his neck minutes before.

"_So long, farewell... _Err, something, something, _goodnight_!" Tony sang awfully, causing everyone to cover their ears.

"Yeah, I think I'm ready to leave now." Maggie commented, scrunching up her face in distaste. Steve laughed.

"You and me, both. Goodnight, everyone. Enjoy the rest of the party." He bid farewell to everyone.

"Bye...!" Maggie yawned, waving her hand tiredly. She heard a chorus of "bye"s as she closed her eyes.

Steve leaned down slightly to let Natasha kiss Maggie "goodnight," and then walked off the dance floor.

* * *

"What about our exclusive pajama after party?" Maggie yawned tiredly as Steve tucked her in ten minutes later.

"Isn't this it right now?" He asked with a laugh.

"I guess I imagined more people in pajamas. And food." She replied, already half-asleep.

"Well, how about a story instead?" He offered.

"That's good. Yes, stories are food for the soul, good." She babbled as her eyes slipped closed.

He chuckled at her tired rambling. "Alright. One time, I was sent to Europe with Mama..."

* * *

Maggie and Clint spent the next day laughing at the others' bad hangovers and headaches.

"You guys should've had our vodka, it was all-natural." Maggie teased.

"Also known as water!" Clint added with a laugh.

"Stop talking. Please, make it stop." Tony groaned. "It hurts!"

"Don't you two have some cleaning up to do?" Natasha reminded them, pointing at the leftover piles of confetti and feathers on the ground. "Not to mention the trail I left when I was chasing you two down."

"Uh..." Maggie and Clint looked at each other worriedly.

"And, hey! What about my elevator?!" Tony butt in with a frown.

"Air vents?" Maggie asked.

"Air vents." Clint nodded.

They jumped to their feet and fled from the room faster than anyone ever saw them move before.

* * *

**A/N: **So, if it wasn't totally obvious, I had no idea what I was doing with this chapter. I also know very little about bartending and alcohol (my parents don't drink; they don't like the taste of alcohol). All I know is that vodka _looks _like water and one of my classmates in elementary school accidentally drank a shot of it at a wedding because she thought it was a glass of water. Lol! XD

For those who don't know, 'Miss Hannigan' is a character from the musical _Annie. _Basically, in that scene, Maggie thinks she sounds like a woman with a New York accent.


	24. This Side of Paradise For You and Me

**A/N: **Hey! I wrote this one in one sitting. I guess I was just pretty inspired yesterday, eh? I don't know if I've mentioned it yet, but I go back to school on the 18th, unfortunately. :( Yay, school... *sarcasm*

Thanks for the reviews, guys! You all make me so happy. :3 I do have a special request now... Give me some prompts! I know I got some a way long time ago that I haven't addressed, and I still haven't decided on how I want those to play out. But hearing how much you guys love certain things and stuff helps boost my confidence a lot. C: I've also been watching a lot of the _Avengers Assemble _cartoon lately, so I may draw some ideas from that! Hehehe.. XP

In response to Angelalex242's latest prompt, I don't think I'll ever do one like that. See, Maggie would have a hard time committing to sports and extra curricular activities due to the constant traveling between DC and the tower in New York. Of course, she's almost always in DC during the school weeks, but for my story, I kinda envisioned that if Steve and Natasha were away on missions on the weekends, she'd go to the tower, or if someone else is in DC at the time, they'd come stay with her. Basically, her life and schedule are so unpredictable that it would be hard for her to commit to things, y'know? Plus, she would probably be too concerned about hurting other people. I also kinda pictures Steve and Natasha being like the mom in _The Incredibles_, y'know, not letting her compete in sports because then her abilities might get found out. :/ So, I don't think your prompt would really work out for me, I'm sorry! D:

This one is almost like a "day in the life" type thing, because there really isn't anything significant or any event or life experience going on here. It's just a normal day for Maggie at the tower (well, as normal as her crazy life can get, anyways). It's time for some more teenage redheadness! I usually don't really like writing teen!Maggie, but I had fun with this chapter. :)

OK-my computer and Google Chrome are on the fritz right now, so please excuse any typos or poor wording... For whatever reason, the page decided to poof and then force me to reload while I was deep in the midst of editing, so I had to start over. X( Ugh.

Thanks for all the faves, follows, and reviews! Splurge a little today and go buy yourself a treat! Captain's orders! :P

* * *

"Maggie, all of these moving pictures you keep sending me are making my phone slow!" Steve practically whined as his phone lagged from all the GIFs the teen was sending him.

She cackled mischievously. "I love how I've managed to adapt to modern technology that's been around longer than I've been alive faster than you." She teased.

"Tony, how do I stop all these moving pictures?" Steve turned to the billionaire, exasperated.

"Simple. Tell the squirt to stop sending them." Tony replied with a smug smile.

"Not gonna happen!" The 17 year old sang as she strolled out of the room, holding her hands up victoriously.

"And, by the way, those 'moving pictures' are called 'GIFs.' It's a certain kind of image file where the picture moves." Tony informed the soldier.

Steve groaned. "Why does she keep sending me so many?"

"Because she knows it makes cell phones lag." Tony shrugged. "She's been around me enough to know a thing or two about technology."

"I'm starting to regret that now." Steve snorted.

"Too late, Capsicle, the damage has been done." Tony smirked.

"What damage?" Natasha asked as she walked in the room.

"Maggie decided to try and explode my phone by sending me a ton of movin-_GIFs._" Steve corrected himself with a sigh.

"Wow. She's merciless." Natasha tried to hide her amusement.

"Just like her mother." Tony joked, causing the redhead to glare at him. He threw his hands up in defense and quickly scurried out of the room.

"Are you ever _not _going to scare Stark away?" Steve chuckled.

"Nope, probably not." She said with a playful smile as Steve's phone buzzed.

"She's still sending me so many!" Steve pouted as he took out his phone. "I'm convinced she's trying to push my phone to its limit."

"Or she's trying to push _you _to _your _limit." Natasha murmured quietly with a smirk. Steve heard her anyway.

"This is definitely _not _the kind of behavior I thought we would have to deal with in her teen years." He commented.

"What can I say, she's still her mischievous, playful self after all these years." Natasha shrugged as she prepared tea for herself.

"She definitely gets that from _you_." Steve insisted.

"Are you calling me _playful_, Rogers?" Natasha challenged over her shoulder, trying to sound as intimidating as possible.

"I think I am." Steve said confidently as he came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Ewwww!" Maggie commented quietly from the doorway, causing Steve to quickly step away from Natasha, embarrassed. Maggie smirked at his reaction.

Natasha, unfazed, didn't even look over to acknowledge her daughter's presence. "You're mature." She commented sarcastically. Maggie just made a face in reply.

"Are you done harassing my phone now?" Steve sighed, wanting to move the conversation forward.

Maggie laughed. "How does one harass a _phone_?" She scoffed.

"I don't know, I think Daddy's confused." Natasha said as she grabbed her finished tea and pat Steve on the arm in mock comfort. "Phones aren't able to be harassed, Love, they aren't alive." She teased.

"Ha, ha, very funny." Steve rolled his eyes. Maggie followed her mother out of the room.

"So, what's on the agenda of random things to do that may or may not involve annoying everyone in the tower today?" She asked as she sat down next to Natasha on the couch.

"Well, I think you've terrorized Daddy and his cell phone enough for the day." Natasha commented.

"Yes, you've done enough for a week." Steve insisted as he sat down next to them.

"Fine." Maggie said reluctantly and rolled her eyes.

"Don't you have your own agenda of pranks and stuff to do, Лапушка?" Natasha asked her daughter.

"I do, but I'm taking a break. I already replaced all of Uncle Clint's arrows in the gym earlier with the fake ones from that Merida bow and arrow set I got for Christmas ten years ago." Maggie explained excitedly. "And, don't freak out, I only touched his normal arrows. The trick ones are out of reach for me." She pouted.

"Out of reach for a reason." Steve insisted.

"Yeah, yeah, anyway, I'm waiting for Uncle Clint's reaction which should be about…" Her voice trailed off as she heard the elevator _ding! _and Clint call for her. "Now." She calculated with a smug smile.

"Maggie!" Clint demanded again, louder, from the next room over.

"Cover for me!" Maggie said, not giving her parents a chance to respond, as she jumped off the couch and lifted the metal grate off the wall and crawled into the air vent. She secured the plate back on before creeping away, out of sight.

Natasha rolled her eyes. "Once an air vent crawler, always an air vent crawler." She commented.

"Now I regret letting her spend so much time with Clint, too." Steve sighed.

Clint entered the room a few moments later. "Hey, have you guys seen Maggie? She replaced all my arrows with her _Brave_ ones!" He announced.

"Can't say that I have. I figured she was hanging out with you or Tony." Natasha lied smoothly as she sipped her tea.

"Really?" Clint narrowed his eyes. He turned to Steve, knowing that he was an awful liar. "Is this true, Cap?"

"Yes." Steve answered simply, hoping that would suffice.

Clint studied their faces intently. "I don't believe you two, but okay." He huffed as he whirled around and walked out of the room.

Natasha pat Steve's arm proudly. "Good job, Steve, I actually _might _have been convinced that you really didn't know where she was if I didn't know you so well." She teased.

Steve smiled. "I guess that's something, right?" He asked.

* * *

Maggie hummed quietly to herself as she ventured through the air vents. She eventually found herself over Pepper's office, and located the strawberry blonde in there. Smiling, she quietly removed the vent plate and stuck her head through. "Hi, Aunt Pepper!"

Pepper looked up at her, not even startled, as she was used to the redhead popping in unexpectedly like that over the years. "Hey, Maggie. What's got you up in the air vents today?" She asked.

"Hiding from Uncle Clint. I pranked him earlier so now I'm just trying to avoid him for as long as possible." She smirked proudly. "Can I hang out in here? Are you working?"

"I am, but I was going to take a break soon, anyway." Pepper assured her. "Can you get down from there?" She knew that Maggie could, but she always thought she should ask.

"Yeah, yeah, just give me a sec." The redhead assured her as she turned around and lowered herself, legs first, through the opening. After letting go, she landed in a pose much like her mother's, bent over forward with one hand on the ground. She stood up and stretched. "I'll fix your vent plate thingy later." She promised.

"That's okay, the cleaning robots in the vents will put it back when they come by." Pepper assured her as Maggie sat down in the seat in front of her desk. "So, what did you do to your poor godfather this time?" She tried to sound sympathetic for Clint, but Maggie knew that Pepper was just as amused.

"I replaced his arrows with the suction cup ones from my Merida bow and arrow set." Maggie explained enthusiastically with a proud smile. "I'm crossing my fingers that later when he confronts me, I can blame Uncle Tony."

"Hm, that doesn't sound like too hard of a lie to believe." Pepper commented.

"Exactly!" Maggie nodded in agreement. "I'm just taking advantage of my resources."

"Smart." Pepper said with a nod of approval.

"So, how's work going?" Maggie relaxed in her chair.

"Boring as ever. You sure you want to work for S.H.I.E.L.D. and not Stark Industries? I could use an intern or something." Pepper joked.

"As much fun as it sounds to be able to work for Uncle Tony, it doesn't actually sound that fun." Maggie replied honestly. "No offense to him, I just don't think I could handle all the business and professional stuff."

"S.H.I.E.L.D. sounds pretty professional to me." Pepper pointed out.

"True, but I don't have to talk to annoying diplomats and rich people or whatever all day. I just have to go in, get intel, and get out. Or kick some serious butt." Maggie countered.

"So, you're more of an action type of gal?" Pepper chuckled.

"I guess so. You and I both know that I can't sit still for that long." Maggie said as she drummed her fingers against the armrest of the chair and bounced her left knee slightly.

"What about other jobs?" Pepper couldn't help but ask. "Like, something more artistic, or..."

"Or safe." Maggie finished with a smug smile.

Pepper slightly tilted her head to the side with a small nod. "That would also be recommended."

Maggie sighed and leaned forward, resting her head on her arms on the cool wood of the desk. "I wanna use my abilities to help people. I know I shouldn't feel selfish or guilty about not working for S.H.I.E.L.D., but I can't _not_ feel guilty about it. But, more than that, I really want to protect the world." She explained.

"That's a good reason." Pepper gave her a reassuring smile. "I promise, Maggie, we'll all be here to support you after you graduate and whatever choice you make. But, for now, you can still frolic around the tower and be a child." She said softly.

"Oh, believe me," Maggie spoke up confidently as she sat back up straight, "I plan on being an active mess-er around-er whenever I stop by for the rest of my life. No matter what age or what job I might have, I'll be keeping you all on your toes." She assured her godmother.

"That's good to know." Pepper laughed. "I would be sad if you planned on stopping all your little adventures."

"I would be, too." Maggie replied, staring at Pepper earnestly. She paused, and then her smile faded. "Thank you." She said quietly a few moments.

"For what?" Pepper asked curiously.

"For being there. When my parents weren't, because, you know..." Maggie said vaguely, casting her eyes off to the side, and hoping Pepper would get what she meant without her having to go into detail about her parents' temporary disappearance.

Luckily, Pepper did, and she grabbed one of Maggie's hands, giving it a comforting squeeze. "Maggie, there's nothing to thank me for. I wanted to be with you and help you through that awful time." She assured the redhead.

Maggie took a deep breath, and exhaled after a moment. She met Pepper's eyes. "Well, I'm thanking you anyway." She gave a small smile.

"Well, then, you're welcome. I will always be there for you." Pepper smiled back, still holding Maggie's hand. The two sat in silence for a few more moments, before there was a knock on the door.

"Pepper? Are you in there? More importantly, is our resident, redheaded, prankster, mutual goddaughter in there?" Clint's voice called.

The two females stared at each other in panic. Maggie quickly jumped out of her seat and crawled behind Pepper's desk, where the woman's feet were. Pepper tried to give her as much room as possible as she called back, "Come in!"

Clint opened the door quickly. "Hey, have you seen Maggie? She and I need to have a little talk." He huffed.

"No, I haven't seen her. I've been working all afternoon." Pepper lied.

"Come on, Pepper, help a fellow godparent out." Clint pleaded.

"I'm serious, I haven't seen her. She gets bored watching me work." Pepper continued, and Maggie smirked from her hiding spot.

Clint looked up at the ceiling, and noticed the misplaced metal plate. "Pepper, what happened to your air vents?" He raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

_Crap! _Maggie internally cursed.

"Oh, that's from the last time Maggie decided to pop in and visit me." Pepper answered easily. "Did you try Natasha and Steve yet?"

Clint knew Pepper was trying to distract him, and he was _certain _the redhead was hiding around there somewhere. He decided to lure her out. "I did, and when I was leaving, Natasha mentioned something about baking a marble flavored cake. She was originally going to wait for Mags, but she couldn't find her, so she's probably starting now." He said loudly, knowing that baking her favorite kind of cake was an activity Maggie could not pass up.

_So tempting! _Maggie internally cried.

"And Steve called dibs on licking the bowl and spoon." He added.

"What!" Maggie exclaimed, quickly trying to stand up but bumping her head against the desk in the failed process. "Ow! Damn it!"

"Language." Pepper chastised with a sigh as she pushed her chair back, allowing Maggie the room to crawl out.

Maggie stood up successfully that time, rubbing her head where she had hit it. She turned to Clint. "Mama's baking a cake?!" She asked excitedly.

"Nope, sorry, kid, your stomach got the best of you." Clint snorted proudly. "And you managed to give yourself up by bumping your head _again_."

"Damn." Maggie huffed in defeat.

"Again, language." Pepper said as she rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, I'll be a legal adult next year anyway." Maggie brushed Pepper off. "I can't believe you tricked me, Uncle Clint!" She pouted.

"_I _can't believed you pranked your own pranking partner!" Clint shot back.

"It wasn't me, it was Uncle Tony!" Maggie insisted.

"Maggie, come on, you lie just as well as your father does." Clint commented.

"I'm telling the truth!" She protested.

"Really." Clint raised an eyebrow. "Look me in the eye and swear on Avengers' honor."

Maggie frowned disapprovingly and rolled her eyes. "This is ridiculous." She muttered.

"Are you admitting to your crimes?" Clint pushed.

"No!" Maggie crossed her arms over her chest with a huff. She took a deep breath, and met his eyes reluctantly. "I-didn't-do-it-Avengers'-honor." She muttered quickly.

"Sorry, what was that?" Clint continued. "I couldn't hear you."

"I didn't do it, Avengers' honor!" She said louder, but now averting her gaze.

"Uh huh, now you're not meeting my eyes. Seriously, kid, your lying is poor." Clint teased.

Maggie sighed. "Fine, I did it, arrest me." She rolled her eyes.

"Wow, you gave that one up relatively quickly." Pepper commented from the background.

"Yeah, less than five minutes, new record." Clint smirked. "Now, then, I'm expecting an apology."

"Yeah, right! I'll pass." Maggie laughed as she passed him and strut confidently out of the room. "Thanks for covering for me, Auntie Pep!"

"Hey! Don't walk away from me!" Clint called as he followed her.

Pepper sighed as she heard their footsteps quicken, meaning they were now chasing each other. She had given up on enforcing the "no running" rule long ago.

* * *

"Oh, Lord, why me?" Bruce sighed a half-hearted prayer up to whatever god was out there as Maggie and Clint were stationed on opposite sides of the couch he was sitting on, engaged in a standoff, waiting for someone to make a move.

"Mags, I am so gonna get you for this." Clint shot from his side.

"If you can catch me!" Maggie stuck her tongue out at him.

"Can't you two go run in circles around Tony, or something?" Bruce suggested, practically begging.

"Nah, we're kinda stuck at a stalemate right now." Maggie answered. "One move will end this once and for all. Like in those western cowboy movies!"

"That's a bit dramatic." Bruce commented.

"Alright, children, that's enough." Tony announced as he walked into the room behind Maggie. He sent a silent look of "you're welcome" to Clint as Maggie, distracted, turned to look at the genius newcomer. Seeing his opportunity, Clint pounced and tackled her, pushing her over to the other couch.

"Ah! Uncle Clint!" She squealed in protest as he tickled her sides. "Stop it!"

"This is what you get for messing with my stuff!" He declared as he continued tickling her, causing her to shriek in laughter.

"Please, stop!" Maggie was on the verge of tears from laughing so much.

"Not even the p-word will get you out of this one, kid." He teased.

"Ah, I take it the arrow scandal has been resolved." Natasha commented as she walked into the room.

Maggie looked over at her mother while trying to catch her breath. "Mama! Help me!" She called in between laughs.

"Mm, you got yourself into this one, Лапушка, I'll let you handle it." Natasha decided as she took a seat next to Bruce.

"Hey, Bruce, are you ticklish? How about the Other Guy? Is he ticklish?" Tony asked curiously, walking over to them. He had a dangerous look in his eye.

"Tony, I swear to God." Bruce warned him; he didn't enjoy being poked and prodded, let alone _tickled. _

Finally, Clint let go of Maggie and let her roll over onto her stomach as she tried to catch her breath. "I'm dead." She muttered in defeat against the cushion. Her sides hurt like hell.

"As I told you before, don't touch my stuff." Clint snorted as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Yeah, point taken." Maggie groaned as she sat up. "Damn."

"Language!" Tony said in a singsong voice, causing Maggie to roll her eyes.

Steve walked into the room, then, and saw how flustered Maggie looked. "Did I miss something?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah! Where were you when Uncle Clint was torturing me?" Maggie asked accusingly.

"Correction: _tickling_." Clint commented.

"An argument could be made that those two things are one and the same." Maggie shot back.

"I agree with the munchkin on that one." Tony said innocently. Suddenly, all eyes were on him.

"Uncle Tony…" Maggie said mischievously, voicing everyone's thoughts, as she stood up and walked towards him. "Are you, by any chance, _ticklish_?" She smirked.

"What! I, uh… I... Don't you dare… JARVIS! Deploy suit!" Tony yelled as he all but ran out of the room. "Deploy!"

"Aw, we can't tickle someone through metal." Maggie pouted.

"Let's leave 'tickling Tony Stark' as an activity to do for another day." Natasha suggested, amused.

"Or we can always interrogate Pepper." Bruce added.

Maggie turned to Clint and sighed. "Sorry not sorry that I pranked you. Truce?" She held out a hand. "Sorry not sorry" was the way the members of the dysfunctional family apologized for pranking and messing with each other.

"Truce." Clint shook her hand professionally, and then they hugged. "For now." He added. "That was a pretty good prank." Maggie smiled at his compliment.

"Hey, do I get a 'sorry not sorry' for messing up my phone earlier?" Steve called from the sidelines as Maggie and Clint pulled away from each other.

"Fine, sorry not sorry." Maggie huffed as she hugged her father. "Though that wasn't much of a prank. That was just me spamming your phone. Again."

"The fact that there is even an 'again' in that sentence concerns me." Bruce commented.

Natasha couldn't help but laugh. "Please, this is what it's like at home in DC with just the three of us. Without you boys to terrorize, she always targets Steve."

"Aw, poor guy." Clint said sympathetically.

"Why doesn't she ever prank you?" Bruce asked Natasha curiously.

"Because I'm smart and I know to never poke a bear." Maggie said confidently as she and Steve broke their hug. "I've learned that lesson over the years just by watching Uncle Tony, well, _interact _with you guys."

"That is a very valid point." Clint nodded in agreement.

* * *

"Hey, who wants to prank call Uncle Nick with me?" Maggie casually asked everyone later.

The Avengers all stared at each other, trying to silently designate someone to assist Maggie.

"NOSE GOES!" Tony practically screamed, shoving his hand on his face.

"WALL!" Clint added, and everyone scrambled to the closest walls.

"Seriously, guys?" Maggie stared at them in exasperation.

"Steve, you were the slowest. It's your turn to help our daughter terrorize people and risk getting fired." Natasha gestured to Steve with her foot, as one hand was on the wall and the other was on her nose.

"That's not fair!" Steve protested, facing her. "I still don't understand this game that you guys do." He said, also holding his nose, in confusion.

"Come on, Cap, we've been doing it practically ever since Maggie could talk." Bruce wasn't buying Steve's excuses. It was true, though; ever since Maggie could talk, she always some mischievous idea that resulted in the Avengers practically drawing straws to see who would put their career on the line and risk being yelled at by helping her.

"You guys are so dramatic." Maggie huffed.

"Can't you just do it yourself?" Tony whined.

"No way! I need an adult with me so I can make it be my fault a little less." Maggie shot back.

"Alright, how about we just _not _prank call Fury." Steve suggested.

"You just want to get out of having to help her since you lost the nose goes." Clint snorted.

"Fine, I will spare you all. You can remove your appendages from the walls and your noses." Maggie sighed, throwing her arms up in defeat.

Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief as they did as she suggested.

"Now I'm bored." The teen groaned as she dropped herself onto the couch.

"You always say that." Natasha pointed out.

"Well, 'cause I always mean it!" Maggie countered.

"I still cannot believe it. The daughter of two Avengers, staying in Avengers Tower, with Earth's Mightiest Heroes, is bored." Tony stated in disbelief.

"Trust me, I can't believe it either." Maggie commented.

Everyone stood in silence for a few more moments, trying to think of something to do.

"Whelp, I don't know about you guys, but I vote for watching TV until we pass out." Clint finally spoke up as he sat down next to Maggie.

"I'll get the popcorn." Steve volunteered, walking into the kitchen.

"I'll go get Pepper." Tony left the room.

"I feel like we always resort to just watching TV." Bruce commented, amused, as he sat down on the other side of Maggie.

"We do, we just try not to dwell on that lazy fact about us." Natasha said with a smirk.

"Television was a wonderful invention." Maggie tried to make the activity sound more intelligent. "We are helping out the dude who invented it, and we are helping out all the people who are in charge of these channels, and shows, and movies, by increasing the amount of views they get. It is a good deed."

"You're making me feel like a helpful person." Clint said.

"That's because we are." Maggie said confidently as she leaned back against the couch and relaxed. Any activity, even watching TV, was fun when it involved her crazy family.

* * *

**A/N**: Cheesy ending is cheesy, hehe. Hope you all enjoyed. In case anyone didn't understand the 'nose goes' part, it's kind of like the whole shouting 'Not it!' thing with, instead, the last person to touch their nose is 'it.' Though, in this case, Clint took it to the next level by adding 'wall,' so the last person to touch their nose _and _a wall is 'it.' You can also do 'toes goes.' ;D


	25. Baby Steps

**A/N: **Hey, guys, sorry for the delay and this (in my opinion) not-particularly-good chapter. One of the young teachers at my school just suddenly and unexpectedly passed away yesterday, and our whole school is shaken. It's been a very rough 24 hours for all of us. I don't want to depress you guys or anything, so that's all I'll say about it. Just please keep our late teacher's family and close friends, as well as our school, in your prayers and thoughts. We would really appreciate it.

Like I said, I'm kinda on the fence with this one. I wrote most of it a few days ago, but I'm kinda off my game right now due to the events mentioned above. I hope you all can enjoy these random scenes from Maggie's baby days. I love you all! Thank you for your faves, follows, and reviews~

* * *

"_Hush, little spider, don't say a word; Uncle Tony'll buy you the whole wide world._" Tony sang as he tried to calm a crying five month old Maggie.

"Stark, if Tasha and Steve were here to hear you sing that, they would probably strip you of your uncle privileges." Clint commented with a smirk as he walked into the room.

"I'm just trying to calm the squirt down!" Tony defended as he bounced the still fussy Maggie in his arms.

"I think it's time to let Uncle Clint take over." Clint said confidently as he walked over, reaching for the redhead.

Seeing Maggie reach for Clint in return, Tony smiled excitedly. "Good! You can deal with her." He said giddily as he carefully handed her over.

"There we go, Mags. I saved you from your annoying Uncle Tony." Clint cooed as he held her close.

She calmed down immediately and Tony's jaw dropped. "Seriously, Birdbrain, how do you do that?"

"She just loves me the most." Clint bragged as Maggie giggled.

"But I promised to buy her the entire world!" Tony pouted.

"Money can't buy happiness."

"Yeah, yeah, well, it doesn't make me sad, either."

"Fair point."

* * *

"Maggie, can you give me a kiss?" Natasha asked the ten month old happily, gesturing to her cheek with her index finger. Maggie happily pushed her lips against Natasha's cheek in what she believed to be a kiss.

"Good job!" Natasha cheered, kissing Maggie's cheek in return.

"Wow, you guys teach her tricks now?" Tony commented from the couch.

"She's not a dog, Stark." Steve rolled his eyes.

"No kisses for Uncle Tony." Natasha decided, handing Maggie to Steve. "Can you give Daddy a kiss?"

Maggie happily kissed Steve's cheek with a smile and small giggle.

"Hey! That's not fair. You can't keep her and her kisses away from me." Tony pouted.

Steve kissed Maggie's temple. "We can do whatever we want." He boasted.

"Has she started walking yet?" Pepper asked as she walked into the room after hearing the tail end of the conversation.

"She's starting to try to stand." Natasha said, unable to contain the pride and excitement in her voice. "Let's see if she tries it here."

She sat down on the floor next to the couch, and set Maggie down, feet first. Maggie quickly latched onto the side of the couch for support as she looked around at everyone's faces. After a few moments, she plopped down to the ground on her bottom.

"Wow. She's growing up so fast!" Tony said sarcastically, causing Pepper to swat his arm.

* * *

"Birdbrain."

"Asshole."

"Bas-"

"Hey! What did I tell you two about cussing?" Natasha snapped from the floor, where she was sitting with her year old daughter.

"Sorry, Tasha." Clint and Tony chorused together halfheartedly.

Maggie chose that moment to giggle, as if she knew what was going on. Natasha ran a hand through the toddler's fiery red curls.

"Does she really parrot you guys that much?" Tony asked.

"A little bit, but she's only going to do so even more from now on. I don't want her picking up on your guys' awful language already." Natasha replied.

"As if you don't cuss." Clint snorted, but stopped when Natasha glared at him. Maggie laughed a little bit more, and fell back onto Natasha's lap with a bright smile.

"The squirt's just got a case of the giggles today." Tony observed, amused.

"What's so funny, huh?" Natasha teased as she tickled Maggie, causing her to squeal with laughter. "You're so silly."

"I will never get used to the sight of the Black Widow mommy-talking a child." Tony whispered to Clint.

"You did not just say 'mommy-talk.'" Clint rolled his eyes.

"I heard that!" Natasha shot from across the room.

"That's my cue to leave. I don't think violence is a good thing to demonstrate in front of the munchkin either." Tony quickly scurried out of the room.

"Mamama…" Maggie babbled happily as she poked Natasha in the face.

"Yes, I am your mama." Natasha smiled, grabbing Maggie's hand.

"As adorable as this is, I think I'm going to go do some archery." Clint announced with a wave of his hand. "See you later."

Natasha used Maggie's hand to wave goodbye in return as Clint walked into the elevator. "He just needed to go renew his man pride because you make him feel soft." She teased the toddler, though she knew Maggie wouldn't understand. She then lifted Maggie out of her lap, and stood her up in front of her. "Now, missy, it's time to walk."

Natasha scooted back a few feet as Maggie watched her curiously, holding onto the couch for support. "Come on, Лапушка, come to me." Natasha called softly to her. Maggie just blinked.

Then, Steve emerged from the elevator. His face immediately brightened at the sight of the two redheads, and he walked over to them. "Hey, you two-"

"Ah!" Natasha quickly cut him off, gesturing with her hand for him to not come any closer. She gestured with her head to the still standing Maggie, trying to communicate that she was trying to see if their daughter would try to walk on her own.

Steve got the message, and hung back. Maggie walked a few steps this way and that, all the while holding onto the couch for support. She didn't seem interested in letting go of the furniture. Steve was standing not too far away from the couch, putting him in a good place for her to use him as something to try to walk to.

"Go to Daddy, Maggie." Natasha encouraged her. "Daddy's waiting for you."

Maggie looked over at the man in question, and started pushing herself forward towards him using the couch. Steve crouched down to be at the same height as her, his arms wide open. She stopped where the couch ended, leaving about two feet of distance between father and daughter.

"Come on, Mags, you can do it." Steve hoped she would try. Maggie seemed to be considering all her options again, and for a moment, both parents were expecting her to just sit down and give up. However, with a concentrated look on her face, she pushed off the piece of furniture and toddled unsteadily towards him. Natasha watched in amazement as Steve reached forward just a bit, making the short distance a little more bearable, and Maggie happily waddled into his open arms.

"Good job, Maggie!" Steve said proudly before showering her in kisses. Maggie squirmed in his arms and giggled happily. Natasha quickly walked over to them.

"I can't believe it. We have reached the 'first steps' milestone." She said excitedly to Steve when he let Maggie go, only for Natasha to scoop her up and tickle her.

"What Tony said a few months ago was right. She _is _growing up so fast." Steve sighed, feeling nostalgic.

"I think our next task should be potty training." Natasha wrinkled her nose in distaste at an all-too-familiar scent. "I'm getting tired of this whole 'diaper' thing." She complained as she stood up with Maggie in her arms.

"I'll take that as my cue to take care of this one." Steve said in amusement, standing up with a stretch.

"You bet, soldier." Natasha smiled widely as she handed Maggie over to Steve. "Then we'll have to go tell everyone the good news!"

* * *

"Un… Unca…" Maggie tried a few times.

"Yes, yes, yes! Come on, just say 'Tony'!" Tony encouraged as he sat down on the floor with the year and a half old toddler sitting in his lap.

"Unca… Mama. Dada. Bah!" Maggie babbled happily as she played with some blocks, not paying attention to Tony at all. "Shield! Black!"

Clint burst out laughing from the couch. "Oh, man, she's totally not into you." He commented as he practically guffawed.

Tony scowled at the archer. "Excuse me, but she didn't say your name either!"

"Yeah, but at least I wasn't just dissed by an 18 month old. Man!" Clint continued, clearly amused.

"Ha, ha, very funny." Tony rolled his eyes. "I'm telling you, though, Legolas, one of these days, she's going to say one of our names."

"Oh, I'm sure she is. I just doubt it'll be yours." Clint snorted.

"Wanna bet, Katniss?" Tony challenged.

"Cat!" Maggie butt in, hearing a word she recognized. The two Avengers paused to smile at her in amusement, but then returned to their banter.

"No, not really. My name is hard if she can't make the '_cl_' sound. I'm not stupid." Clint replied.

"You may not be stupid, but you're an idiot." Tony shot back.

"What the hel-_heck_ is that supposed to mean?" Clint raised an eyebrow, narrowly managing to control his language in fears of an angry Natasha sneaking into his room at night and ending his existence.

As they continued to bicker, Maggie crawled out of Tony's lap. She waddled over to the couch where Bruce was sitting, reading something on his tablet. He wasn't paying attention as the two other Avengers argue.

Bruce looked up from his reading and saw her baby blue eyes staring at him expectantly. "Up!" She chirped.

Smiling, he set his tablet down beside him and lifted her into his lap. "Got tired of those two children over there, huh? Join the party." He commented as he kissed her temple. "It's peaceful over here."

"Peace?" Maggie echoed, looking up at him.

"Yeah. Peace." Bruce was always amazed at how fast she could repeat a new word. Finally, he couldn't help himself. "Hey, Maggie? Do you know who I am? I'm Bruce, your Uncle Bruce. Can you say that?"

She furrowed her brow at him, a look he chalked up to meaning she had no idea what he was asking her to do. He sighed, and let it go. "That's okay. It must be stressful for you, with everyone constantly on you for learning new words. You're still so young; people shouldn't be pressuring you so much."

Maggie just giggled happily again, and leaned her head against his chest. He had to admit, he didn't mind being cuddled with by a toddler. He pressed a gentle kiss against the top of her head, and she looked up at him, beaming happily, before resuming watching the other two Avengers.

The two sat like that for a while, watching Clint and Tony continue to bicker, though it now seemed to be over an entirely different thing. Bruce was amused that Maggie seemed to find it so enjoyable to watch, as she giggled occasionally at their gestures and would throw out a "Silly!" every once in a while.

Eventually, Maggie mentioned food. Tony and Clint declared a half-hearted truce as they decided to search the kitchen for snacks.

"Finally, now we can have some real peace and quiet." Bruce sighed, content, as the room was now lacking the sound of Clint and Tony arguing. It was short lived, however, as they quickly returned with animal crackers and a completely new argument.

"Come on, Legolas, just let me try working on some of your arrows again! Please?" Tony pleaded.

"Heck no! Last time, you almost blew all of us up. I will not have Natasha on my a-s-s," Clint knew spelling things out loud would help them avoid any possibilities of Maggie picking up on their language, "again because of something _you _did with _my _stuff."

"I think you're being a bit dramatic." Tony shrugged him off.

"She could have killed me!" Clint shot back.

Temporarily pausing from eating, Maggie giggled again. "Unca Brucie!" She squealed as if it made the most sense in the world.

The three men immediately looked at her in surprise, the argument already insignificant and long forgotten. Tony and Clint's jaws dropped as they stared at the scientist in shock.

"No way." Tony gaped. "Bruce, my science brother, how could you betray me like this?!"

"I-I didn't do anything! She just said it!" Bruce protested, looking down at the smiling redhead.

"Unca Brucie." She giggled again, wrapping her arms around him in a hug. Bruce managed to save the container of animal crackers from being turned over and emptied onto the couch. He carefully set it down on the cushion next to them.

"Aw, come on! Mags, I thought what we had was special!" Clint whined dramatically.

"Brucie!" She repeated happily, completely ignoring her godfather. Clint faked a sob.

"Okay, I have to admit, this is pretty adorable." Tony sighed in defeat.

"Yeah, she loves you, man. I guess I'll have to win her back now." Clint laughed as he watched Maggie try to stand on his lap and wrap her arms around his neck.

"Yeah, I guess." Bruce said in slight exasperation as her small feet dug into his thighs and he put his hands on her sides to steady her.

"I'm starting to get jealous. How come I don't get to be this close to you, Bruce, my science brother?" Tony fake cried.

Bruce rolled his eyes. "Maggie, your Uncle Tony is silly." He said to the happy toddler.

"Silly!" She echoed happily.

Bruce nodded his head in agreement. "He's a goofball who doesn't think before he speaks." Clint laughed as Tony grumbled something under his breath.

Maggie giggled, leaning against Bruce's torso. "Brucie silly!" She declared with a playful smile. Had she not been eighteen months old, they definitely would have thought she was intentionally teasing him.

* * *

**A/N: **Omg, writing the first line of the last part (Maggie trying to say "uncle" and Tony encouraging her) reminded me soooo much of that meme floating around tumblr with the baby's first words and all of that. But, yay for Bruce! He gets to be the first uncle to be called by name! Hooray! *throws confetti*


	26. Don't Get Too Close, It's Dark Inside

**A/N: **Well, well, well, now we finally find out why Maggie never had a younger sibling. Warning for possible feels. I think this was kinda born from all the on and off sadness, depression, and anxiety I've been feeling for the past few days. Yikes. :0

At the end, there's also a mention of the possible termination of a pregnancy. I won't say anything more so I don't spoil it, but it's left as an unanswered question that I decided would be up to you readers to decide on what you personally believe should be the case. I'm again feeling 'eh' in terms of whether or not I like this one, because I think some peeps might be OOC in here. Oh well.

Thanks for all the faves, follows, and reviews, guys! I haven't been paying as much attention to the stats and such lately because I've been kinda busy, but I can't believe we're almost at 100 followers and reviews, and over 43,000 views! Wowza! :D

I ALSO JUST THOUGHT I'D LET EVERYONE KNOW I GOT MY HANDS ON THE BLACK WIDOW JACKET FROM AND IT IS SO GREAT AND I KEEP WEARING IT EVEN THOUGH IT'S LIKE 90 DEGREES OUTSIDE AND IT HAS GREATLY IMPROVED MY LIFE YES AHHHH

* * *

"Uncle Tony?"

Tony, sitting on the couch, looked up at the sound of his name. "What's up, squirt?"

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?" Maggie asked innocently, her blue eyes staring at him intently as she stood in front of him.

"Um, no, I don't. I'm an only child, just like you." Tony answered, a bit caught off guard with the question.

"Oh." Maggie said with an expression Tony couldn't quite read. Disappointment? Indifference? Curiosity? He wasn't sure.

"Why do you ask?" He decided to try and find out what was going through her five year old brain.

"Some of the people in my class at school have brothers and sisters." Maggie answered thoughtfully, with a hint of enthusiasm. "I want a little brother or sister, too!"

Tony instantly regretted asking his question, and thus having to be the one to deal with the reasoning behind it. He honestly had no idea if Natasha and Steve ever intended to increase their small family of three, so he didn't know how to give Maggie a desirable answer.

He blew out a cautious breath. "Well, munchkin, maybe that's something you should talk to your mom and dad about." He suggested awkwardly.

"Do you think if I ask nicely enough, I can have a little brother or sister?" Maggie asked, her voice once again full of the childhood innocence that Tony always wanted to protect. "I want someone to play with!"

"What, are you getting tired of playing with me and your Uncle Clint and your parents already?" Tony teased, poking her in the side.

"No, Uncle Tony, you're silly!" She giggled happily. "I just want to play with a kid sometimes, too."

That sounded very mature and insightful for a five year old. Maggie never ceased to amaze the billionaire.

"Then you should talk to your parents about it. I'm not saying that they'll say 'yes' or automatically give you a sibling just because you asked, but if they know that you want one, maybe they'll do something about it. Worth a try." Tony really hoped he was doing this right.

"Okay!" Maggie agreed happily, and then skipped out of the room. For the first time in a long time, Tony wondered what it would be like to have another small child running around.

* * *

"Mama, can I have a little sister? Or a little brother? I want one really badly!" Maggie was practically begging later that day. "Pretty please?"

"What's brought this on all of a sudden?" Natasha raised an eyebrow, curiously looking her daughter over.

"A ton of other kids in my class have… What's the word Uncle Tony said? 'Sibling'?" She furrowed her brow thoughtfully, reminding Natasha of a similar expression Steve held whenever learning about the new technology and culture of the 21st century.

"Yeah, Лапушка, 'sibling' is the right word." Natasha confirmed, amused.

"Well, a lot of my friends have siblings. At first I wanted an older one, too, but Aunt Pepper said since I'm already the oldest, I can't have an older sibling. So, I want a younger sibling!" Maggie explained cheerfully.

_Both Tony and Pepper have been consulted on this? She must be serious, then. _Natasha observed. To be honest, she and Steve hadn't thought too much about having another child. They were already pretty preoccupied with taking care of their unplanned, but fully appreciated and happily accepted Maggie. Though, Natasha realized, now that Maggie was in school, they might have some more time to themselves and be able to take care of a second child. This could actually work out.

"So, can I have a younger sibling, Mama?" Maggie asked innocently and politely a few seconds later.

"I'll talk to Daddy about it." Natasha decided to answer, not wanting to get Maggie's hopes up if things didn't work out. After all, in Maggie's case, the word "unplanned" took on more of a "miraculous" meaning, as Natasha had been told long ago that she wouldn't be able to ever conceive a child. Maggie had managed to defy the odds, but she wasn't sure what the chances of it happening a second time were. Perhaps she actually could conceive like a normal woman now.

"Hooray! Thank you, Mama! I promise to be the best big sister ever!" Maggie swore and hugged her mother tightly, causing the spy to take a surprised step backwards from the impact. Natasha laughed lightly and wrapped her arms around Maggie, silently excited at the now plausible concept of being able to hug two of her own children at once.

* * *

"So, how's 'Operation: Baby Spider Numero Dos' going?" Tony asked the couple one morning a few months later.

Steve immediately flushed. "Tony, I think that's a private matter between Natasha and I." He answered awkwardly.

Tony rolled his eyes. "I didn't mean it like _that_, Capsicle! Geez! I just wanted to know if you're really gonna have another one. I noticed that our resident spy hasn't drunk any alcohol in a while."

Natasha looked at him curiously. "Since when have you been keeping tabs on my alcohol consumption?"

"Since always!" Tony insisted. "So…?"

"We've been trying." Natasha answered truthfully. "We haven't told Maggie, though, since we don't want to get her hopes up and then disappoint her. So, you better keep your mouth shut." She warned him.

"I will, I will!" Tony assured her. "I know when to not blurt things out."

"Really?" Steve asked in disbelief.

"Ha, ha, very funny, Capsicle." Tony sneered, taking a sip of his coffee.

"And what about you, Tony? Are you and Pepper going to ever have a little one of your own?" Natasha teased, causing the billionaire to choke on his coffee. She smirked, as that was the reaction she had been hoping for.

"Um, no." Tony answered simply after he recovered from his brief choking spell. "I'm not exactly the fatherly type."

"That's not entirely true. I have to admit, you're pretty great with Maggie." Steve argued.

"Not really in a 'fatherly' way, though. Pepper and I are both so busy all the time, too. It wouldn't really work out. Besides, we both enjoy focusing our free time on Maggie, and I'm sure we'll love spending time with any future nieces or nephews as well." Tony shrugged.

"Wow, for once, something that came out of your mouth actually sounded nice and pleasant." Natasha said smugly.

"Thanks, Natalie."

"My name is not Natalie."

"I know." He paused. "Natalie."

Luckily, he had set his coffee down on the table before falling back onto the couch due to a pillow being chucked at him.

* * *

"Soooo?"

"'Soooo'?" Steve echoed, amused.

"Soooo," Maggie beamed, "am I gonna have a little sister or brother?!"

Even after all these months, she was still determined to acquire a younger sibling. Tony had immediately decided it was because she wanted a new partner in crime while wreaking havoc in the tower, and Clint agreed with him. Steve chuckled at the memory, picking Maggie up and setting her on his lap. They were currently sitting at home, waiting for Natasha to return from a mission.

"We don't know yet. You have to be patient." Steve said softly. "But, hopefully, you'll have one someday."

"I want one now, so I have someone to play with!" The six year old pouted. "And I wanna be a big sister! Uncle Clint said I would be a really good big sister, Daddy."

"Uncle Clint is right, you would be." Steve rubbed her back gently. "We're trying, Mags. I promise."

Maggie then paused, and regarded him curiously. "Where do babies come from, anyway?"

Steve gaped at her for a few moments. "Uhh…" _Come on, think, Rogers, think! _"Well, you came from Mama's tummy." He said vaguely, hoping that would appease the young redhead.

"I know that, Daddy! That's what Mama said." Maggie wrinkled her nose in confusion. "But, _how _did I get in her tummy? Did she eat me?!"

"No, Mags, she did not eat you. Babies aren't exactly known for tasting good." Steve teased.

"So, she didn't eat me… Then how did I get in there?"

Steve opened and closed his mouth a few times, not exactly sure how to answer _that _part. He now found himself wishing Natasha had gone with the more traditional tale of a stork bringing Maggie to their doorstep, instead of actually being a bit _accurate_. Their daughter was just too curious for her own good sometimes.

Luckily, they were saved by the door opening and closing, accompanied by Natasha's, "Hey, I'm home!" That got Maggie excited, and, luckily for Steve, distracted. She quickly leaped off Steve's lap and ran out into the hallway towards the front door. "Mama!" She squealed happily.

Steve relaxed against the couch with a content sigh. Crisis averted. Natasha walked in a few moments later, holding Maggie in her arms. Though Maggie was a bit old for that now, Natasha continued to practice it every time she came home from a mission, as she knew it wouldn't be too long before it would be near impossible for her to hold her daughter like that.

"Hey." He greeted her happily, straightening up in his seat. They exchanged a quick kiss (to which Maggie commented with an exaggerated puking noise), and Natasha sat down next to him, still holding Maggie.

"Fury told me on my way out that you've got a mission soon." She informed him, settling Maggie in her lap.

"When?"

"Tomorrow night. He said it shouldn't take too long, so you'll be back by morning."

"Well, guess I better rest up then."

Natasha absentmindedly ran a hand through Maggie's long red hair. She made a mental note to schedule a haircut appointment for her within the next few weeks, and then internally laughed at how motherly and domestic she had become.

Maggie turned to face her mother. "Mama, when will I get a little brother or little sister?" She asked eagerly.

Natasha smiled softly. "Hopefully soon, Лапушка." She answered earnestly.

Looking back on that conversation in the future, Natasha regretted making such a promise.

* * *

Natasha murmured soft, comforting words in Russian as she coaxed a fearful Maggie, who was currently sandwiched between her two parents on the bed, back to sleep. It had been a few months since the Red Room agents attacked them, and, yet, Maggie still ended up back in her parents' bed most nights after being plagued by nightmares of their traumatic experience.

Natasha felt horrible about it. She knew that this was all her fault, basically, since she was the connection that could be drawn between Maggie and the Red Room. The whole event had rekindled old thoughts and heavy insecurities she hadn't housed since before Maggie was born; Natasha was once again seriously doubting herself as a mother.

"We can't keep going on like this forever." Steve sighed quietly as he watched Natasha pull the covers back up over Maggie more.

"I know." Natasha whispered back sadly in reply.

"We need to find a way to move on." Steve said softly, but still firmly. He had been very patient with the two redheads since everything pretty much went to hell, but Natasha knew that he was starting to feel uncomfortable about how long it was taking them to recover. He understood it wouldn't happen overnight, but he also knew the only way to move past these instances was to, well, move past them.

Natasha didn't respond, and just rubbed Maggie's back gently. Her fearful off-grid flight with Maggie had put a hold on Natasha and Steve's ongoing efforts to have another child. They had yet to continue things, one reason being, of course, that Maggie was practically attached to them 24/7 now out of fear it would happen again. Another reason was the emotional and mental damage Natasha has received as a mother. She had yet to admit it to herself, but she knew she had been feeling this dread and guilt ever since she returned home from the hospital after being saved with Maggie by Steve and the others.

Natasha did not want another baby.

It would be cruel, she was sure, to bring another innocent life that would be despised and endangered just because of who his or her mother was into the world. Of course, the same also somewhat applied to the child's familial relations with Steve and the rest of the Avengers, but Natasha was an enemy to many people on both sides, not just the Red Room. Not to mention, Maggie knew the truth now because Natasha explained her past (in an as age appropriate way possible) while they were hiding. Natasha wasn't going to force her daughter to stay uninformed about why someone would want to take her away, or maybe even kill her. Maggie deserved to know, and didn't blame Natasha for anything at all. Natasha liked to think this was just a part of Maggie's character, which often tried to see the good in everybody, but the spy also figured it could have just been because of a child's natural tendency to love their parents no matter what.

Natasha's own mind was plagued with nightmares of seeing a baby ripped from her hands, and then forced into a cruel life all because of her. The baby in the dream was almost always not Maggie, so Natasha assumed the infant was meant to represent a second child she wanted to have in the future. She didn't really believe in omens or anything of the like, but she took that dream founded on her resurrected worries and fresh wounds as a sign that she couldn't and shouldn't do this again. Losing Maggie would have destroyed her. Perhaps all Natasha was doing now was running, protecting herself from an uncertain, but still quite possible, future loss.

If Steve was aware of her current feelings, he gave no sign of it. He didn't push Natasha as much about her feelings this time around since he also had to focus on helping Maggie heal. He could only do so many things at once. Natasha figured he would probably figure it all out on his own if he hadn't already by now. For the present moment, though, she was glad he wasn't trying to get her to voice everything she was feeling and thinking.

"Nat." Steve called quietly, pulling her from her thoughts. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Natasha shrugged as she rubbed Maggie's back. Steve didn't look too convinced. Natasha closed her eyes and sighed. "Goodnight, Steve." Her voice left no room for argument. She didn't want to talk about it.

"Goodnight." Steve carefully leaned over Maggie and gently kissed Natasha's forehead before lying back down. He struggled to fall back asleep due to his busy and worried thoughts.

* * *

The rest of the Avengers eventually noticed how withdrawn Natasha had become about the once exciting subject of any possibility of pregnancies and children as she resumed drinking alcohol and began training and exercising more roughly than usual. No one ever dared to voice their questions about it, as they knew it would cause her to lash out.

Maggie was still suffering enough from the trauma, and didn't ask about having a younger sibling again for a long time. It took her about six months to really recover and actually sleep through the night in her own bed, save for the occasional nightmare. Even then, she wasn't quite fully back to normal, and everyone wasn't sure if she'd ever be completely the same again.

When she finished first grade, almost a year after the Red Room incident, she finally asked about having a younger sibling again.

"I don't know, Maggie, I honestly don't know." Steve sighed in reply. He really wasn't sure what Natasha felt about it these days.

"Oh. That's okay." Maggie just shrugged in reply, an action that they would have labeled as "uncharacteristic" of her a year ago. "I don't know if I really want one anymore, anyway."

That was even stranger to Steve. He eyed her curiously. "Why don't you want one anymore?" He couldn't help but ask.

"All my classmates with little brothers and sisters said that their parents love their siblings more than them, since they're younger. I don't want you and Mama to love someone else more than me." Maggie explained.

Steve imagined that was a feeling most people who were older siblings sometimes housed. "Mags, no matter what happens, we will never love you any less. If you have a little brother or sister, we would love them the same, equal amount as we love you." He assured her with a hug.

Maggie smiled. "Thanks, Daddy. I guess having one wouldn't be that bad, after all, then. I could use some help with my pranks!"

* * *

Later that day, after Maggie went to bed, Steve finally mustered up the courage to ask Natasha what she wanted from then on out. They hadn't talked about it at all in a year, but her feelings on the subject had become clear.

"Nat, we need to talk." Steve said as he sat down on the bed with her.

"About?" Natasha asked.

"About our future. Our future as a family." He replied.

"Steve..." She sighed.

"Maggie finally asked about having a younger sibling again earlier today. She's not as enthusiastic about it as last year, but I think she would still-"

"No." Natasha interrupted.

"No?" Steve echoed.

"No. No, Steve, I'm not doing this again." Natasha tried to steel herself as she began feeling overwhelmed by emotions. "I can't bring another child into the world just to be put in danger. That is a cruel, cruel thing that we forced onto Maggie. I'm not putting another innocent life at risk."

"Natasha..." Steve tried, but she continued.

"I let myself become so... _Unguarded_, with this whole family thing because of how well it was working for six years. Then I was reminded of why I didn't want this in the first place. Don't get me wrong, Steve, I do not regret having Maggie and I never will; I am so grateful she is in our lives, and I wouldn't have it any other way." Natasha couldn't help but smile as she talked briefly about their daughter. Unfortunately, the joy on her face was short lived. "But now... Now we have the chance to spare someone else from being in as much danger as her. And I'm going to take advantage of that."

Natasha felt extremely guilty as she saw the look of disappointment on Steve's face. He deserved someone better, someone who could wholeheartedly and happily give him what he wanted without it having such a risk. Though he had made it crystal clear long ago that he loved her, and that her insecurities were inaccurate, she couldn't help but feel them again. He deserved better.

"Natasha... We protected Maggie. She's safe. You know that everyone would do the same for another child." Steve tried to reason with her.

"I know." Her voice was barely louder than a whisper, as she knew it would be clouded with emotion at normal volume. She met him with sad eyes. "But look at how much damage was done. Maggie is scarred for life. So are we. There's no way these wounds will ever completely go away. We can't let this happen again to another one."

Steve sighed in defeat. Normally, he would have put up more of a fight, but this entire thing was too sensitive; one wrong word or move could destroy everything. After a few seconds, he stared down at his hands. "Is this decision permanent?" He asked quietly.

Natasha also averted her teary eyes, and then shook her head slightly. "I don't know." She replied honestly.

Steve nodded slowly, accepting that as an answer. He silently pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head. She quietly cried into his chest.

* * *

Gradually, life returned to whatever sense of normalcy it once held for their family and everyone seemed to have moved on from what happened.

Maggie didn't bring up the subject of another sibling again after her talk with Steve. For once in her life, she decided to be (uncharacteristically) patient and observe from the sidelines, waiting for something to happen. Seeing as nothing happened for a while, she eventually pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind and moved on as she got busier and busier with each new school year.

The other Avengers knew asking Natasha and Steve about it would be equivalent to giving a death wish, so they didn't talk about it. On one or two occasions, Pepper or Clint inquired about it, but upon seeing how distressed both parents would immediately appear after hearing them ask, they quickly changed the subject. The answer was obvious.

Natasha later tried to justify her fears with herself as her supposed infertility caused by the Red Rom. She still had no idea if she could conceive, really, since it had only happened once and never again, not even during the period of time in which she and Steve were trying for another child. A few times, she spontaneously feared and wondered if she had perhaps been with child while she was on the run with Maggie, and that getting shot had terminated the pregnancy. But, then she would quickly realize the doctors would have mentioned it to Steve or to her, or maybe to Steve for him to tell her, if that had happened.

...Right?

"Hey, Mama, wanna play Nintendo Monopoly with me and Uncle Tony?" Maggie's question pulled Natasha out of her thoughts. The fourth grader beamed up at her happily. Natasha smiled.

"Sure, Лапушка. But you are both going to lose." The spy said confidently.

"We'll see about that! I'm not a billionaire for nothing!" Tony shot back from the table. Rolling her eyes, Natasha stood up and followed Maggie across the room.

"Uncle Clint says you cheat, Uncle Tony!" Maggie protested. "He said that's why you always win."

"Well, Uncle Clint is just a sore loser." Toy snorted.

"That's not nice." Maggie commented with a frown.

"Life isn't nice, squirt. You just gotta deal." Tony shrugged.

Taking a seat at the table with her daughter and the billionaire, Natasha found herself silently agreeing with Tony's statement.

* * *

**A/N: **We once again journey into the land of "I'm going to mention this really dramatic plotline that exists in this universe that I haven't written out yet because I am struggling to get it right!", aka, referencing the event of Maggie and Natasha having to flee and go off the grid for a few days because mean Red Room people... I've tried writing it out a few times, but I can't seem to get it right! Hopefully I'll get some inspiration for it soon. :0

Anyway... I pretty much sealed the deal of Maggie being an only child way early on in this collection of oneshots, just by kinda, like, not having another kid around, haha. But, I did want to keep her an only child (though I personally don't have experience in the "being an only child" field). I felt like this would be the best way to go about explaining why, instead of just Nat and Steve being like "eh, I think we're good with just one" (no offense to parents who do that, I just felt like these two specific characters would do it for a big specific reason or something, but, hey, that might just be me).

I hope no one (mostly Natasha) was too OOC here! I felt like Natasha in particular would be emotional about this type of stuff. And, hey, that unanswered question at the end! Whaddup with dat?! I thought that maybe some people would "enjoy" (that is the worst word ever to use for this but I don't really know how else to describe it) the angst-filled thought of that happening to Natasha. So, I decided to leave it up to reader interpretation and opinion.

Alright, I'll stop rambling now and let you all return to your days. xD Hopefully the next update will be soon, and I'll see you all then. Sending all my love!


	27. The Reason For This World: You and I

**A/N: **Sooooo, is anybody still out there? :0 I know, I left you guys all hanging. I'M SO SORRY, I PROMISE I HAVEN'T ABANDONED THIS STORY! Things irl after the last update just kinda went downhill for a while, and they still have yet to really pick up again, but, hey, what's life without some nasty bumps, eh?

Here we have some fluff and angst and then more angst and then some fluff. Something. I dunno, I just know this turned really long. This was probably driven by my own unpredictable, yet ever-changing, bout of emotions I've been experiencing in the past month, so that works, I guess. Also, shoutout to anyone here who watches _Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D._! If you do, congrats, there are some cameos in this chapter! :D Yay!

I also have no medical knowledge whatsoever, nor had the time to do research about this stuff. So yeah, bear with me. XP I guess I'll put in a **trigger warning **for violence because it's mentioned very vaguely to explain why a certain characters is in a certain medical state that I did not research. ...Did that make any sense? XP

Please remember that I love you all and you guys help keep me going :3 Thank you for everything, now, enjoy~

* * *

"Okay, now, can someone tell me what the stratosphere is?"

A small, but confident, hand immediately shot up, and Mrs. Mayfield was not at all surprised. The hand belonged to young Maggie Rogers, whose enthusiastic personality seemed to carry over into the classroom sometimes.

Maggie waved her hand around excitedly, and Mrs. Mayfield looked at everyone else. She called on the redhead probably more often than she should, considering it was a class of 27 sixth graders.

"Tom?" She called on a random boy, named Tom, in hopes that he would answer.

"Um…" The poor kid readjusted his glasses, and Mrs. Mayfield held back a sigh.

"Kelly?" She prompted next.

Said girl didn't look up from her painted nails. "I don't know." She shrugged, and Mrs. Mayfield was certain she didn't even hear the question.

Meanwhile, Maggie was now half-on the table she shared with her best friend, Callie, leaning forward as if trying to reach for the earth science teacher so she could answer.

With a sigh, Mrs. Mayfield walked over to the table, and gestured for Maggie to sit back down on her bottom. Complying, the redhead slid back into her seat, still holding her hand up high, and looking up at the woman expectantly.

"Maggie?" The teacher finally asked.

"It's the level right above the troposphere, and goes about 32 miles up from Earth." Maggie answered cheerfully, folding her hands together on her desk to appear as innocent and studious as ever.

"Very good, Maggie." Mrs. Mayfield praised her with an amused smile as some of the other sixth graders rolled their eyes at the typical display. Maggie was oblivious to it all. Callie patted the proud redhead's arm in friendly praise.

Suddenly, the phone on her desk rang. "Alright, you guys start reading section three while I answer this." She said as she walked over to her desk.

The rest of the class did as told with bored expressions on their faces while Maggie happily opened her textbook, skimming through the section for review. She had already gone over this chapter's material with Bruce and Tony the previous week, as the two scientists had been tutoring her in science for the past few years. They helped her understand many advanced concepts beyond what was required of her in the school's curriculum, so she was always excited to answer questions in class. She wasn't a huge fan of science, really, but Tony and Bruce's enthusiasm and helpful explanations really did wonders for her.

"Maggie? Can you come here for a minute?" Mrs. Mayfield's voice pulled Maggie from her thoughts.

"Oooohh." Her peers (except for the quietly concerned Callie) chorused, assuming the redhead was in some form of disciplinary trouble. Maggie ignored them, and got up from her seat and walked over to her teacher.

"I just got a call from the front office. They told me to tell you that your Uncle Phil will be picking you up today." The teacher explained.

Maggie tilted her head to the side curiously. "Did they say why?" She asked. Coulson had picked her up from school a good handful of times before, sure, but it always made her worry a little bit.

Mrs. Mayfield shook her head. "No, but I would assume that it's because your parents were called away on a mission today." She guessed.

Glancing over at the clock on the wall, Maggie noticed that it was just after 11:00 AM. Mrs. Mayfield's guess was probably right.

"You're probably right. Thanks." Maggie gave a small smile before returning to her seat.

"Is everything okay?" Callie asked the redhead, looking genuinely concerned.

"Yeah, it's all good. My parents are just on another mission, so my uncle is gonna pick me up today." Maggie explained.

"Oh, okay. Good." Callie smiled as Mrs. Mayfield resumed the lesson.

* * *

"Uncle Phil!" Maggie exclaimed happily as she emerged from the front gate and hurried over to the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, who was standing and waiting for her at the curb.

Though Coulson had definitely aged and slowed down in recent years, he continued to stick with the agency. He wasn't sent on nearly as many missions anymore, though, and often got a bit of freedom to do whatever he wanted while on the clock. That occasionally included picking up his niece-he still couldn't believe the daughter of his childhood hero and idol was his _niece-_-from school or other activities when Natasha and Steve were called away.

"Hey there, Maggie." Coulson smiled warmly at the beaming sixth grader. She stood in front of him, facing him with a determined look on her face, and he knew what she was waiting for.

Complying, he offered his hand, and she immediately took it. They then performed the infamous handshake of Annie and the family butler, Martin, from _The Parent Trap _(Maggie always had an odd fascination with that movie that Coulson never tried to understand, but could not say "no" to her when she enthusiastically asked him to learn the handshake with her). It had become a bit of a tradition between them to perform it at every meeting from that moment on.

As it ended with the two switching places and shaking hands, Maggie gently hugged him, ever mindful of her genetically screwed up muscles and strength. "I haven't seen you in so long!" He could feel her smiling into his torso.

"What has it been, a week?" Coulson chuckled, wrapping his arms around her in return.

"That's still too long!" Maggie giggled, looking up at him. "Were Mama and Daddy called away on a mission?"

Coulson looked at her for a moment and hesitated, remembering why he was picking her up in the first place. "...Let's talk about it in the car." He suggested instead, and he could feel her tense up a bit in his arms.

"Um… Okay." She agreed nervously, and let go of him. They then walked over to the S.H.I.E.L.D. issued SUV, and got in quietly. Maggie looked over at Coulson in the driver's seat expectantly. He started the car and began pulling out of the parking spot.

"Uncle Phil, are my parents okay?" Maggie asked nervously, as she knew that something was amiss.

"Your parents are fine, Maggie. Yes, they were called away on a mission today." Coulson answered slowly, as he drove out of the parking lot. He then looked over at her remorsefully. "But…"

"But?" Maggie echoed.

"Your Uncle Clint missed his check-in point on his mission late last night, so after dropping you off at school, your parents were immediately called in to help lead a rescue team, along with your Uncle Tony and Uncle Brucie." Coulson explained, glancing over at her.

Maggie immediately felt her heart drop, and she stared at the man intently. "Is Uncle Clint okay?" Her voice shook.

"They found him, but he's… Not doing too well. They're on their way back now." Coulson answered softly.

Maggie felt her world begin to crumble around her. "Uncle Phil…"

"We're going to the Triskelion now, to wait for them there." He continued. "They should be there soon."

"Is he gonna be okay?" Maggie asked quietly.

"I don't know, Maggie." Coulson answered honestly. "I really don't know this time."

* * *

Maggie was as restless as ever while waiting at the Triskelion, and everyone was starting to worry. She had turned down Agent Melinda May's offer to do Tai-Chi together (an activity that was pretty odd for Maggie to enjoy, but interested her because she got to spend time with the infamous May from Coulson's stories), didn't want to watch illegally downloaded movies or play video games with Leo Fitz, Skye, and Jemma Simmons (Maggie just really loved Coulson's bus team), and even opted to not go out and get food with Hill.

After seeing the uncharacteristically quiet redhead continue to sulk and nervously fidget, the agents collaborated and decided it was time to call in the big guns.

"Director Fury, this is urgent. She won't talk to anyone or do anything." Coulson said into his cell phone as he stood outside his office, watching Skye try to comfort Maggie through the window on his door while Fitz and Simmons' faces held worried expressions a few feet away. Hill had been called away on a new job while May had gone home for the day.

He could hear Fury give a small sigh over the line. _"Alright, bring her up. I'll take care of it." _Fury didn't give Coulson a chance to reply as he hung up. Normally, people would assume that Fury sounded irritated or bothered, but Coulson knew that the man was just as concerned as everyone else.

Coulson walked back into his office and towards the group of worried agents and distressed girl. Seeing him, Skye stood up and walked a few feet away to let the senior agent in.

"Alright, Maggie, I called in a favor and managed to get a hold of our best intel source on this situation." He said, kneeling down in front of the redhead, who met his eyes through her own wet ones.

"Uncle Nick?" Maggie guessed quietly.

"Yeah, Uncle Nick." Coulson said softly as he nodded. "Do you want to go see him?"

"Okay." Maggie whispered in reply, and slid off the couch.

"Tell him that his favorite team says 'hi.'" Skye joked, trying to lighten the mood.

"And our movie offer still stands for later, if you end up sticking around for a while." Fitz added.

"Or video games. We can also play video games." Simmons interjected.

Maggie nodded in reply, and murmured a quiet "thanks" as she took Coulson's hand in her own. Coulson gave her hand a small squeeze in reply.

"Let's go." He said, and they walked out of his office without another word.

* * *

"Ms. Maggie." Fury greeted as Coulson and the redhead entered his large office.

Maggie let go of Coulson's hand and immediately walked up to the director. "Uncle Nick, is Uncle Clint okay?" She asked him sadly.

"We don't know yet, Maggie." Fury said softly, crouching down to meet her at eye level. "He got really hurt."

"What happened?" Maggie asked.

"We don't really know for sure. Your parents are going to give me a full report and explanation when they get back, but for now, we just know that something in his mission went wrong, and he suffered because of it." Fury explained.

He could see the gears turning in the girl's mind as she tried to process what he had said and meant. "What if he's not okay?" Maggie couldn't help but ask.

"All we can do for now is hope that he will be okay." Fury replied. "Come on, you should sit down."

Maggie didn't reply, just stared at her feet sadly. Fury led her over to the large chair behind his desk that she had informed him, on several occasions, was very comfortable and made her feel in charge (Natasha once mentioned Maggie possibly planned on taking over the world someday). The young redhead sat back in the large chair, letting the lingering presence of Fury in it consume her as she held a lost expression.

The two men and girl waited around impatiently for a while, barely exchanging any words. There was just nothing to say; there was so much was on the line. It was hard to imagine Clint without Maggie (despite it being the case only 12 years ago), but it was _impossible_ to imagine Maggie without Clint. So much of her was him, that losing him would mean losing a large portion of Maggie in the process.

As Maggie drew her knees up to her chest and laid her chin upon them, she tried to remember what the last thing she had said to her godfather was. Upon drawing a blank-due to her inability to think clearly-she silently berated herself. How could she forget something so important? She had been trying so hard all of her life to not take her family for granted after seeing how dangerous their work was. Her frustration and sorrow overcame her, and she began to cry softly into her knees. Fury and Coulson stood on either side of her, each wordlessly laying a hand on her for comfort. Maggie barely noticed.

Finally, Fury's phone vibrated, and he received a text alert from Natasha announcing their arrival to the medical wing of the base. Fury immediately replied with the question of whether or not they should bring Maggie yet, and he realized after sending it how _domestic_ it made him feel. Texting a friend to ask if it's time to bring a kid to a certain location yet. That usually wasn't his style; normally, he would be heading over to medical to interrogate the Avengers and find out what the hell went wrong. But with Maggie, everything was different.

Coulson seemed to have known what was going on in the instant messaging exchange, as he didn't even ask Fury what was going on. Maggie had yet to react, unconsciously marveling in her last few minutes of ignorance and away from reality.

Natasha swiftly replied to Fury, green lighting the delivery of Maggie to her parents.

"Alright, Maggie, it's time to go. Your parents and everyone are going to meet us at medical." Fury said softly to the now sniffling girl.

"And Uncle Clint? What about him? Is he okay?" Maggie choked out.

"I don't know. But we're gonna find out now." Fury replied, offering a hand. Maggie took it as she slid out of the large, authoritative chair. Coulson quietly followed the duo, watching over them carefully.

* * *

"Daddy!" Maggie cried as she ran up to Steve in the medical hallway. Upon hearing her call, Steve opened up his arms and allowed Maggie to practically run him over.

"Hey, Maggie." He greeted in reply, hugging her tightly and placing a kiss to her temple. She held him in an equally strong grip, thanks to the serum.

Maggie pulled away just enough to meet his eyes. "Is Uncle Clint okay?" The way the question felt so familiar and routine on her lips now made her angry.

"I don't know, Mags, he got really hurt. Here, let's go sit down, and I'll tell you what happened." Steve said, picking up the eleven year old, and walking towards some nearby chairs.

Meanwhile, Fury and Coulson, who had been watching the exchange, were approached by Natasha and Tony. They looked as if they had been through hell and back in the last twelve hours.

"What happened?" Coulson cut to the chase, not bothering with professional protocols.

Tony shared a quick glance with Natasha, trying to figure out who should speak. Upon seeing an upset expression that, though more subtle and controlled, could compete with Maggie's, Tony decided he would do the talking. "Birdbrain got captured by the HYDRA goons. We don't really know what they did to him, but we came just in time. He had been beat up pretty bad. We got him out as quick as we could, but Bruce was having problems keeping him stable on the way over. The good doctor is working on him now, but we don't know…"

The billionaire's voice trailed off, implying everyone's worst fears about the situation, and no one said anything. After a few painful seconds, Natasha excused herself, saying she needed to go be with Maggie and Steve. No one stopped her.

"Mama…" Maggie cried as the spy walked over to father and daughter. The younger redhead was seated on the soldier's lap, with fresh signs of tears on her face. Natasha figured Steve had just explained the situation to the sixth grader.

Without a word, Natasha sat down next to them with her arms open. Maggie immediately launched herself into her mother's arms, seeking some kind of comfort that would reassure her that everything would be okay. Steve threw an arm around the two redheads, pulling them closer, as Natasha rubbed Maggie's back while she cried into the assassin's shoulder.

"Please tell me you took out the bastards that did this." Fury practically pleaded with Tony.

"Oh, yeah, they're history. They faced the wrath of the Avengers alright. Even the Hulk got some time in, but quickly changed back to normal when we found Legolas in such awful shape." Tony answered.

"How bad is it?" Coulson dared to ask.

Tony blew out a breath, temporarily shooting his eyes up to the ceiling as he mulled over the question and what his answer should be for a few seconds. "Bruce thinks he _might_ be able to fix Clint up. Last I heard, they managed to get him stable for the present. But Bruce said things are gonna be much harder while they're operating, which is what they're doing right now."

Before either man could reply or comment, they heard a distressed "Tony!" come from down the hall. Looking in the direction of the voice, they saw an upset Pepper Potts hurrying towards them. Coulson and Fury excused themselves to give the couple their privacy.

"Pepper." Tony greeted sadly as Pepper threw her arms around his neck in a frantic manner. He hugged her back tightly, and the two stood there in that position for a few seconds.

"Clint... Is he okay? What happened?" Pepper asked as she pulled away just enough to meet his eyes. She and the archer had grown especially close over the years through their godparent roles.

"I don't know, Pep, it's pretty bad..." Tony trailed off as he glanced over towards the small family sitting in the plastic chairs with a worried expression.

Pepper followed his gaze, her eyes immediately landing on the still very upset Maggie. Natasha was holding her daughter tightly, rocking her ever so slightly while whispering small comforts into her ear. Steve just had his arms around both of them protectively, splitting his attention between the two redheads and the rest of the area around them. The sight broke Pepper's heart.

She then nodded in reply to what Tony said, not sure what could be said. Tony led her over to some chairs a few feet away from the Rogers family as they prepared to wait for news.

Maggie was now sitting on Natasha's lap, her head leaning against her mother's chest as Maggie fiddled with the arrow necklace Clint had given her four years prior. She wore it everywhere, everyday, as a reminder that her godfather would always be there for her, because he promised. Maggie frowned, feeling a fresh new wave of tears; Clint can't break his promise!

Natasha really didn't know how she felt. On one hand, she was just as devastated and grief-stricken as her daughter, but, on the other hand, she couldn't, shouldn't, and wouldn't show it; Maggie needed someone to ground her right now, and as her mother, Natasha knew that was her job. Therefore, she would have to save her own emotions for later.

They all waited for a few hours without so much as a word from Bruce or the S.H.I.E.L.D. doctors on Clint's condition. The atmosphere was extremely tense, awkward, and anxious. Natasha and Steve tried several times to get Maggie to sleep, as it was now decently late into the hours of the night, but the younger redhead refused vehemently. The two parents eventually just gave up on trying to push her.

Throughout the evening, more people joined them. Coulson and Fury returned, along with Hill at one point. Thor walked in not too long afterwards, saying Heimdall had alerted him that one of his teammates had fallen.

Finally, after what seemed like a thousand years, Bruce came out with a tired expression on his face. He walked over to the group without a word, and they all immediately stood, save for Steve and Natasha, on top of whom Maggie had practically sprawled out over.

"Dr. Banner, report." Fury spoke up for the group without a moment's hesitation.

Seeing Maggie staring at him intently, Bruce knew he had to make his description and news a bit more "kid friendly" than normal. "He made it through the surgery. We lost him a few times, but we managed to get him back and pull through."

"Oh, thank God." Pepper sighed in relief, pressing herself closer to Tony's side for comfort.

Tony, meanwhile, examined Bruce's somber expression closely. "I sense that there's a 'but' in there somewhere."

Bruce swallowed nervously with a subtle nod. "Clint's... In a coma now," he decided to be direct with the news, "and we're not sure when, or if..." He trailed off, once again noticing Maggie's piercing gaze fixed on him. "We're not sure when he'll wake up."

The adults in the room all caught onto what Bruce was hinting at as the truth, and an even harsher silence overcame them all.

However, Maggie was nothing if not perceptive. Even she had understood what Bruce meant to a certain extent. She regarded the scientist calmly. "Can we go visit him?" She asked meekly. "What if he wakes up all alone and scared?"

Seeing everyone's worried and guilty expressions, Natasha took charge. "He probably won't wake up for a while, Лапушка." She answered softly. "Like Uncle Brucie said, we're not sure when he'll wake up."

"But he _will _wake up, though, right?" Maggie needed the firm assurance the situation was lacking.

Natasha hesitated, not wanting to lie to Maggie, but definitely not wanting to tell her the truth, either. Thankfully, Bruce stepped in.

"You can visit him, Maggie. You just have to be quiet and gentle, and don't touch any of the equipment or anything." He said gently.

Maggie nodded, sliding off of Natasha's lap and standing up. She didn't press anyone for an answer to her previous question.

As Maggie took Bruce's hand in hers, Steve gently nudged Natasha. "You should go with her." He said quietly.

Natasha didn't look back at him as she gave a small nod and stood up. Steve gave her hand a gentle squeeze before she followed Bruce and Maggie out of the room.

* * *

"Here is his room." Bruce stopped the small group in front of a closed door.

Maggie tensed up a bit as she felt her heart beat a little faster. Natasha stood behind her daughter protectively.

Without another word, Bruce slowly opened the door and entered. The two redheads followed closely behind.

Maggie let out a small gasp at the intimidating sight. Clint was covered in different bruises and bandages, and was hooked up to several machines. Out of fear, Maggie immediately latched onto Natasha's torso. Natasha wrapped her arm around Maggie in an attempt to reassure her.

"I know it looks scary, Maggie." Bruce said softly after watching Maggie's reaction. "But I promise you, Uncle Clint is still alive. Do you wanna get closer and see?"

Maggie looked between the scientist and her mother nervously. Natasha have her a small smile and nod of encouragement. Bruce offered the younger redhead his hand. After a few seconds, Maggie complied, and let Bruce lead her over to Clint's bedside.

They stopped right next to his head and shoulder. Bruce let go of Maggie's hand, and gestured to the comatose archer. "Do you want to hold his hand?"

Maggie ripped her eyes away from Clint to look back up at Bruce. "What if I hurt him?" She asked, appearing genuinely concerned.

"You won't. I promise." Bruce assured her. Maggie appeared unconvinced, and looked back at her unconscious godfather uneasily.

"Go on, Лапушка. It's okay." Natasha urged silently from the other side of the bed that she had situated herself on. "Uncle Clint would like it."

Realizing Natasha was probably right, Maggie reached out with a shaky hand and took Clint's limp appendage in her own. She drew it closer to herself, holding it with both hands as if it were a fragile piece of glass.

They stood in silence for a few more minutes as Maggie ran a gentle thumb over Clint's bruised knuckles. Bruce then excused himself to go talk to everyone else after telling Natasha to call him back immediately if something changed.

"Do you wanna sit?" Natasha asked softly after Bruce left. Maggie shook her head.

"I wanna stay standing next to Uncle Clint in case he has bad dreams." Maggie replied. "That's what he does for me sometimes."

Natasha smiled sadly, silently appreciating her best friend even more than she already did. She wished he were awake so she could tell him.

As if reading her thoughts, Maggie spoke up again. "Do you think if we talk to him, he can hear us? Like, on TV?" She asked her mother with hopeful eyes.

Natasha hesitated before answering. "Normally, I would say yes, but..." Her voice trailed off. "He's not wearing his hearing aids..." She finished awkwardly.

Maggie deflated, looking sad again. She looked back at Clint with sad eyes. "Oh... That's right. I forgot."

Natasha watched Maggie with a sad expression, disappointed that she couldn't even give her daughter that simple reassurance. "I'm sorry, Лапушка." She wasn't really sure why she was apologizing since it wasn't her fault, but she still felt immensely guilty.

"It's okay. I'll just talk to him after he wakes up." Maggie shrugged, still running her thumb over Clint's hand. "Mama... He is going to wake up, right?"

Even after the second time Maggie asked, Natasha didn't know how to answer her. Instead, she made her way around the bed and joined Maggie on Clint's right side. She ran a gentle hand through Maggie's hair as she answered truthfully. "We honestly don't know, Maggie. Uncle Clint was hurt so badly, his body might not be able to recover."

"But, Mama, Uncle Clint's gotten hurt a lot before!" Maggie argued, turning to face her mother. "He'll be okay, like he always is!"

"I hope so, Maggie, I really do. But there's a chance he might not." Natasha's voice was raw with emotion.

"Why?" Maggie asked helplessly, turning back to the bedridden archer. "Why are things different this time?"

"This time he got hurt much worse than he normally does."

"What happened?"

"We don't know for sure. We just know he got captured by HYDRA agents, and we found him just in time."

"Was he... Tortured?" Maggie's voice shook as she said the word.

Natasha really wished her young daughter didn't already know what that word meant. "I think," she said, instead of confirming or denying Maggie's guess, "he was being as reckless as always and working too hard to protect the world. You know how he is."

Maggie gave a small smile. "Yeah. Whenever we play video games co-op, he gets killed trying to protect me." She paused. "In the game."

"Yeah, I got what you meant." Natasha replied with the same smile.

"Good." Maggie said seriously, giving Clint's hand a gentle squeeze.

* * *

Maggie woke with a start the next day. She had no idea what time it was or anything, but she realized she was not at home, nor the Triskelion; she was in her parents' bed at the Avengers' Tower.

"Good morning, sleepyhead." Steve, sitting on the other side of the bed, greeted her softly.

"G'morning..." She mumbled sleepily, rubbing her eyes as she curled back up into her pillow and the covers. "Why are we at the Tower?" She yawned as her eyes drifted shut.

"We transferred Uncle Clint here last night." Steve explained. "Uncle Tony insisted that since Uncle Clint hates S.H.I.E.L.D. hospitals, it would be better for him to be here."

"I agree, the tower's always better." Maggie murmured as she continued to try to go back to sleep. Suddenly, Steve's words hit her like a ton of bricks, her eyes flew open, and she thought her heart had just taken a nosedive down into her stomach. "Uncle Clint is..."

"Still asleep." Steve finished for her, lying down next to her. He pulled her close. "He's still asleep, but alive." He found himself avoiding the word "coma."

Maggie's eyes were already filled with tears that had begun to spill over. She pushed her face into her father's chest, seeking refuge from the harsh realities of the world.

When she had visited the archer with her mother the previous night, she was still in shock from the whole thing. All she could do was hold his hand, and it killed her inside. If she was the one in bed like him, Clint would be by her side every moment. She felt guilty for not doing the same.

The two stayed like that for a while, with Maggie crying softly as Steve rubbed her back and placed the occasional kiss to her head.

As Maggie eventually calmed down, Steve let her go. "You're probably hungry, I'm assuming." He tried to lighten the mood.

Maggie sniffled. "A little."

"When was the last time you ate?" Steve inquired.

Maggie shifted uncomfortably. "I ate a little bit with Uncle Phil after school yesterday, but I haven't really been hungry." Anxiety and worry tended to make Maggie sick to her stomach and unable to eat.

Steve nodded in understanding. He was expecting that to be the case. "You should try to eat a little more today. I'll make you chocolate chip pancakes." He offered.

Maggie gave a small smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. "That sounds yummy."

* * *

_"Do you wanna build a snowman? Or ride our bike around the halls? I think some company is overdue; I've started talking to the pictures on the walls..." _

Maggie sighed in defeat as her voice trailed off, laying her head down on the bed beside Clint's arm. It had been days, and he hadn't changed much. Bruce insisted that was a good thing, considering how easily he could have gotten worse, but she still had yet to see the good in it.

Despite the fact that he didn't have his hearing aids in, Maggie talked and occasionally sang to Clint as if he did. She would even put his hand against her throat so he could feel the vibrations of her voice instead.

"Okay, I think 'Do You Want To Build a Snowman?' is getting old, don't you? Maybe you need me to try one that you can sing with me." Maggie thought aloud as she raised her head. "Hmmm... Oh, I know! _All my life has been a series of doors in my face. And then suddenly I bump into you...!" _

She stared at the comatose archer intently, waiting for him to jump up and belt out his half like he always did. But he didn't.

Her eyes slipped closed sadly. Even though he was there, literally lying right in front of her, she missed him dearly.

_How can I live without you, Uncle Clint? You're such a big part of me… _

If Clint was gone, Maggie ultimately would be, too.

_Uncle Clint, I swear to God, if you're having one of those freaky experiences where you have to choose between life and death right now, and you're in a coma because you haven't decided yet, I'm gonna throw your bow and arrows into the ocean! _

She glared at him as she silently threatened him, but he still didn't respond.

* * *

"Uncle Phil, do you believe in God?"

Coulson raised his eyebrows at the mature question coming from the mouth of the eleven year old. He paused thoughtfully before answering.

"I do." He said earnestly. Another pause. "What about you?"

"I don't know." Maggie shrugged, crossing her arms on the bed beside Clint's shoulder and laying her head upon them. "Daddy said he was raised 'Catholic,' or something, so he believes in God. Mama thinks he just believes in God because he's old-fashioned, like the idea of a god itself."

Coulson could tell she was parroting her mother a bit there. "I take it your mother doesn't believe in God." He observed.

Maggie shook her head. "She thinks that if there's a God out there, He should be helping us more, since life is so hard and so many people are hurt and sad." She explained.

"That's understandable." Coulson commented.

"Why do you believe in God, Uncle Phil?" Maggie couldn't help but ask. "Mama's right; the world is such an awful place, and no one's helping us."

Coulson thought for a moment. "I believe in God, because I believe there is something good in each of us, and it doesn't just exist there by itself."

Maggie furrowed her brow in confusion, so Coulson elaborated.

"I think the easiest way to explain it would be through Skye's explanation."

"Agent Skye believes in God?"

"Kinda. She believes God is love, so He's in each of us that way."

Maggie nodded thoughtfully. "That makes sense."

"Yeah, it does."

"I still don't know if I believe, though."

"That's totally fine, Maggie. All that really matters is being a good, loving person, and you're already doing a good job at that." Coulson gave her a reassuring smile.

"Thanks." Maggie said sheepishly. "So, then, do you believe in the afterlife?"

"Well," Coulson blew out a cautious breath, "I'd like to think that there is something after we die. Somewhere where we can all be together again."

"I think that, too." Maggie smiled in agreement, taking one of Clint's hands in her own.

Coulson returned the friendly smile.

* * *

"Uncle Tony, you're smart. Do you know when he'll wake up?"

"As much as I like to emphasize my vast knowledge of the world, munchkin, I cannot say that I know when our favorite archer will be joining us again." Tony admitted softly.

Maggie sighed in reply. "Okay. Fine."

* * *

"Why won't he just wake up already?!" Maggie cried, sounding impatient and exhausted. A week of little to no sleep and food did wonders for her.

"His body just needs more time to rest, Maggie." Pepper tried to explain for what seemed like the millionth time. They were all exhausted.

"He's already been resting for so long, though!" Maggie protested.

"Just give him time." Pepper sighed.

* * *

"We're thinking about taking him off the machines…"

"What does that mean?" Maggie whimpered from where she was lying besides the archer on the bed.

"It means that Uncle Clint isn't getting any better, Maggie." Steve said softly. "Uncle Brucie is saying it might be best to just let him go, so he doesn't have to suffer anymore."

Understanding washed over Maggie's features in the form of pure fear. "What?! No, no, _no_! Uncle Clint _will _wake up, I just know it! We just have to give him more time!" She threw her arms protectively over Clint's sleeping form, shooting an icy glare at Bruce. "You can't do this to him!"

Bruce calmly held his hands up. "We aren't doing anything for sure, yet, Maggie. It's just something we're thinking about, since it's been a week and a half and he hasn't improved at all, or shown any signs of waking up." He said quietly. "I don't want to do it anymore than you do, trust me."

Maggie's expression didn't waver as she continued to stare him down. Bruce had never seen her so fierce and cold before.

"Maggie, it's okay. No one's doing anything yet." Steve intervened, rubbing her back slowly.

Maggie held the glare for a moment longer before softening a bit. She laid her head back down with a sigh. "Okay..." She said wearily.

* * *

"Uncle Clint, you need to wake up soon. I think Mama and Bobbi are about to leave by themselves to go after the rest of HYDRA alone, and no one really feels like stopping them."

* * *

"Daddy says you'll wake up in your own time, Uncle Clint, which wasn't that helpful. You're always late to everything. Just for once, can you be on time?"

* * *

"I'm technically ditching school to sit here with you. Heh."

* * *

_"Say something, I'm giving up on you..."_

* * *

"Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Hey, if I'm annoying you, you'll just have to wake up and tell me to stop. Beep. Beep."

* * *

"I love you. Please remember that, and please wake up."

* * *

"Even though you're not wearing your hearing aids, I'm still talking to you. You're probably off God-knows-where laughing at me."

* * *

"Do you know how close I am to bringing in _The Odyssey _and reading it to you until you get up and stop me? I'm serious!"

* * *

"Uncle Brucie brought up the whole 'taking you off the machines' thing again today, 'cause it's been two weeks since you fell asleep. I'm still here, and so are you, so, please, wake up soon! I don't want Uncle Brucie to take you away…"

* * *

"_Uncle Clint, there's something in your ear." Maggie pointed at the archer's ear curiously as they sat on the couch together one day. _

"_Huh? Do you mean my hearing aids?" Clint asked, taking one out to show her. _

"_Hearing aids?" Maggie echoed, looking at the small contraption in his palm curiously. She then eyed him curiously, with the slightest hint of worry in her voice. "What's wrong with your ears?" _

"_Nothing's wrong with them." He corrected her gently. One thing he always wanted to make sure Maggie knew was that there was nothing wrong with people who had disabilities; they just had a different way of doing things. "I just have trouble hearing things sometimes. Don't worry, I am 100% healthy." He gave her a reassuring smile as he put the small devices back in. _

_Clint could see the gears in her head turning as she comprehended his words. "Do I need hearing aids?" The eight year old tilted her head to one side. _

_He chuckled. "Nah, your hearing is still good, kid. You won't need hearing aids for a long time." _Though, with Steve's serum, she might always have sharp hearing, _he silently reflected. _

_Knowing Maggie as well as he did, he knew that wouldn't be the end of the conversation, as she often asked many questions. _

"_Have you always had trouble hearing things?" She continued, and he was silently amused at how quickly she adopted the phrase "having trouble hearing things."_

"_No, I just got hurt really badly on a mission once a long time ago. Afterwards, I was deaf, and needed hearing aids." Clint explained. _

"_Does it still hurt?" Maggie looked genuinely concerned again. _

"_You don't have to worry, Mags, it doesn't hurt anymore." Clint assured her, putting an arm around her shoulders. "I'm okay now." _

"_Are you sad that you need them to hear now?" Maggie still looked a bit worried._

"_What is this? 20 questions?" Clint teased, poking Maggie's side. _

_She giggled. "No! I'm just curious. Daddy said it's good to be curious." _

"_He's right, it is." Clint nodded in agreement. "Alright, well, I used to be really sad about having to wear hearing aids, but I'm not anymore." He answered earnestly. _

"_Ooh, ooh! Did you learn sign language?" Maggie asked excitedly. _

"_Yeah, I did." Clint answered. "What up with the sudden interest in sign language?" _

"_There's a poster in our classroom with all the letters of the alphabet, and then little hands showing how to say them." Maggie explained. _

"_I could show you how to say some things, too." Clint offered. _

_Maggie beamed. "Really?! That'd be awesome! We can, like, talk in code without anyone knowing what we're saying!" _

"_That sounds perfect for planning pranks." Clint smiled mischievously. _

"_I think so, too." Maggie grinned. _

...

The memory faded, and consciousness slowly returned. The first thing Clint comprehended was the fact that someone was curled up against him. He realized next that his hearings aids weren't in, because he couldn't hear anything.

The mass pushed up against his side felt very familiar as he tried to open his eyes. It was hard, but he slowly managed to do it.

It was bright, and he figured he was in some kind of medical facility. A small groan escaped his lips, and he then found a pair of blue eyes staring him down from mere inches above his face. He gave a small smile in recognition of them.

Maggie's lips began moving at a rapid pace, and she gestured to him a lot while looking over at a third party. Clint tried to turn to see who was there, but quickly regretted it as pain shot through his head. He must have made some sort of indication he was in pain, as Maggie was looking back down at him and was talking again, now with a worried expression.

He then saw Hill come into view briefly as she recognized that he was awake. With a smile on her face, she said something to Maggie, and left the room.

Maggie was saying things again, but quickly realized that Clint wouldn't be able to understand. She frowned.

"Errr... You probably haven't understood anything I've said." She observed. "Okay, come on, brain, remember! Sign language, sign language..."

Her hands were shaking so much, and her heart had yet to return to its normal rate. She drew out large gestures with her hands as she tried to communicate with Clint, but judging by the look of confusion on his face, she knew she was not making sense.

In a panic, Maggie threw out the word she could sign best: prank. It was the first word Clint taught her, and had become a silent signal between the two best friends.

"Prank, Uncle Clint!" Maggie declared tearfully as she signed said word. He smiled in understanding and amusement as she held the gesture while tears gathered in her eyes. Her godfather was back!

Finally, Hill came back into view with Bruce by her side. Maggie stopped her frantic signing to smile up at them in relief.

Hill happily told Clint via her hands that he would be just fine. Maggie broke down and cried softly into his chest. He managed to wrap an arm around her, glad to be back.

* * *

"You're never, ever, _ever_, allowed to do that to us again, Barton."

Clint snorted in reply, careful not to wake Maggie, who had decided his body was her pillow. "I can only control so much in the field, Tasha."

"Uh-uh, for once, I agree with our resident assassin." Tony butt in from the other side of the room. "You need to stop being so reckless."

Natasha gestured to the billionaire. "See? I'm not crazy."

Clint sighed. "Bruce? Steve? Opinions?" He asked the other two Avengers in the room.

Bruce held his hands up defensively for a moment while checking all of Clint's vitals and the machines. "I'm not getting involved." He paused. "But maybe you should take it a bit easier out there."

Clint groaned, leaning back against his pillow in defeat and slight irritation. "Not you, too."

"Clint, we can't afford to lose you. You are an asset to this team." Steve offered his opinion. "Not to mention, there is a certain little girl who needs her godfather."

Clint glanced down at Maggie's sleeping form. She had an arm thrown over his torso, with her head lying against his chest. She had mentioned something earlier about needing to hear his actual heartbeat, and not "the stupid, annoying, beeping machine" (her words, not his). He realized he had been unconsciously rubbing her back this entire time with his hand, as if to soothe her. He smiled a bit at the realization. "Yeah. I guess there is."

"I wouldn't recommend you two letting her hear you referring to her as 'little,' though." Natasha cautioned with an amused smirk. "I did last week, and she practically ranted for half an hour about how wrong I was."

"She definitely gets that from her mother." Tony commented, ignoring the glare Natasha sent his way.

"Friends! I return with Midgardian sustenance!" Thor boomed happily as he entered the room, holding a small cardboard carrier with several cups of coffee. Everyone shushed him in reply.

"The squirt is finally sleeping." Tony explained upon Thor's confused expression, taking one of the cups.

"Ah, my apologies, Lady Natasha and Lord Steven." Thor apologized, handing them each a cup.

"It's okay, Thor. Thanks for the coffee." Steve said as he took a sip.

"We're just glad she finally passed out. She's barely slept in the last two weeks." Natasha added.

"Speaking of, did anyone manage to get food in her before she started using Birdbrain as her bed?" Tony inquired.

"A little bit. She was 'too excited to eat,' according to her." Bruce answered.

"Um, has she even been to school in the last two weeks?" Clint was genuinely curious.

Everyone instantly chorused, "No." Tony sounded as if the answer were obvious, Bruce sounded like he was making an observation, Steve sighed, and Natasha answered coolly. Thor was busy munching on a croissant.

"Shit. How is she gonna make up all that work?" The archer felt bad for making her fall behind, as she had given him an earful months before about the increased workload she acquired after her transition from fifth grade to sixth.

"She's done some of it. Her friends have been in touch with her, too, and informed her about new assignments." Steve answered.

"I also think she might have been utilizing JARVIS to complete some things." Natasha added.

"Smart girl." Tony smirked into his coffee. Natasha threw her empty cup at him disapprovingly.

* * *

"Uncle Clint?" Maggie called out as she wandered around, lost. She had no idea where she was, and everything was hazy. Her first instinct had been to call out for the archer. "Uncle Clint, where are you?"

Silence answered her in reply, as her surroundings became clear; she was in the communal room everyone hung out in at the Avengers Tower. It was vacant, however, and it gave her the chills. "JARVIS?" she tried, but to no avail.

"Where is everyone?" She muttered, walking around. The tower that was usually so full of energy was empty and lacking. Maggie frowned.

"Maggie," a soft voice said, and Maggie whirled around in surprise. She then found herself face to face with her mother. "Uncle Clint's not here."

"What? Why?" Maggie tilted her head to one side. "Where is he?"

"He's gone."

"Gone? Where to?"

"He left."

"When?"

"He's not coming back." Natasha's answers were not lining up with Maggie's questions at all.

"Is he on a mission?" Maggie decided to continue asking questions.

"He's dead, Лапушка." Natasha said, sounding as if she were reminding Maggie of the fact. Maggie immediately froze and tensed up.

"What? N-No, he can't be dead! I just saw him…" She protested, backing away from her mother. Something was definitely off about the spy.

"It's gonna be okay, sweetheart. We're here for you." Natasha calmly reached out to touch her, but Maggie took a few more steps back.

"Mama, no! This can't be true. Uncle Clint's alive! He… He…" She was panicking now, her breaths coming more rapidly and tears gathering in her eyes.

"Maggie."

"Wha!"

Maggie woke with a start, trying to catch her breath. She quickly absorbed her surroundings, realizing she was still in Clint's room in the medical area of Avengers Tower. Judging by the amount of light in the room, it was sometime in the late morning. Apparently the rest of the Avengers had already slipped out and gone their separate ways for the time being, probably to get food.

She then recognized that Clint had been the one to call her name and wake her, as he was watching her through worried and stormy eyes.

"Mags, are you okay?" He asked her, concerned.

She sat up beside him, rubbing her tired eyes. "Y-Yeah, it was just a bad dream…" _Thank goodness_, she silently added.

Clint nodded in understanding. "I gathered that much. Wanna talk about it?" He offered softly.

"Not really…" Maggie sighed with a yawn, lying back down and pressing herself closer to her godfather.

"Okay." He accepted, though he would much rather hear what was going on with her.

Maggie didn't reply, laying her head back against his chest for comfort. "I thought I lost you." She said after a few moments.

Clint gave a small sigh, running a hand through her long hair. "Yeah, kid. I thought you were gonna lose me, too. But," he paused mid stroke, "I'm still here."

"But you almost weren't." She pointed out with a sour expression, feeling the tears resurface. "And you promised you'd always be there for me."

"Mags, listen." Clint urged her gently, and she reluctantly turned her head up to meet his eyes. "My promise will always remain true. Even if something does happen to me, I'll always be with you. Physically, well, that's questionable, but spiritually, yeah, we're always together. 'In your heart,' and all that Disney movie jazz." He lightly tapped her nose, causing her to giggle. "Anyway, I won't let anything keep me away from you, even death. I'll follow you around as a ghost, whatever. But the point is: I'm always with you."

Maggie nodded, accepting his answer and laying her head back down upon his chest. Her eyes drooped closed as she heard his heartbeat in her ear, reminding her he was still with her physically for the time being. She was more determined than ever to take advantage of that time. "I love you, Uncle Clint."

"I love you, too, Mags. Even more than that Asgard thing you have with Uncle Thor."

Maggie smirked against his shirt. "If you say so."


	28. If Only a Heart Could be White as Snow

**A/N****: **Hi, yes, me again, with another tardy update. I fail, I know, I'm sorry, bUT GUYS I FINALLY DID IT I WROTE THE RED ROOM ONE THAT I KEPT BRINGING UP WITH NAT AND MAGGIE HAVING TO RUN AWAY I FINALLY DID IT GUYS I AM SO HAPPY

AFTER SITTING ON THIS IDEA FOR MONTHS AND WRITING AND RE-WRITING IT DIFFERENT WAYS DIFFERENT TIMES I DID IT so sorry if you guys don't like it but I FEEL LIKE I HAVE ACCOMPLISHED SOMETHING so let's hope it's good

This one feels different than any of the other things I've written before. There's actually, like, _action _in this one, which is very unfamiliar territory for me to explore in writing! So I apologize for any fails there XD

**trigger warning **for violence (specifically, awkwardly written fight scenes and a child panicking whilst trying to save her mother from bleeding out)

As always, thank ye kindly for the faves, follows, and reviews! You are all my heroes~

* * *

Natasha was nothing if not a spy.

In fact, despite what people might have thought, motherhood strengthened her - she fought harder than ever before on missions. She had a reason to protect and save the world now, aside from just being one of its inhabitants. She even had someone to go home to.

So, really, the men outside her house trying to be quiet were failing. Badly.

Natasha thanked her lucky stars Maggie had yet to break her co-sleeping habits while Steve was away.

Hearing more shuffling outside and a quiet voice barking orders, Natasha immediately jumped out of bed.

"Maggie, Лапушка, get up, we have to go." She whispered fiercely as she shook her sleeping daughter awake.

"Hmm?" Maggie mumbled a sleepy reply, looking up at Natasha with a tired, questioning look.

"We have to get up and leave right now, okay?" Natasha managed to keep her voice calm and collected, as she collected the tired girl into her arms. Luckily, Maggie had inherited Natasha's small frame, so she was still relatively light at age six.

"Mama? Why are we leaving?" Maggie asks curiously as Natasha settled her daughter on her hip and grabbed her Widow's Bites. Natasha debated grabbing other weapons and supplies, but the sound of footsteps in the living room indicated they were a bit pressed for time.

"Is Daddy home?" Maggie innocently inquired as the sound of footsteps continued. Natasha shook her head and placed a finger over her lips, gesturing for Maggie to be quiet.

"There are bad guys around, Maggie. We have to go." Natasha quietly explained as she opened the large window that faced the backyard. "I promise, I'll protect you."

* * *

Natasha managed to time their flight from the master bedroom perfectly, as most of the suspicious men were inside the house. There were a few remaining men stalking around outside, but Natasha mentally made a quick and efficient plan to take them out. She carried the confused Maggie over to a bush on the side of the house.

"Okay, Maggie, I'm going to put you down for one second, okay? Just stay right here, and if someone comes, yell for me." Natasha really hated having to do this, but she knew she couldn't take on three men _and _carry a six year old at the same time. Not to mention, if she left Maggie out in the open, who knows what one of these mysterious attackers might do?

"O-okay…" Maggie stammered, clearly not on board with Natasha's plan.

"I will be back in two seconds, I promise." Natasha swore, setting Maggie down between the bush and the house. "Remember, be extra quiet. Unless someone comes over here and sees you. I'll be right back."

Before Maggie could say another word, Natasha whipped around and ran out into the open in front of the house. The young redhead watched as her mother swiftly incapacitated one, and took the next one down with barely any more effort. Maggie then heard the remaining man yelling in what she identified to be Russian - Natasha had talked to her enough in it, that Maggie could understand what she was saying, even though she couldn't speak it herself - but Natasha took him down with a Widow's Bite to the neck. Under normal circumstances, Maggie would have cheered for her.

Natasha rushed back over, and swiftly pulled Maggie back into her arms. "There. Told you I'd be back." The spy murmured with a small smile as Maggie wrapped her arms around her mother's neck.

"That was so fast!" Maggie commented, wide-eyed and amazed at her mother's skill. "Can we go back inside now?"

Natasha shook her head as she turned on her heel and sped-walked down the residential street. "No. There are too many men inside the house, we have to stay away for now." She explained, repeatedly glancing over her shoulder for signs of trouble.

"Who were they?"

Natasha hesitated in her answer, not believing it to be the proper time nor place for that discussion. "Bad guys from Russia that don't really like me very much. It's from a long time ago." She brushed the question off.

"Oh. Where are we going?" Maggie inquired, apparently appeased by Natasha's answer.

"We're going to go to one of my secret bases. You know, the ones I always mention in my stories?" Natasha fought to keep the mood calm as she turned down a random street.

"How will we get there? Can we walk?" Maggie continued curiously.

"No, we'll have to drive. I'll have to borrow this person's car." Natasha stopped beside a car parked on the side of the street.

"Mama! Stealing cars is illegal!" Maggie squirmed in protest, eyeing her mother with a serious gaze. "Uncle Nick can arrest you!"

"While Uncle Nick may be able to arrest people, it is okay to bend the rules in dire circumstances." Natasha returned as she walked around to the driver's side, and set Maggie down on the pavement. "I know you're barefoot and it's kinda gross, but I just need you to stand there for a little bit while I get the car going."

Maggie crossed her arms over her chest as she watched Natasha break into the car. Throughout the entire process (which only took a few minutes, but felt like an eternity to both redheads), Natasha couldn't help but feel that her daughter was silently judging her. Years later when Maggie was more mature and would definitely do that, Natasha would laugh at the thought crossing her mind that night.

"There we go." Natasha breathed a sigh of relief as the car started.

"Woohoo." Maggie cheered unenthusiastically with a yawn.

"Alright, in you go." Natasha picked her daughter up as she got into the car, and passed her over into the passenger's seat.

"Whoa! I get to sit in the front?!" Maggie looked awake and excited all of a sudden.

Natasha chuckled as she buckled both of their seat belts. "It's a bit of a… Special occasion. I think a little more rule bending is okay." She replied as she put the car in drive and pulled away from the curb.

"Will we give this person their car back?" Maggie asked worriedly as she watched the presumed owner's house get smaller as they moved further away.

"They'll get it back, don't worry." Natasha offered her daughter a small smile. "Now, then, you can go back to sleep. I'll wake you up when we get there."

Maggie yawned, apparently tired again, and nodded sleepily. She settled back against the large seat, her eyes drooping closed immediately.

"Goodnight, sweetheart. I love you." Natasha whispered under her breath in Russian. "And I'm so sorry."

* * *

Of course Natasha knew who was after them. It was obvious, especially once she saw the men and heard them speak. But, really, it was a predictable move.

She always knew her past would catch up with her someday, but raising Maggie for six years had proven to be quite the distraction from her old gloomy thoughts. She silently berated herself for forgetting how vulnerable Maggie was, just by her relation to Natasha. It was only natural that the Red Room - the evil place Natasha had been trained and abused at for her entire childhood - would be after her daughter, _especially _considering the fact that Maggie carried the super soldier serum in her blood. Natasha always had a feeling that genetic trait would prove to be a burden in some way, and this seemed to be their first real trouble with it.

To make things worse, Maggie still didn't know Natasha's origin story. She knew that the spy had originally grown up in Russia, and… That was about it. Oh, and that the first person she had met working for S.H.I.E.L.D. had been Clint. _That _was it.

It wasn't that Natasha was never going to tell her; she had full intentions to tell Maggie the truth someday. The keyword being _someday. _Not when she was _six. _Natasha was thinking more like six_teen_.

And if older Maggie were to ask something specific about anything relating to Natasha's past, Natasha had already decided she would answer the question to the extent she believed to be appropriate. Obviously, all those carefully thought out psychological strategies were now useless. Maggie deserved an explanation as to why she was being hunted down with her mother while her father was absent.

Suddenly, Natasha jumped at the memory of Steve. _Steve! _He had no idea what was going on!

She quickly resolved the issue by deciding to contact him through an encrypted phone line she had set up years ago for missions gone wrong. The poor guy was due back home that night, too; he would be coming home to an empty house, or even worse - walk right into a trap. Natasha swallowed nervously, knowing she had to remain objective and remember that Steve could handle himself, should things turn physical.

And in the worst case scenario, Natasha knew that between herself and Steve, there was a silent agreement to always put Maggie's life first.

* * *

Natasha drove to a remote safe house just outside of the DC area. She had kept the place well-stocked after she moved in with Steve in the nation's capital, since that resulted in her being in the vicinity of DC most of the time, increasing her chances of being in danger whilst there. Even after Maggie was born, Natasha still visited her secret location to replenish her supplies there, including clothes of random sizes for Maggie, just in case.

Obviously, Natasha had never wanted to have to run away here with her daughter, but that would be a very optimistic thing of her to think. She wasn't much of an optimist nor pessimist, really; she was a realist, and being realistic meant acknowledging that bringing a child up in this world would be no walk in the park, considering her daughter's parentage and relations.

She parked the car about a few miles away from the location to avoid anyone finding them through the tracking of the car. Though the house was relatively isolated, it wasn't the only one in the area, so it would take someone a while to find the thief of the stolen car once they found it.

Natasha wasted no time in unbuckling both hers and Maggie's seatbelts and pulling Maggie over into her lap. The shift caused Maggie to stir a little, but Natasha promptly shushed her and managed to lull her back to sleep while getting out of the car.

_We're almost there. _Natasha breathed a tentative sigh of relief as she started the long walk, shifting Maggie into a more comfortable position to hold at her hip. Maggie had wrapped her arms around Natasha's neck and laid her head against her shoulder in her sleep, making Natasha smile a tiny bit.

The hike took a while, as expected. It was a rural place (fabulous to walk through on barefoot, but she could handle it), reminding her of the "cave" (as Fury so affectionately called it) that she had hid out in with Steve, Sam, Hill, and Fury before taking down S.H.I.E.L.D. and HYDRA at the Triskelion. Oh, she marveled, how much simpler things were then. World crisis? Okay, get a handful of Avengers, and they'll have it contained. Simple. Now, though? World crisis? Hold that thought, my daughter has a playdate until three and dance lessons from four to five, and, oh, wait, we agreed to watch a movie tonight, maybe tomorrow? Oh, wait, no, she has a birthday party to go to and then we were going to go check out this new restaurant, ah, screw it, can you please just try to hold off on taking over the world until next week (preferably not on a school night because bedtime stories are mandatory)?

Natasha couldn't help but silently chuckle to herself at her mental banter. Really, though, she loved Maggie more than anything or anyone, and was eternally grateful for her being in her life. Sure, it could complicate things and make the job a bit harder, but it was definitely worth all that and more. Natasha never even thought she could love someone that much. Of course, her relationship with Steve had been a shocker to herself, but Maggie practically turned her mother's entire world upside down and reformed it with how much love Natasha was feeling both for and from her daughter.

"Mama?" Came Maggie's tired voice, pulling Natasha from her thoughts. The spy didn't stop walking, but shifted the hand she had on Maggie's back just a bit to indicate she was aware of her awakening.

"Yeah, Лапушка?" Natasha whispered back, trying to sound as casual as possible and not like they were walking through the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night.

"Where are we? Why is it so dark?" Maggie's voice trembled a bit with the second question, and she tightened her hold on Natasha.

Natasha slowly rubbed her back in reply. "We are on our way to one of my secret bases, remember? It's really late, so it's still dark outside. I left the car out in the open so the owner can come find it tomorrow morning." She hoped that statement would appease the young girl's previous worries.

Luckily, it did. "Oh, okay, good. I hope they look for it here, then." Maggie yawned, laying her head upon Natasha's shoulder once more. "Is Daddy at the secret base?"

Good thing it was still relatively dark outside, as Natasha didn't want Maggie to see her crestfallen expression, nor did Natasha want to see Maggie's. "No, sweetheart. Once we get there, I have to contact him to let him know what happened."

"Oh." Maggie sounded disappointed, as expected.

They continued in silence after that, and finally found themselves in front of a small cottage-like house no more than twenty minutes later. Maggie mentioned wanting it to be light outside already, so she could see what the house really looked like.

Upon going inside, Natasha didn't set Maggie down until they were in the master bedroom. She pulled the covers back and set Maggie down under them as the six year old yawned.

"Mama, you'll stay with me, right?" Maggie looked uncertain when Natasha didn't immediately crawl into bed with her.

"Of course. I just need to take off my gloves, and then I'm gonna go get some water." Natasha replied softly, setting her Widow's Bites down on the nightstand.

"Ooh, can you get me some, too?" Maggie requested.

"Sure. I'll be right back; stay in the bed." Natasha cautioned, as she knew the place was not childproofed and there were loose weapons everywhere. She had unloaded every gun and locked everything away back at their home after Maggie started crawling, unlike at the safe houses. There were instances when she was home alone with Maggie that she might have a gun hidden on her somewhere, sure, but other than that, she had done a complete one-eighty from her longtime habit of having a loaded gun in reach all the time.

"Okay." Maggie yawned, and Natasha swiftly exited the room.

While her mother was gone, Maggie took in the unfamiliar surroundings with a curious expression. The room was plain, aside from having a nightstand, dresser, a relatively empty closet, and, of course, a bed. Maggie wondered how long they would be staying there.

Meanwhile, Natasha sent a message to Steve saying what had happened through an encrypted phone line she had set up with him and the rest of the Avengers years before. Taking extra precaution, she didn't say where they were; though she trusted Stark's technology, she didn't want their location to get to the enemy first. It was too risky. The message was brief, just saying they had been attacked by Red Room agents, but got away safely, and were now on the run.

She returned to the bedroom moments later, noticing the slight jump in Maggie's shoulder when she entered the room. Natasha cast her eyes upon her daughter sadly at the reaction.

"Here's your water, Лапушка." Natasha said softly, handing the girl a small bottle of water as she sat up. Natasha took a seat next to her in the bed, knowing she wouldn't be getting any sleep that night, or for a while.

"Thanks." Maggie mumbled, unscrewing the cap and taking a sip. Her eyes lingered on her hands in her lap for a moment longer, before turning back up to face Natasha. "Who were they?"

Natasha's breath caught in her throat, but Maggie didn't notice. She just looked at her mother with a burning curiosity, most likely expecting a cool story about some bad guy that the Avengers defeated that somehow managed to get away and was now after them. Natasha wished the truth were that innocent.

"You know I grew up in Russia, and met Uncle Clint right before I started working for S.H.I.E.L.D., right?" Natasha thought she was going to be sick.

"Yeah! You're name used to be Natalia Romanova, which is why that's my middle name! Uncle Clint said you used to be really grumpy and not fun, but then you and him became partners and did a ton of missions for Uncle Phil." Maggie beamed up at Natasha in reply, obviously having no idea what the connection between her mother and their attackers really was.

_Well, I guess Clint wasn't wrong, necessarily. _Natasha silently mused as she thought of her past self. She averted her eyes, breaking eye contact, as she tried to get a handle on how she wanted to proceed.

"Maggie, what I'm about to tell you… It's nothing good." Natasha ended up saying, still not meeting Maggie's eyes. "I used to be a bad guy. A really, really bad person. I did awful things to innocent people." _You don't have to love me after this_, she meant, but couldn't bring herself to say.

Maggie looked up at her with a questioning stare. "You're not a bad guy." She protested.

"Not now." Natasha nodded in agreement. _Well, to some people, that's still a debatable statement. _"But I used to be."

"What did you do?" Maggie cocked her head to the side, still not completely understanding where her mother was coming from.

"Growing up… I was trained in this evil place, called the Red Room. I didn't get to have fun, or do anything _I _wanted to do while I was there; I could only train." Natasha suppressed a shudder at the memories.

"Didn't you get to spend time with your family?" Maggie seemed shocked that someone of her age was denied the luxury that had become so normal for her.

"I didn't have any family. I was an orphan, like Anna and Elsa after their parents passed away." Natasha explained sadly. "I didn't have any friends, either. I was just taught how to fight and complete missions."

"Like S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Maggie asked.

This part was crucial for Maggie to understand, Natasha knew, as she resumed eye contact with her daughter. "No. It was nothing like S.H.I.E.L.D.; the Red Room people were cruel and mean, and hurt a lot of innocent of innocent people. They trained me and other girls in the Black Widow program to carry out their missions when we got older."

"Black Widow…" Realization dawned on Maggie.

"Yeah, that's where I got the name from." Natasha gave a small, sad smile, turning her eyes back to the blankets in front of her. "S.H.I.E.L.D. is very different from the Red Room. S.H.I.E.L.D. trains agents to protect people, and save the world from dangerous threats. The Red Room trained people to hurt others who didn't do anything wrong."

Out of her peripheral vision, Natasha could see the gears turning in Maggie's head as she processed the explanation. "So, you hurt a lot of people? You… Killed people?" She asked a bit hesitantly.

Natasha could swear she felt her heart ache with all of the old guilt that had resurfaced from the conversation. "Yes… I did. I was the best they had."

"Wow." Was all Maggie said, and Natasha wasn't able to pinpoint what exactly was in her voice: awe, disapproval, sorrow…

"When I was all grown up, I was on a mission and then an arrow appeared out of nowhere, sailing in through the window and into the wall right next to my head. Following the arrow came a certain archer that you know and love." Natasha smirked at the memory.

"Uncle Clint?" Maggie guessed.

"Yup. He came in, and we fought, and he managed to beat me. Apparently, Uncle Nick had sent him to kill me, but once Uncle Clint had me cornered, he decided to take me back alive instead. From there, Uncle Phil and Aunt Ria decided to give me a chance, and I started working for S.H.I.E.L.D." Natasha explained, casting her eyes back down towards Maggie's. "You know the rest."

Maggie blinked, but then scrunched up her nose in confusion. "I don't get it, what does that have to do with the scary bad guys?"

Natasha was taken aback by Maggie's complete disregard for everything she had just confessed. "They, uh…" She stumbled over her words for a moment because of the shock. "They're from the Red Room, and they're mad because I betrayed them by working for S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Oh." Maggie understood now, but she didn't say anything more, leaving Natasha appalled.

"Maggie, everything I just told you… It's bad, I know, so I understand if you don't trust me or love me anymore, I understand-" Natasha sighed, but was interrupted.

"That's silly, Mama, of course I love you!" Maggie interjected. "Just because you did bad things before, doesn't mean you have to do bad things now. And you don't."

The simple logic was a breath of fresh air to Natasha, and she just stared at Maggie, not sure what to say. She desperately wanted to reach out and embrace her daughter, but now that memories of her life as Natalia Alianova were interrupting her thoughts, she felt the old belief that her hands were made for killing, _not _for comforting.

"I love you." Maggie repeated, pulling Natasha from her messy thoughts.

The spy began feeling a bit emotional, but she quickly shoved it all back down. She didn't need to make this way more complicated than it really was. Pushing all her fears and doubts to the back of her mind, she pulled Maggie into her lap, embracing her tightly. She smiled at the surprised "oof!" sound Maggie made. Maggie wrapped her arms around Natasha's neck with a content expression.

"I love you, too." Natasha murmured, feeling much better with her daughter safe and secure in her arms.

* * *

"I'm bored. How much longer do we have to stay here?"

Natasha ran a hand through her messy hair stressfully. They were currently two days into their stay at the safe house, with no sign of the Avengers or S.H.I.E.L.D. coming to their doorstep to give them the go-ahead to return home. Natasha knew that if another day or so passed with the same lack of safe assurance, she and Maggie would have to hit the road again.

What was taking them so long, anyway? They were probably taking out every last Red Room agent on American soil, obviously, but why was it taking so long? At least, after taking out _most _of them, they should be coming to retrieve Natasha and Maggie and moving them to a more secure location.

"Maybe another day or so. I'm sorry, Лапушка, I don't really have a lot of things here." Natasha said apologetically, biting back a yawn. She was also on day three of no sleep, which definitely wasn't the longest she had gone without resting, but it was a bit harder while trying to keep a six year old entertained. To top it all off, since she and Steve were trying for child number two, she couldn't drink coffee as often as she would have liked for such a sleepless long haul.

"When's Daddy coming? You said he'd come soon, right?" Maggie lied back down on the carpet with a huff.

"He should be." Natasha sat down on the floor beside daughter. "I'm sure he's coming any time now."

"He should hurry up. I'm gonna die from boredom!" Maggie groaned with a pout. Natasha couldn't help but smile at the scene; it helped make things feel a bit more normal, despite the fact that they weren't.

Their days consisted of mostly drawing and made up games. Together, they had even managed to construct a makeshift board game out of the paper and limited art supplies they had, which was only entertaining for a limited amount of time.

Bath time had become quite interesting. Because there was no bath tub, Maggie had to take a shower, whether she liked it or not. It resulted with Natasha just dragging her into the shower with her, to which Maggie decided were incredibly boring compared to baths, and should be outlawed immediately. Natasha poked fun at her remark by pointing out the young redhead would have to take showers eventually, and the six year old swore she never would again because of how awful they were. To say Natasha was amused would be an understatement.

"What do you think Uncle Clint and Uncle Tony are doing right now?" Maggie's asked a few moments later.

"Probably working with Daddy to try and find the bad guys, so we can all go home." Natasha reasoned. "In fact, I bet they all are working together."

"Everyone? Even Uncle Nick and Uncle Phil?" Maggie asked in awe.

"Yup. I think so." Natasha smiled at her daughter's amazement at how much everyone loved her and always wanted to protect her. "They just have to be extra careful to make sure they don't mess up."

"They won't mess up! They're the best at their jobs." Maggie parroted the words of her billionaire uncle.

"Yeah, I guess they are." Natasha chuckled.

* * *

They fell into a bit of a routine by the third night. Though there was no set bedtime (with how much Maggie was moved around and taken care of by different people, it was impossible to have a specific time be her exact moment to retire to bed for the night), certain aspects were repeated: Natasha notices Maggie yawn, changes her into her pajamas, convinces her to brush her teeth (some nights it was like pulling teeth, pun intended), tucks her in, slides into bed with her, and then they're out. On nights when she managed to get Maggie in the shower, step two would be bypassed as Maggie would already be in her pajamas, but that was basically the jist of it all.

On the fifth day, Natasha announced they would be changing things up a bit and hit the road for the next safest location. Maggie complained at the idea of a long car ride, but Natasha insisted it was for their safety.

"Where are we going?" Maggie asked her mother innocently as the spy packed a bag of clothes, food, and toiletries.

"New York. But not Uncle Tony's tower; the bad guys might be waiting for us there. We're going to a secret base I have a little ways away from there." Natasha explained.

Maggie leaned against the door frame of the bedroom, crossing her arms over her chest. "We're never going home, are we?"

Natasha paused, turning to look over at her suddenly pessimistic daughter. It crushed her to think Maggie was already being so drastically changed from this experience. Natasha feared she was losing her Maggie.

"We are." Natasha said firmly, hoping to restore some of Maggie's original optimism. It was a trait that reminded her of Steve. "The others just need more time to make sure we're safe before they come find us. We can't stay in one place for too long, because then we might get caught by the bad guys."

"I wanna go home." Maggie frowned, getting impatient with the entire situation. Natasha knew she would have to endure some type of breakdown eventually, but she was hoping it would be outside of the period of time in which they would be changing location.

Natasha walked over to the young girl - she was reminded of the fact that Maggie was just a _little girl_ having to go through this process of being off the grid - and pulled her up into her arms. "Hey, it's okay. It's gonna be okay." Natasha spoke softly, trying to comfort both her daughter and herself. "I know you want to go home. I do to, too."

Maggie laid her head against Natasha's shoulder, to which the spy sighed in relief. Maggie's breakdowns usually resulted in her aggressively pushing everyone and any form of comfort away, or she just needed someone to hold her close. Luckily, it seemed to be the latter this time around.

After a few minutes, Maggie looked up at her mother. "How are we gonna go to New York? Are we gonna walk there?" Her eyes widened with the second question.

Natasha chuckled, shaking her head. "No, silly, we aren't walking there. I don't think it's possible." She walked back over to the bed, sitting next to the half-packed bag and settling Maggie in her lap. "We're gonna walk a little bit, and find a car we can borrow to get there."

"You're gonna steal another car?!" Maggie stared at her like she had grown another head.

"Under extreme circumstances, it is perfectly okay to bend the rules a bit." Natasha reasoned.

"'Extreme circum…' what?"

"Circumstances." Natasha finished the unfamiliar word. "It means-"

They were interrupted by the sound of footsteps outside, to which both redheads jumped.

"Is it Daddy? Is Daddy here?" Maggie asked excitedly, craning her neck over her mother's shoulder and trying to see outside of the window across the room.

"I don't know yet, but until we know who it is, we have to stay quiet, just in case, okay?" Natasha whispered in reply, and the steps grew closer and louder. "I need you to do something for me first, Maggie."

"What?" Maggie looked up.

Natasha set her down on the floor, and gestured to the bed. "Hide under the bed, okay? I need to make sure it's not someone who will hurt us. Stay under there unless I come back and tell you it's okay to come out."

Maggie looked at Natasha like she was crazy. "Y-You're gonna leave me alone?" She did not want Natasha to leave her by herself when they were in possible danger.

Natasha crouched down in front of the small girl. "I'll be right back, I promise." She assured her, placing a quick kiss to the young girl's forehead.

Then they heard the sound of the front door being kicked in, and Maggie gasped in surprise. She reached out for Natasha, but the spy only pushed her down under the bed. "You have to stay down here, Maggie."

"Mama, no! Don't go!" Maggie cried out in protest, but Natasha had already grabbed her gloves and gun and was out the door. "_Mama_!"

Natasha ignored Maggie's cries as she locked the bedroom door, shoving all her emotions to the back of her mind for the time being. Arming herself, she slithered down the hallway quietly, and saw five men, all Red Room agents, standing in the living room. She ducked back behind the corner, mentally preparing herself. The world - _her_ world - depended entirely on the outcome of this fight, she knew. Taking aim with her gun, she fired.

* * *

Maggie was curled up in a ball under the bed when the gunshots started. She had her hands over her ears as she shook, hoping her mother was not on the receiving end of the fire. She whimpered as she tried to stay quiet through her tears, so no one would find her.

Unfortunately, there was a crash as the glass in the window of the room was broken. Someone had entered the bedroom, and Maggie was stuck in there with them. She let out a shaky breath as she watched boots hit the floor as the intruder stood in the room. He stayed still for a moment, before walking around a bit.

He called out something in Russian that Maggie didn't recognize. She only recognized the name "Natalia," as that had been her mother's name before coming to America. Maggie tried extra hard to stay completely still, but was struggling.

She let out a small gasp as the foreigner began walking towards the bed, walking painfully slow. Maggie was sure he could hear her heart pounding.

"Natalia," he called out again, and Maggie watched in horror as he went down on one knee right beside the bed, "you really shouldn't leave your things lying around in the open." He was speaking in Russian, and seemed to be taunting Natasha, who was definitely not in the room. He sounded like a condescendingly disappointed parent, and it sent chills down Maggie's spine.

She pushed herself further away as he put one hand down, and slowly lowered his face to meet her eyes. Maggie's breath caught in her throat and she froze in fear.

The man smiled a cold, chilling grin as he took in her appearance. "You look just like her." He commented, and reached out to grab her.

As he touched her arm, Maggie yelled out, calling for her mother.

* * *

Natasha was momentarily distracted by Maggie's scream. She froze up while tangled up in a fight with the last man, and he managed to use the moment to his advantage. Gaining the upper hand, he pinned Natasha down, and pulled back to strike her.

"Stop!"

The agent looked over at the newcomer who had ordered him to cease fire. Natasha also looked over, having recognized the voice.

"...Alexei?" She shot him a look of pure surprise. "What are you...?"

Not giving Natasha a chance to finish her question, Alexei yanked Maggie's arm, pulling her into view. He held her wrist up in a tight grip, and Maggie cast her eyes down to her pinned mother frantically. "Mama..."

Natasha immediately tried to break out of her assailant's strong grip, her senses and adrenaline kicking into overdrive at seeing Maggie in the scared state she was in. "Let her go, Alexei. She has nothing to do with this." Natasha spat out angrily, slipping into Russian with ease. "Why are you even here?"

"I'm just doing my job. Something you couldn't even do, traitor." Alexei replied coolly, but with the same contempt behind his words.

"I made my choice, Alexei. I became my own person and took control of my life. I didn't want to hurt innocent people anymore." Natasha snapped back in reply.

"You betrayed us, Natalia. Even after everything you and I have been through together… You just left." Alexei began to lose his cool facade, and he tightened his grip on Maggie, eliciting a small whimper from her. "But just because you left, doesn't mean we have to end the Black Widow program. We can continue… With your daughter."

Natasha squirmed, trying desperately to break free from the agent's hold. "No, Alexei, don't you dare take her! She hasn't done anything wrong, leave her out of this!" She knew she was starting to lose her cool, but she didn't care; Maggie's life and future were on the line.

Maggie, meanwhile, was panicked. She couldn't break free from Alexei's grip, and her mother was trapped. She was trapped. There seemed to be no way out.

"How interesting it will be to have both a super soldier _and _spy in one person, hm." Alexei commented, observing Maggie's struggle. "Tell me, Natalia, does she have her father's super strength and stamina?"

"You dirty son of a…"

The entire room paused as Alexei let out a frustrated, but pained, groan, as Maggie somehow figured to kick him in the groin. For whatever reason, she remembered something her godfather had taught her at the most crucial moment; Natasha made a mental note to thank him later. Maggie kicked as hard as she could, and though it didn't take him down, it distracted Natasha's attacker enough for her to flip him off of her and onto the ground. As she jumped up, she struck, knocking him out, cold, with her Widow's Bites.

"Mama!" Maggie tried to run to her mother, but was grabbed around the waist by Alexei's powerful hands. She slipped and fell with a pained squeal as Alexei pulled her back to him. Natasha wasted no time in crossing the room, and launching herself at Alexei and Maggie.

As he was knocked over, Alexei lost his grip on Maggie, and she hastily crawled away. Natasha prepared to strike again, but was pushed back by Alexei. She stumbled back onto the ground next to Maggie, but was immediately back on her feet and prepared to strike again. Alexei stopped her, waving a remote around in his hand.

"Natalia, I would be careful if I were you. My men have planted explosives around your humble home." He cautioned teasingly. Natasha wanted to slap him. "With just one press of this button, this place will go up in flames."

Natasha placed herself between Maggie and the acclaimed Red Guardian. "_Your _men?" She echoed.

"Times have changed since you were with us. I've risen in the ranks." Alexei informed her proudly. "In fact, I was the one behind this entire operation. I hate to break it to you, Natalia, but you have not been hidden from us. We've been following Natasha Romanoff for quite sometime now, especially after she got together with Captain America and bore his child."

Natasha glared at him icily. "Why attack now, if you've been following me this entire time?"

"We were waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. What better age than to take your daughter at the innocent, yet matured, age of six? Though you were younger when you were taken in, I figured the longer I let you have her, the more you might have already begun to train her." Alexei explained. Upon seeing the cold stare Natasha was giving him, he chuckled. "Oh, that's right. You didn't want her to have the childhood you had, so you haven't trained her at all, have you? That is very irresp-"

He was cut off as Natasha precisely shot a Widow's Bite at his hand, making him drop the remote. Leaping forward, she kicked Alexei's legs out from under him as he was momentarily distracted, and grabbed the bomb remote. "Maggie! Over here!"

She held out a hand for her young daughter as she jumped back from Alexei, standing back next to a large window. Maggie promptly ran over to her mother's side, grabbing Natasha's leg with an iron grip. As Alexei jumped back up, Natasha held the remote threateningly, copying his earlier methods.

"Take one more step towards us, and I blow the place up." She warned coldly, all the while gently massaging the side of Maggie's head with her other hand in an attempt to soothe her.

Alexei blinked at her, and then laughed. "Oh, Natalia, you're still as dramatic as ever. Some things never change."

Natasha, puzzled, hesitated for a moment, but was soon brought back to reality as she felt a sharp pain her gut. Maggie cried in surprise and took a panicked step back. With a small gasp of pain, she staggered slightly, bringing the hand with the remote down to her bleeding abdomen. Looking back up, she realized Alexei had snuck a man in from behind him - through the bedroom window - and he had shot her. As she grit her teeth in pain and pulled Maggie back, closer to her, she was hit again, not too far from the original wound. She slammed her back against the glass, in an attempt to stay standing.

"Mama, you're bleeding! Mama…" Maggie cried frantically, not sure what to do. Natasha only held her tighter.

"Give it up, Natalia." Alexei taunted, taking a step closer. "You cannot win."

"No… The only one here who won't win is _you_." Natasha snarled, summoning the remaining amount of strength and adrenaline within her. She would go down fighting before ever letting these men touch her baby girl.

In one swift motion, Natasha managed to lift Maggie up with one arm and jump backwards out the large window, pushing the button to ignite the explosives. It was tough, but she managed to shield Maggie's smaller body from the glass and hard fall onto the ground. The last thing she registered, after the sudden increase in pain and Maggie landing with a slight bounce on top of her, was the grass beneath her fingertips and the heat of the bursting flames against her skin.

* * *

"Mama… Mama!" Maggie cried, scrambling to get off of her unconscious mother. She shook the spy lightly, but nothing happened. "Mama, wake up! Mama!"

Her breath hitched as she struggled to figure out what to do. She noticed the blood that was now covering her arms and clothes, as it was on Natasha, and figured stopping that may be a place to start. With a small sob she grabbed Natasha's limp hands and placed them over the bullet wounds, pushing them down with her smaller hands (Natasha's hands were bigger, so maybe that meant they could stop and cover the bleeding more).

"Wake up, Mama, please!" Maggie sobbed as the red continued oozing. Natasha was showing no signs of life whatsoever, and Maggie was freaking out. "Mama! _Mama!_"

"Give it up, kid. She's not waking up." Came the all-too familiar voice of Alexei Shostakov, in Russian, as he walked up to the two redheads. Maggie froze up again, except for a slight tremor of fear that had taken over her body.

Alexei had a few burns here and there, but he appeared to have somehow escaped most of the blow unscathed. Maggie had no idea how. But she didn't have the time or energy to dwell on that, as Natasha was dying right beside her, and she didn't know how to stop it.

"P-Please…" Maggie resorted to begging. She was just so scared. "Help me save her… I-I don't know what to do!"

Alexei shook his head. "I am going to bring you back home. We are going to raise you now." The half-English, half-Russian conversation continued.

Maggie struggled between her two immediate instincts at the moment: run away from Alexei and the Red Room, which meant leaving Natasha to die, or staying beside her mother until the very end, even if that meant going with Alexei. Because Maggie was frozen to the spot, however, she seemed to be stuck with option number two.

"Come on, kid, we have a plane to catch." Alexei reached out to grab her, and Maggie shrunk back fearfully. She just wanted the nightmare to be over.

Then everything happened in slow motion. Out of nowhere, an arrow appeared in Alexei's shoulder, followed by a man with a metal arm launching himself at him. As the two men rolled away in their scuffle, Maggie heard someone speak in English - _finally _\- and report that they had found her and Natasha. Still in fight or flight mode, Maggie cowered closer to Natasha's body, trying again to wake the unconscious spy.

"_Maggie_! _Natasha_!" Came a deep voice she instantly recognized. Snapping her head up, she saw Steve running toward her, decked out in his S.H.I.E.L.D. stealth suit with his legendary shield in tow. It took her another moment to register the fact that this was a person she trusted, and before she knew it, she was being pulled into an embrace - being pulled away from Natasha.

"No, no! Let me go!" Maggie cried out in protest, fighting against Steve's strong arms. "You have to help her! Mama's hurt really bad… You have to help her! Let me go! She's bleeding!"

Maggie continued to let out a flurry of exclamations that increased in fear and volume while decreasing in context and content, as tears overtook her. Because of her shaken state, she was not able to acknowledge that Bruce and Clint had rushed over right after Steve did, to take care of Natasha and contact the medical team.

As Maggie continued to cry and clench her bloodied fists angrily, Steve just held her. She squirmed, fought, flailed, and kicked, but, finally, she calmed down in a few minutes. By that time, they were loading Natasha onto a stretcher, and were preparing to board a quinjet that would take them back to the Triskelion medical wing.

* * *

"Daddy…" Maggie sniffled as she finally lifted her red face off his shoulder after her episode passed. She realized she had somehow been transported from the ground to the sky. Tears remained welled up in her eyes as she met Steve's gaze for the first time. He was feeling incredibly choked up himself.

"I'm here. You're safe now, I promise." Steve said, rubbing a stray tear off her cheek with the gentle touch of his thumb.

"How long have we been flying?" She asked, her voice hoarse from all of the yelling she had done that eventful day.

"A while now. It's been a rough day." He said casually, rubbing her back. She laid her head against his chest again, with a breath of relief.

"Are we going home now?" She asked quietly, but with the slightest hint of impatience.

He smiled a bit at that. "In a little while. You need to get checked out by Uncle Brucie and some other doctors first, though, to make sure you're okay." He said softly.

"I am okay." Maggie challenged him, glaring daggers at her reflection in the window.

Steve noticed her much more negative expression and overall countenance with a twinge of guilt. Maybe if he had come sooner, he could have saved Maggie from herself after being so traumatized.

* * *

"Natasha's out of surgery. We managed to repair everything that had been damaged, thank God."

Steve couldn't help the huge sigh of relief he gave at Bruce's news hours later. Maggie was currently off with her godfather, who was supposed to be distracting her, and hopefully getting her to sleep or eat. It had been rough once they arrived back at the Triskelion; Maggie was completely uncooperative and on edge with everyone, even more so than the time she had pneumonia as a toddler.

Everyone's heart broke when Steve suggested she go off with Clint, and she gave the archer a brief look of fear and distrust before reluctantly agreeing. Clint had never looked so hurt. Maggie was so broken and changed, no one was sure what to do. She had become a shell of her previous self-an angry, bitter, pessimistic shell. Bruce immediately recommended that she go see a therapist of some kind to help her sort out her problems and hopefully return to normal. But they all knew it wouldn't be that easy.

"Thanks, Bruce. For everything." Steve said gratefully, leaning back in his chair with a sigh. "We have a long road ahead of us."

"I know." Bruce acknowledged with an equally tired voice. "This whole thing has flipped our world upside down. Things will never be the same again. That being said, the rest of the Avengers and I are going to be here for you three, and help in whatever way we can."

"Thank you. That means a lot." Steve offered up a small smile to the scientist. "I just hope we'll be able to get part, maybe even just a fraction, of her back."

"Which 'her'?" Bruce raised his eyebrows.

Steve pictured Natasha lying limp in a hospital bed, guilt eating her up from the inside at the fact that the Red Room pursued Maggie. He then thought of Maggie, with her empty and intense stare, looking through the hospital window at her recovering mother, not trusting anyone right now. He pinched the bridge of his nose stressfully.

"Both of them."

* * *

**A/N: **This was an interesting experience to write! It feels kinda weird, considering this shift in character we're seeing in Maggie - we all know that she goes back to being hyper and energetic at... Some point. XP

Also, I didn't feel like going through all the trouble of running 20% of the dialogue through the wonderful Google Translate, so just assume that all of Alexei's lines, and Natasha's lines when she's talking to him, are in Russian. Speaking of Alexei, I don't know anything about his character besides what I've read on his Marvel wiki page, and how other fanfic authors have depicted him. I decided to make him a bit of a meanie, ouch. I also feel like I wrote Maggie as a bit mature for her age, but, eh, I think she has it in her. Maybe. I don't know. XP


	29. Boooring!

**A/N: **School is the embodiment of the devil, I am convinced. It's been totally dragging me down and completely destroying any form of me being creative. Gee, thanks, American education system, for telling me I need to be able to have interests whilst ripping said interests to shreds in the process. thx

So that's pretty much my way of saying this one took on a mind of its own and just went insane. Have some Coulson and Hill and Maggie fluff. xD

Oh my goodness and I totally drew inspiration for toddler!Maggie here from Pearl in _The Scarlet Letter_... This should be interesting.

Thanks for the faves, follows, and reviews! You guys kindle that flame of motivation in me~

* * *

It was a miracle it hadn't happened before.

For whatever reason, the Avengers were able to balance parenting/babysitting (depending on each individual) and saving the world for a long while after Maggie was born. And even if all six of them were needed, Pepper was always available to take Maggie for the appropriate amount of time.

But their good luck didn't last forever.

"Don't worry, guys; it's only for today." Coulson tried to assure the nervous superheroes. "Between Director Fury, Hill, and I, we've got this covered."

Natasha didn't look convinced. After all, these people were good at their _jobs, _which probably resulted in any possible babysitting and parenting abilities they might possess being destroyed. Sure, they were all great with Maggie whenever she was in the building for a visit, but they never had to _take care _of her.

Coulson picked up on her expression. "Oh, don't give me that look, Romanoff. If you and the Avengers can all be parents or guardians, so can S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents." He reasoned.

"Both of those arguments are questionable." Natasha muttered, glaring off to the side.

"Coulson, are you sure it's okay? I mean, you guys are pretty busy..." Steve spoke up from his spot next to Natasha.

Coulson dismissed him with a wave of his hand. "Nonsense. I always have time for Maggie, and I'm sure Hill and Fury feel the same way." He insisted. "Plus, I'm sure this is far from the last time a mission needing all six Avengers will conflict with Ms. Potts' schedule. We can test the waters today to make sure Maggie will be comfortable with us."

Steve and Natasha glanced at each other, making eye contact. Steve appeared to be on board with the idea, while Natasha just looked like she wanted to go back home now. He finally gave her an encouraging (read: pleading) look, and she sighed in defeat a moment later.

"Alright, we'll try it. But if Maggie doesn't like it, I'll sit out on future missions needing all six of us." Natasha concluded, surprising both their handler and herself. Steve, on the other hand, always had a feeling that should push come to shove, Natasha would voluntarily stay behind with Maggie if there was no other option.

Coulson raised his eyebrows. "Wow. You really are dedicated, willing to give up your job for her. I knew you'd make a good mom." He gave her a small grin.

Natasha just shrugged, not feeling like taking up that argument today.

"'Scuse me, comin' through! Baby on board!" Came Clint's voice from the hallway as he headed towards Coulson's office.

"'Scuse me! Baby'n board!" Came Maggie's echo. She had become quite the parrot around her family lately, making everyone have to be extra careful about what they said when in her presence.

"I guess your job starts now." Steve chuckled to Coulson as the archer entered the room with Maggie, babbling a million miles a minute, in his arms. Clint appeared to be listening very intently, though most of what the toddler was saying was complete gibberish.

Coulson just smiled as Maggie stopped in her long rant after noticing him. "Uncle Phil!" She called, reaching out her tiny hands towards him. Obliging, the longtime S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent crossed towards her, happily accepting her into his arms.

"Hey, baby girl." Coulson greeted warmly as he set her at his hip in a comfortable holding position. "How are you today?"

Thus started another lengthy monologue from the toddler. The three Avengers shared an amused, knowing look. Maggie had proven to be quite the little extrovert compared to her parents.

"See? They'll be fine, Nat." Steve gestured to uncle and niece.

"I guess so…" Natasha didn't sound completely convinced, but she seemed to at least be more open to the idea than she was originally.

"C'mon, Tasha, Coulson won't let anything happen to her, nor will Hill or Fury. Not to mention Mags has them wrapped around her little finger already." Clint grinned.

"That's partially what I'm afraid of." Natasha admitted.

* * *

"Story?"

"'Story'? You want me to tell you a story?" Coulson asked for confirmation. He wasn't a child whisperer, after all. She could've meant 'food' for all he knew.

The small redhead nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah!"

"What kind of story?"

"A story!"

Coulson chuckled. Maggie seemed to have her priorities straight. "Well, I'm sure I have something-"

"Coulson!" Hill barged into his office loudly, throwing the door wide open. "Where is she?"

"Where…?"

"Aunt Ria!" Maggie squealed gleefully, upon seeing the new arrival.

"Ah! There she is." Hill immediately looked satisfied, closing the door behind her as she walked over to uncle and niece. "My little spy."

Maggie immediately reached out toward her aunt, who pulled her into her arms. Coulson immediately felt the absence of warmth when Maggie was out of his grasp.

"Hey, we were just about to have story time." Coulson protested, trying his best _not _to sound like a whining child. It wasn't working.

Hill just shot him a playful look as she hugged Maggie. Very few people were ever able to see this affectionate side of the deputy director. "Well, you've had your 'Uncle Phil' time with her. Now it's 'Aunt Ria' time." She declared, lightly tickling Maggie's abdomen. The toddler shrieked in laughter.

"What? I've only had her for twenty minutes." Coulson argued, glancing over at the clock. "We've barely done anything."

"Too bad, so sad. She's mine now." Hill teased, turning away with Maggie in her arms. "I'm the fun relative, anyway."

"I'll have you know I am very much fun."

"Really? According to who? I remember Skye calling you a - and I quote - 'stick in the mud' last week."

"That was probably after I shut down a very dangerous experiment idea she and Fitz cooked up in the lab, much to Simmons' protest."

"Exactly. Not really 'fun' material."

Coulson groaned. "What are you up to, Hill?"

"Making sure Maggie has fun, so she can come back more often." Hill asserted confidently.

"Fun!" Maggie interjected happily. Hill placed a big kiss on her cheek in reply, causing her to laugh again.

"Yes, I know, I'm amazingly fun. Thank you." Hill continued as Coulson just rolled his eyes.

He pursed his lips. "I have an idea."

"Oh, really? It's probably not a fun one." She quipped.

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes again. "It's a bet."

"Okay, those can be fun. Please continue."

"We each spend an hour with Maggie today, showing her how much 'fun' we each can be. After our hours are up, we'll sit her down and ask her who was more fun."

"That's not a bad idea." Hill nodded her consent. "And the loser?"

Coulson thought for a moment. "Helps Natasha and Steve potty train."

Both agents shuddered at the thought; the two Avengers had filled them in on the horrors of potty training a toddler, and the endless hours of sitting in the bathroom, reading books about going potty over and over again. Natasha was even able to recite some of them word for word.

Yeah, that was definitely not a choice activity.

"Alright. You're on, Fanboy." Hill accepted the challenge with a brave, determined expression, and shook Coulson's hand.

"Cute. You'll need that to win her over." Coulson taunted her. He then made a move to take Maggie back into his arms. "Now, then, I believe we were having a fun time before you came in and so rudely interrupted…"

"Aunt Ria! Story?" Maggie looked up at her aunt with big eyes, completely forgetting her previous request to Coulson. The deputy director tried (and failed) to hold back a smug grin as Coulson froze mid-arm reach and looked completely appalled.

"Of course, of course. I have stories at the ready just for you, Maggie, as well as many more fun things in my office. Say 'bye' to Uncle Phil!"

Okay, Maggie had already demonstrated and shown she possessed loyalty at her young age, Coulson figured. Surely she wouldn't just abandon him -

"Bye, Uncle Phil!"

Hill grinned again. _Have fun sitting on the bathroom floor for hours. _

_Damn you, Maria Hill. _Coulson internally cursed as he waved to the small child with a tight smile.

* * *

Hill's office was bigger than Coulson's, already contributing to winning Maggie over. There was room for the toddler to run around after hearing a plethora of stories, much to Hill's horror at the realization of how un-baby proofed her office actually was.

"No, no, no, let's _not _run into my desk." She practically begged as she covered the sharp corner with her hand for what felt like the millionth time.

Maggie looked up at her with a pout. "No fun."

Hill gaped at her. "I'm fun!" She protested. "I just don't want you to get hurt."

It was too late. Tears were welling up in the child's eyes. Oh, God, had Hill been too strict with her? Did she hurt Maggie's feelings? She didn't mean to! The agent swallowed back her genuine guilt and remorse. "Hey, now, don't cry. There are still things we can do..."

"I want Uncle Phil." The small girl sniffled, and Hill tried not to panic. It wasn't so much as the thought of losing the bet that scared her; she just wanted to build a strong bond with her close friends' daughter.

Then, she remembered she had sweets stashed in her office just for this reason. "Maggie, do you want some candy?"

Maggie nodded quietly.

The way to a child's heart is through her stomach, Hill figured, as she reached out a hand for Maggie to take. Complying, Maggie followed Hill around her desk to the drawers, where candy had been stuffed into. Hill smiled as she pulled out a bag of various chocolate sweets and placed it on top of her desk. She then pulled Maggie up into her arms and settled her on her lap as she sat down in her chair.

"Alright, so you've got lots of options here..." Hill reached around the redhead and opened the bag. "You've got your Twix, Hershey's, Reese's Pieces..."

Upon seeing M&amp;M's in the bag, Hill immediately associated the small candy with choking. She was definitely not letting her niece choke on her watch. She cast the M&amp;M's aside.

Aside from normal Hershey bars, there were also small chocolate kisses. Were they big enough? Or could she choke on those, too? Well, it's possible to choke on anything, really, if a person tried hard enough. But children don't purposely try to choke on things - it just happens because they don't know any better. How much time had Natasha and Steve taken on teaching Maggie to properly chew her food before swallowing? Hill really should have inquired before they left, damn. Why was such a trivial thing so complicated?

As Hill's head spun round and round, Maggie had picked up a Hershey's chocolate bar - _thank God - _and was struggling to open it. Hill fought back a smile as she helped the toddler rip it open.

"There we go, Maggie." Hill crumpled the wrapper up in her hand as Maggie took a bite. "Remember to take small bites, and chew it up before you swallow. And..." Wait, wait, wait - what if Maggie was _allergic _to something in the chocolate bar? _Deathly _allergic? Jesus, Hill was practically sending her to her grave, then!

But then she remembered Natasha and Steve would have warned her beforehand. Especially Natasha, considering how worried and paranoid she had been earlier. Phew. Hill could rest easily at night again.

God, since when had she become so _worried? _Is this what it felt like to be a parent? If so, she reasoned, that would explain how exhausted Natasha and Steve appeared to be sometimes, geez. And yet, the love they both expressed for Maggie was very visible and strong. Maggie had great parents.

"Thank you, Aunt Ria!" Maggie exclaimed in a singsong voice, pulling Hill out of her thoughts. She figured the small child had been taught to use her manners from a very young age.

"You're very welcome, Maggie." Hill replied with a warm smile, placing a kiss on Maggie's temple. She then saw the chocolate covering the toddler's face and hands.

"Well, looks like it's time to get you cleaned up..."

Then, another horrifying thought struck her: what if the candy had somehow been _poisoned?! _

Hill fought back a groan.

* * *

"Uncle Philllll..."

No, no, no, this should _not _be allowed. Damn that Maria Hill! She tired Maggie out enough for the toddler to sleep through Coulson's hour with her!

"Come on, Maggie. You don't want to sleep now, right? You'll miss so much fun stuff! 'Cause I'm fun!" Okay, despite the risk of his message interfering with Maggie's nap times for the rest of her childhood thus resulting in being on Natasha's bad side for God knows how long, Coulson can _not _lose this bet. He just can't afford to give Hill that satisfaction. "Do you want to play with any of my knickknacks? Collectibles? What do you want to do?"

Maggie yawned again, leaning her head against Coulson's chest. Damn, at this rate, she could win him over on _anything. _"M'not tired, Uncle Phil." She insisted, not even answering his question.

That didn't sound convincing in the slightest, either. Oh, God, was there any way to reverse the sweet lull of sleep in a child? Was it even possible?

He didn't argue with her. "I know."

"When will Mama and Daddy come back?"

That golden question managed to pull at every living person's heart strings every time it was asked by the small girl. Not to mention, Coulson couldn't get that sad, guilty expression of Steve out of his mind when the Avenger previously noted that was one of the first coherent string of words Maggie was able to say.

So Coulson tried not to let it bother him now. "They'll come back soon, baby girl. Just give them some time." He murmured next to her ear as he smoothed her red curls back.

"Story?"

That would definitely put her to sleep, Coulson knew. But as he looked down at her big, round eyes innocently looking up at him, he also knew he would not be able to turn down her request.

"Of course I'll tell you a story." He answered warmly, sitting down on the soft couch in his office with her still in his arms. "Who do you want to hear a story about?"

The young girl mulled over this for a moment before answering. "You."

That was a first. Every other time he had told her a story, it had gone along the lines of, "One time, your mom and dad did this," or, "One day, your Uncle Clint did this really stupid thing on a mission," or, even, "Your Uncle Tony was doing a dumb thing that would seriously hurt him so we all had to stop him..."

She had never inquired about Phil Coulson himself before.

"What kind of story?"

"Everything!" This girl.

"I'll tell you about the time I got to lead my own team for a while and help save S.H.I.E.L.D." Well, really, they actually _rebuilt _the damned thing, but that was part of an entire larger story that Coulson didn't feel was his to share.

This story would have to be watered down a lot, too. Many awful things happened during this time period, and many brave people lost their lives, or betrayed S.H.I.E.L.D. in the end. Characters and events would have to be purposely left out of the tale.

"A team?" Maggie yawned, not knowing that nugget of information about her uncle.

"Yeah, a team. Uncle Nick and Aunt Ria let me assemble my own team after your parents and uncles defeated Loki in the Battle of New York." He wasn't sure how much he himself was mentioned in that story when the Avengers told it to the toddler, but he at least figured that he wasn't described as "dead." Probably something more along the lines of "hurt really badly."

"You saved S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

"Sure did, baby girl." Coulson couldn't keep the pride out of his voice. "It all started with me and this very nice lady named Agent May…"

* * *

"Rise and shine, Agent."

Coulson groaned and blindly swatted at the hand that had poked his cheek. He had been sleeping quite peacefully before the newcomer had prodded him.

"Leave me alone, Hill. I'm off the clock." He grumbled.

"Not with the little monster currently taking up residence on top of your chest."

At her quip, Coulson realized there was pressure on top of his torso. It wasn't heavy, per se, but it was there. Realizing the arm he hadn't used to lash out at Hill was wrapped around the mysterious mass, he was able to identify it rather quickly.

He sighed, still not opening his eyes. "How long have we been out?"

"Well, your hour actually ended, like, 15 minutes ago. I've been watching you two sleeping beauties since then. Obviously, I took pictures and sent them to everyone, too."

"That's not creepy at all."

She snorted. "Coming from the guy who watched Captain America sleep."

"Well, I've obviously gotten better since then. I mean, I am an uncle to his daughter, after all."

"Thanks to Natasha."

Coulson cracked an eye open at that, and Hill threw her hands up in defense. "Kidding, kidding; I will acknowledge the fact that you and Steve have actually become friends since the Battle of New York."

"Thanks to me dying, but, whatever, it worked out."

"That's the spirit, Coulson."

He opened both eyes, craning his neck to try and assess Maggie's current situation. "Is she still out?"

"Like a baby." Hill confirmed.

"I blame you for tiring her out before my hour."

"All's fair in love and war."

"S-c-r-e-w you, Hill." He spelled out, not wanting Maggie to pick up on anything. Coulson had already heard the horror story of Clint and Tony frantically trying to unteach Maggie a curse word they had accidentally taught her while Natasha and Steve were away. Though Natasha would tell the story with an amused smile on her face, on the inside, Coulson knew she wouldn't hesitate to kick Clint and Tony's asses.

"The feeling's mutual."

Maggie began to stir moments later, as she accidentally hit Coulson's face with her fist mid-stretch while sleeping, much to Hill's delight. Oh, that deputy director was going to pay for all of this someday, Coulson swore.

"Uncle Phil?" Maggie inquired as she rubbed her tired eyes, while sitting up, still on top of his chest.

"Hey, sleepyhead. Did you sleep well?"

Maggie nodded while yawning, and then noticed Hill standing beside the couch.

"Aunt Ria." Maggie smiled, still half asleep, as she reached her small hands out towards the woman. "Up."

Had Steve been there, he would have tried to remind Maggie to say, "Please." Neither Hill nor Coulson seemed to care too much about manners at the moment, though.

Hill complied, pulling Maggie up into her arms for what felt like the millionth time that day. At least the redhead didn't seem to want to run into any walls or sharp objects at the given moment.

Coulson sat up, stretching his arms out. Luckily, he had taken off and hung up his suit jacket before lying down on the couch, so he would only have to deal with wrinkles in his dress shirt and pants, as was expected. He decided to man up and just take on the consequences head on. "So, Maggie, did you have fun today?"

Hill attempted to hide her triumphant grin as Maggie just blinked at him. "Can I see Uncle Nick?"

Neither agent had expected that. With a quick exchange of confused expressions over Maggie's head, they shrugged. It would be unfair of them to deprive the young girl of visiting rights with the director.

"I guess we can make the trip up." Hill grinned. "And after that, we can settle this bet."

Coulson rolled his eyes.

* * *

Maggie Rogers was a sociopath at age two, almost three, both Hill and Coulson were convinced.

She switched off between the two agents, dragging them along as she giggled and babbled to every single agent they passed. Every. Single. One.

Most of the agents' responses were at least some kind of friendly, as they would wave back and greet her in return. Should they try to engage in more conversation with her, Maggie would just laugh like it was the funniest thing in the world.

Hell, Coulson thought for sure that if he were to die, right now, the last thing he would hear was that girl's laughter.

It made traveling through the Triskelion tedious at best, and really did a number on Hill and Coulson's reputations as the tough deputy director and man back from the dead, respectively. Both of them should obviously be stronger than a toddler, but the long going display seemed to disprove that.

"Lalalalala!" Maggie rambled as she ran a hand over the cool metal of each filing cabinet they passed by, dragging Hill behind her in an almost jog. _Almost. _

Coulson tried to not compare it to walking a dog. He had a feeling someone would snap his neck for making such a comparison.

"Do we have to touch _every _cabinet we pass?" Hill muttered through grit teeth. Maggie sharply changed direction at a corner, almost sending the deputy director into a wall. Coulson held back a laugh.

Maggie stopped by a vacant desk. "Aunt Ria! Whose desk?"

"Um," Hill leaned over to glance at the name plate. "Agent Laurel."

Nobody was occupying the space, but that didn't stop Maggie. "Hi, Agent Laurel!" Pause. Hill braced herself. "Bye, Agent Laurel!"

As expected, Maggie pulled Hill away quickly.

Really, the entire building had become Maggie's playground. Coulson tried not to think of what would happen when she got older and Clint introduced her to the world of air ventilation systems. It was inevitable and frightening.

"Maybe you shouldn't have given her more candy before we left." Coulson quipped as he watched Hill try to goad Maggie out of barging into a conference room.

"Maybe you shouldn't be such a smart a-s-s." Hill glared back at him as she gave up and just picked Maggie up.

"Hey!" The toddler protested, squirming in Hill's grasp.

"Come on, little spy, don't you want to go see Uncle Nick?"

"Yeah!"

"Well, he's definitely not in this room. We have to take the elevator."

"Oh, okay!"

Really? Maggie accepted an answer opposing her own views _that _quickly? Unbelievable. Coulson shook his head in exasperation as he followed the two females towards the elevators.

As the elevator AI recognized Hill and Coulson aloud (it had been programmed to also recognize Maggie, but not audibly project it), Maggie greeted the robotic voice, expecting it to be as friendly as JARVIS. As expected by the agents, however, it wasn't, which almost caused another breakdown from Maggie feeling extremely offended, but Coulson and Hill managed to calm her down before tears could actually fall.

After that, the rest of the elevator ride was peaceful. The two agents received very interesting looks from people coming and going, but Maggie managed to bring people's attention more to herself with her loud greetings and questions.

"Uncle Nick!" Maggie called when the elevator doors opened up on the floor director's office.

"We gotta go inside his office first, silly." Hill teased as they entered through the glass doors.

At the sound of his doors opening, Fury looked up from the file lying in front of him on his desk. His face immediately broke out in a small smile at the sight of the newcomer.

"Well, look who it is."

"Uncle Nick!" Maggie cheered, squirming in Hill's arms. Smirking in amusement, the deputy director released the small child. As soon as her feet hit the ground, Maggie ran towards Fury's desk. Hill felt the now familiar frantic worry of, "Wait, no, don't run, you'll fall!", but she relaxed as Fury met the toddler halfway. Coulson smiled at the adorable scene.

"Hey, Maggie. How are you today?" Fury inquired as he lifted her.

"I'm good, Uncle Nick! I'm good!" Maggie happily answered.

"Have you been having fun with your aunt and uncle?" Fury sent the two agents an amused expression over Maggie's head. Hill just shrugged while Coulson didn't react at all.

"Uh-huh!" Ah, yes, finally, the bet would come to an end. Maggie's next words determined the fates of the two agents and who would be contributing to the potty training cause.

Maggie continued happily. "Aunt Ria gave me candy!" Hill shot Coulson a triumphant look, to which he just shrugged.

"And Uncle Phil saved S.H.I.E.L.D.!" At that, Hill gave Coulson the dirtiest look imaginable. Of course Maggie would prefer the person who saved the world! If looks could kill...

Fury noticed the silent interaction between the two agents standing in front of him as Maggie continued on to describe their adventures of exploring the Triskelion. He resisted the urge to roll his eye; of course, leave it to two of his top agents to turn everything into some sort of competition.

"Uncle Nick, can we play now?"

The innocent, yet excited question pulled the three agents out of their competitive and observant trances.

Fury smiled with a small nod, setting Maggie down on the floor. "Of course. Let me go get the tub."

"The tub?" Hill and Coulson looked at each other with confused expressions.

Fury walked back over to his desk, and pulled out a decently-sized plastic tub of various toys. Maggie clapped at the sight while Coulson and Hill gaped at the director.

"It's called 'compartmentalization.' Nobody knows everything." Fury quipped as he returned to the group and set the container down besides the eager child. "Meaning, I may or may not have had some 'playdates' with Ms. Rogers here already."

Hill looked betrayed. "What! You've had her here before without telling us?" She was practically pouting.

"On the few occasions Rogers or Romanoff have had to come in for something short, they always bring her up here for a visit. The visits always ended up going long, so I've adapted to being prepared." Fury's voice was filled with a subtle pride as Maggie handed him a dinosaur figure to play as. It was obvious this was a routine of some sort.

"Wow. I feel like I've been stripped of some of my rights as an uncle." Coulson commented dryly as he realized he had missed out on seeing Maggie more times than he would like to count.

"You're just upset 'cause I get to play with your idol's child more than you do." Fury deadpanned before turning back to Maggie and imitating the sound of a dinosaur growling. Oh, what a sight.

"That has nothing to do with this." Coulson protested.

Hill rolled her eyes. "Alright, enough. We need to settle the bet, so before you get too far into your make-believe game, we need Maggie's input."

Fury snorted. "Did you two bet on who she would find the most fun to be with?" He raised an eyebrow as Maggie declared her pony figurine to be the sister of Fury's dinosaur.

"We need an answer." Hill dismissed the question.

"The fate of Maggie's potty training is on the line right now." Coulson added.

"Seriously? Loser gets potty training duty? That's tough, even for you guys." Fury shook his head. "Alright, let's see...

"Maggie, who is the most fun? Your Uncle Phil, or Aunt Ria?"

Maggie looked up at the director with a questioning look. "Uncle Nick?"

"You have to choose between Uncle Phil and Aunt Ria." Fury reiterated.

"Uncle Nick!" Maggie declared, holding up their plastic figures in her small hands. "Uncle Nick has toys!"

Coulson and Hill shot each other despairing looks. If Maggie didn't give them an answer...

"Who do you love more: Uncle Phil, or Aunt Ria?"

"I love Uncle Clint."

Wow, were they even on the child's list of close relatives?!

"Alright, there's your answer. You both get bathroom duty." Fury cut off any further discussion. "Now sit down, grab a creature, and play pretend with us."

Talk about being screwed over.

* * *

"Do you have to go yet?"

"No." Maggie sounded so nonchalant, it revived Coulson's previous thoughts of her being a sociopath and enjoying torturing her S.H.I.E.L.D. relatives.

Hill suppressed a groan, leaning her head back against the bathroom cabinet in exasperation. Maggie innocently swung her legs from her sitting position up on top of the toilet.

"Can you read me the story again?"

Coulson's face was stuck in a pained smile. "But we already read it so many times."

"I wanna hear it again!"

"_Then _will you go potty?" Hill hoped bargaining would get them somewhere. She was convinced she could hear Natasha laughing from the other room. Damn her.

Maggie thought for a moment. "Maybe." She really was Natasha's daughter.

Coulson sighed. "Alright, alright…" He flipped open the children's book and began reading.

"'Little Sally had to go potty…'"

Hill realized she was unconsciously mouthing the words of this book that she now knew by heart.

_Damn those Rogers girls! _

* * *

**A/N: **This literally turned into a collection of fluffy headcanons I'm sorry I just really liked the idea of worried mother!Hill, and her and Coulson having a very snarky relationship and just everything so I'm sorry if everyone was ooc ;o;

I also have A) very limited knowledge of toddlers B) even further limited knowledge of potty training except for what my mom's told me (I apparently caused her to miss my sister's first steps, bahaha) so yeah


	30. Turkeys, Video Games, Socks, and Babies

Three Times Steve and Natasha Were Home to Celebrate Thanksgiving, and the One Time They Weren't

* * *

_~Happy Thanksgiving!~_

* * *

"Maggie, do you know what that is?" Steve asked as he pointed at a cartoon-styled turkey in a store window while holding a heavily bundled up Maggie in his arms.

"Turkey?" The toddler guessed, the word still sounding awkward on her tongue as she had yet to master its pronunciation.

"Yes, that's exactly right. A turkey." Steve praised her, placing a kiss to her red cheeks.

"Why?" That seemed to be the toddler's favorite word lately.

"Well, because it's almost Thanksgiving." Steve explained, pointing at the food display in the window - a very traditional American meal for the given holiday.

"'S'giving?" Maggie tried to echo, reaching her small, mitten-covered toward the window.

"Thanksgiving." Steve softly corrected her. "We celebrate the tradition of people getting together and sharing food to remember the things they're thankful for, like our family and home. That's why Mama and Aunt Pepper are inside; they're buying food."

Whether or not the nineteen month old grasped any of what Steve was trying to tell her, the conversation halted as Pepper and Natasha walked out of the store happily, with Tony in tow carrying all of their food.

Maggie immediately reached out for her mother. "Steve, it's freezing out here! You didn't have to wait outside the whole time." Natasha scolded as she accepted Maggie into her arms.

"I was teaching Maggie all about Thanksgiving." Steve protested. "And she's all bundled up."

Pepper looked up at the sky. "Well, we better keep going. I read earlier today that it might snow."

"Snow?" Maggie asked excitedly. She hadn't really been old enough to remember the white powdery substance, as she was so young during the last winter. Her only real idea of it had come from Disney's _Frozen_, which always seemed to be playing on TV when she was around these days.

"Yes, snow, and I don't want to be caught up in that while I'm carrying so much stuff." Tony confirmed as he readjusted all the bags he was carrying. "Seriously, Capiscle, you're the super soldier here. Take something!"

As Tony and Steve settled who was carrying what, and managed to not drop anything in the process, Maggie looked back at the window curiously. Natasha followed her gaze, then looked back at Maggie with a smile.

"Are you excited to eat all the food we bought, Лапушка?"

"Yes!" Maggie answered happily, looking back at Natasha with a smile.

"Good, because we have a lot." Pepper chuckled as the they followed the two bickering men down the street.

* * *

After they arrived back at the tower, Maggie quickly darted away from her parents mid-unbundling process, half-wearing her large jacket as her tiny feet pattered down the hall. "Unca Clint! We have turkey!" She announced.

Clint smirked at the new arrival, and quickly caught her in his arms before she could get away, causing her to shriek in laughter. "Yeah? Show me, kid."

Maggie immediately told him to look in the kitchen, where they soon found Tony and Pepper unpacking all their bags of food. Superheroes tended to eat a lot, so they needed to buy as much food as possible.

"Maggie! You're still wearing your snow clothes inside!" Pepper teased as she saw the squirming toddler in the archer's arms. "Come here, so I can take your jacket off, silly."

Maggie only giggled as she was passed over between her two godparents. Clint aided Pepper in removing Maggie's outer layers as she wiggled in their grasp, claiming they were tickling her. Cling threatened to tickle her for real if she didn't stop moving so much so they could get her jacket off.

"There she is. Figures she'd go toward all the food." Natasha only shook her head as she walked into the room minutes later.

"Steve probably excited her when he talked about everyone eating a bunch of food earlier." Pepper sighed, smoothing out the fabric of Maggie's fleece and mittens while Clint draped her large waterproof jacket on a chair.

Meanwhile, Maggie had made her way over to Tony, who was trying to put things away in the fridge. She was off, babbling at a million miles a minute, with a question here or there as to what Tony was doing and why he was doing it. He happily fielded all her inquiries as he named each food for her, and explained what it contained.

"Maybe she'll try to help you, Steve, and Coulson cook tomorrow." Clint joked with Pepper, gesturing to the uncle and niece interaction. "She seems interested in how this all works."

"No way. We need Maggie to stay out with Natasha to keep her out of the kitchen." The CEO shot a pointed look toward the spy, who just rolled her eyes in reply. "I don't want any fires."

"It was _one time_, Pepper."

"One time too many, Natasha."

"Mama!" Maggie interrupted their brief banter as she toddled over to her mother, reaching her hands upward to indicate, "Up!" "Unca Tony says I help you!"

Natasha groaned as she picked up the young girl, who was now apparently in on everyone else's plan. "That's very sweet of you, Лапушка. Thank you."

"Welcome!"

* * *

On Thanksgiving day, the six Avengers all gathered in the tower, along with Pepper, Coulson, Fury, Hill, Jane, Darcy, and Maggie, of course. Sam Wilson had his own family to share dinner with, and Bucky Barnes was still in recovery at S.H.I.E.L.D.

Maggie practically ran Fury over when he exited the elevator. "Unca Nick! Watch _Frozen_!"

"Watch _Frozen_?" Fury chuckled, taking a knee before her to meet her height. "Do you want me to watch it with you?"

"Yeah!"

"Maggie," Tony groaned from the other side of the room, "Stop evangelizing for your overrated Disney movie."

"Hey, be nice." Clint scolded, pointing a judgmental finger at Tony as Maggie led Fury over by the hand.

"Watch _Frozen_!" Maggie demanded as she pushed the director toward the couch.

Natasha shot her daughter a skeptical look. "Maggie, how do we ask nicely?"

Maggie paused, looking over at her mother. "Please?" Natasha nodded.

"_Please_, Uncle Nick!"

"Of course I'll watch it with you. C'mere" Fury patted the spot beside him on the couch as an invitation, and Maggie scurried over to the furniture and pulled herself up next to him, snuggling close into his side.

"Oh my God, I'm _so _taking a picture of that!" Tony practically squealed as he whipped out his phone. "I've never seen you look so… Not like you're about to kill me before!"

"Stark." Fury warned, fixing the billionaire with a hard glare. Maggie only continued to innocently burrow into his side, getting comfortable as she used him as her own personal pillow.

As Tony mellowed out, Natasha walked over and draped a fleece blanket over the pair before beginning the desired movie. Thor and Bruce soon joined them in their movie watching.

Somewhere around the part where Kristoff and Anna were having their first encounter in Wandering Oaken's Trading Post, Hill arrived with Jane and Darcy in tow, having just come from a London S.H.I.E.L.D. base together. Maggie quickly recruited them in their _Frozen _extravaganza.

After cooing and fangirling over Maggie, who had fallen asleep all sprawled out over Fury while Kristoff led Anna up the North Mountain with Sven and Olaf, Darcy and Jane went off to go help finish things up in the kitchen. Natasha almost seemed to be pouting as Hill teased her about her kitchen banning.

"Seriously, you're a top rate spy, but you can't even cook without setting something on fire?"

"Yeah, yeah, laugh all you want; no one can be good at _every_thing." Natasha rolled her eyes.

"Why aren't _you _in the kitchen, Hill?" Clint redirected the deputy director's question to herself as he fumbled with one of his arrows. "Hm?"

At that, Hill just shrugged, but Fury smirked. Tony was the one to notice.

"Aha! The stone face has reacted!" Tony gestured to Fury wildly. "There's a story behind this!"

"Not really, Stark. Just a bad time at the academy with Hill and Coulson, during which Hill may or may not have almost burned down her entire dorm."

"Hey! I did _not_!"

"Oh my God, why has Coulson never told us this story before?" Clint guffawed, as Natasha stared at her now culinary _equal _in surprise.

At all the chatter, Maggie began to stir in Fury's lap. She turned her head to see the credits to the movie rolling on the screen, and reached her short arms out in a stretch, clenching her small hands into fists.

"Lady Margaret awakens!" Thor happily announced, waving at the groggy toddler.

As everyone's attentions were immediately focused on Maggie as she yawned and woke up, Natasha shot a discreet smirk to Hill. "This isn't over, Maria."

Hill just rolled her eyes and turned away from the spy.

* * *

Dinner was eventful and noisy, to say the least. Maggie had to be constantly reminded to use her _inside voice_, and Jane had to do the same with Thor. The food was great, and everyone experienced some sort of food coma afterward.

"Good job, Maggie. You ate all your food." Natasha warmly praised her daughter, placing a kiss to the younger redhead's temple, as her cheeks were covered in sauce and grease. Of course, Maggie hadn't eaten everything everyone else had eaten, but she still managed to eat a huge serving.

"This slice of pie was divine!" Thor pipes up from across the table, holding his fork up in the air. "ANOTHER!"

"Another!" Maggie parroted, pumping her fist into the air in an attempt to copy the Asgardian.

"_Thor,_" Jane groaned, "Inside voice."

"Sorry, Lady Jane." Thor apologized.

"Dude, how can you still be hungry?" Clint moaned as he leaned back in his chair, rubbing his stomach with his hand. "I'm so full, I don't think I can eat ever again."

"Usually I'd say Birdbrain is being over dramatic, but I agree." Tony sighed as he rested his chin on the edge of the table. "I don't want to see any food ever again. I'm sure most of you would say the same."

"I think I'm actually doing okay." Steve piped in innocently.

"You're a super soldier! You're built for this kind of stuff." Tony argued.

"Well, not really..."

As the others began squabbling over the logistics of having a food coma and whether or not being able to binge eat a ton of food was part of the original super soldier serum plans, Bruce sighed in exasperation from the other side of Maggie's high chair.

"They're silly, aren't they Maggie?"

"Silly, Unca Brucie." Maggie giggled as she watched the heated debate.

"With us around, you're probably going to grow up to be crazy." Bruce chuckled, trying to picture an older Maggie. She was probably destined to be somewhat insane.

As Maggie only let out a yawn in reply, Bruce reached across the table to tap Natasha's hand. When the spy looked over, Maggie's eyes were already drooping as she rubbed one of them with a small fist.

"Steve, look." Natasha bumped the soldier's soldier, prompting him to halt the argument and look over. He smiled at the sight.

"Guess we should put her to bed now."

Natasha sighed. "I was hoping I could give her a bath first, but I guess wipes will just have to do for her face and hands for now."

Steve stood up and walked over to the drowsy toddler, beginning the process of freeing her from the high chair. Natasha cleared the plate and food remnants from the tray.

By now, everyone had noticed the sleepy look on Maggie's face as Steve lifted her from the chair. Darcy pouted.

"Awww, does she _have _to go?"

"If she stays any longer, she'll just fall asleep here." Bruce replied.

"Well, I call the first 'goodnight' hug, because I never get to see her!" Darcy declared, standing up and hurrying to the soldier and his daughter.

Darcy's exclamation prompted an entire series of hugs and "Goodnight!"s, as Natasha tried to clean Maggie up a little bit. For one of the very first times, the group began to feel a little bit more like the family they would eventually become.

"Nighty night..." Maggie yawned as she laid her head on Steve's shoulder. Steve pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her head in reply. Darcy squealed at the adorableness of the sight, and quickly snapped some pictures.

"Wait! We never all went around the table and said what we're thankful for!" Tony protested before the small family of three could leave.

"I'm thankful for my bow and arrow." Clint quipped, causing Tony to whack his arm.

"Stark, I think you already know what I'm thankful for." Natasha rolled her eyes, laying a hand on Maggie's back.

"As are most of us." Pepper added.

* * *

_~Happy Thanksgiving!~_

* * *

"I'm so hungry, I could eat a whole _farm._"

"Good, because that's pretty much what we're serving." Steve chuckled as he aided Coulson and Pepper in the kitchen. They were prepping for their huge Thanksgiving dinner, which included six Avengers, six S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, one CEO, one soldier with a metal arm, one winged man, one director and one deputy director, one and a half scientists, and one incredibly hungry ten year old.

It was the biggest dinner they had had in _years. _

"I can't wait!" Maggie cheered as she watched the three work from the doorway. "How much longer?"

"A few hours, at least." Pepper answered.

"Awwww." Maggie pouted.

"Don't forget you have a special mission today." Coulson reminded her. "We are trusting you to fulfill it."

Maggie had been assigned the important job of keeping Natasha, Hill, Skye, and May out of the kitchen, as the four women had been known to burn things or almost let the whole building go up in flames. Maggie was enthusiastic to fulfill her role as a diversion.

"I won't forget!" Maggie insisted, whirling around to return to the other room, and almost running straight into her godfather and Simmons in the process.

"Whoa, watch out, kid! We're only here to cook." Clint held up his hands defensively as Simmons smiled in amusement.

"Have fun with that!" Maggie ran around them, returning to her original post in the other room with everyone else.

"Maggie, what's the 411 on the food?" Darcy asked as the redhead scurried into the room.

"They said its gonna be ready in a few hours." Maggie sighed. "It's gonna take forever!"

"Maybe they need more help in there." Skye suggested casually.

But Maggie immediately stood her ground before the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. "No way! My job is to make sure you don't start a fire! You'll have to go through me!"

Natasha rolled her eyes. "You've had this job for the past ten years, Лапушка. We get it by now." She teased.

"Good." Maggie nodded her approval. "Uncle Tony, can we play Super Smash Bros.?"

"Um, of course!" Tony answered as if it were obvious. "Just know that I'm going to beat all of you!"

"Nah-Uh! I'm going to win!" Maggie argued.

As the billionaire and ten year old bickered, May, Fitz, Bobbi, Thor, Jane, and Darcy entered the room. They had been hanging out in the next room over.

"Oh, looks like we haven't missed anything." Bobbi commented as Tony and Maggie continued arguing.

"Wait! What are they arguing about?" Darcy asked Bruce.

"Something about video games, I think." Bruce sighed, taking a sip of his tea.

"Then I need to get in on this! Fitz, I need your nerdy scientist-ness to back me up!" Darcy quickly dragged Fitz over with her and joined the bickering duo, to which Jane just rolled her eyes.

"Is everyone here yet?" Jane asked Natasha.

"Not yet. We're still waiting on Wilson, Barnes, Fury, and Hill, I think."

May watched as Skye inserted herself into the argument, claiming that her favorite character to play as was the best because of their stats. "If we manage to make it through tonight without murdering each other, I will be surprised."

"Surely the bond of friendship and allies in battle will keep us united and peaceful?" Thor suggested.

"Doubt it." Natasha snarked into her cup of water.

"How we're going to have enough food for all of us beats me." Bobbi shook her head in exasperation. "I've never been to such a big Thanksgiving dinner before."

"It's scary at first, but fun. You get used to it." Natasha shrugged.

"Mama! Uncle Tony just called me a 'loser'!" Maggie's voice carried over to the other side of the room.

"I did not! I swear!" Came Tony's defensive (and slightly fearful for his life) reply.

"This is going to be a long night." May deadpanned.

* * *

When Bucky, Sam, Fury, and Hill all arrived about an hour later, Maggie was excited to greet them. She immediately jumped on top of Bucky, as he _was_ the super soldier (aside from her dad) of the group, so he would be able to catch and carry her. Bucky had been expecting it, and quickly tightened his hold on her legs as she sat on his back happily.

"Seriously, kiddo, I thought you would have outgrown this habit already." Bucky exaggerated the exasperation in his voice, trying to convince her how exhausted he made her.

"No way! I never will." Maggie insisted, wrapping her arms carefully around his neck. "You're just as strong as Daddy! You should be able to carry me all the time!"

"How have you been today, girlie?" Sam inquired, amused, from their side.

"I've been good. Operation Mashed Potatoes has been going really well." Maggie answered. "But now, Aunt Ria's here, so I gotta step it up!"

"Mashed potatoes...?" Bucky echoed in confusion.

"Y'know, the same old thing of keeping a certain handful of people out of the kitchen." Sam answered, gesturing to the women across the room. "They're fire hazards."

"Or they might shrink the turkey!" Maggie added. "I was watching Disney Channel yesterday, and this lady on this show..."

As Maggie explained how to shrink a turkey, as seen on Disney Channel, Hill and Natasha were catching up on the other side of the room.

"Another year, another kitchen banning." Natasha sighed.

"You'd think they would've moved on by now." Hill grumbled. "But they're forever convinced we can't do anything but start kitchen fires."

"At least Maggie seems to have inherited Steve's slightly better culinary abilities." Natasha paused. "_Slightly._"

"Yeah, right." Hill rolled her eyes. "They actually _let him work_ in the kitchen. He's miles better than you. I bet Coulson is in there fangirling over the poor guy's cooking now."

"Oh, will you two just give it a rest?" Fury sighed as he walked over to them. "At least this means you guys don't have to work your tails off to put all that food on the table."

"It's a _pride _thing, Bossman." Darcy interjected, gesturing to Natasha and Hill, then May and Skye, who were approaching them. "These are all kickass women who can't stand the thought of being incapable of something."

"I'm not sure if I'm offended or complimented." Skye commented dryly.

"Uncle Bucky, take me to Bobbi!"

Maggie's loud command distracted everyone, causing them to look over and watch as the small redhead tapped the metal-armed soldier's head in an attempt to make him transport her. He only scoffed in reply.

"In your dreams, kid. I'm not your personal taxi service." With that, he dropped her onto the couch, with a mischievous smirk on his face.

"Meanie." Maggie huffed as she sat up, shooting an attempted (but not successful in intimidation) glare his way.

"Don't worry, Maggie, I'm coming to you." Bobbi laughed as she crossed over to the redhead on the couch.

"Maggie's probably filling her in on the party a few months ago, and how she kept all the girls away from Clint since Bobbi wasn't there to do it herself." Natasha shook her head in exasperation.

"That was interesting." May commented, remembering the event very well. "Clint later informed me that Maggie was very excited to see Coulson and I slow dancing together."

"Maggie's not the only one." Skye grinned.

"Seriously, we've all been waiting for you two to get together for years now, May." Fitz added.

"Oh, yeah? What about you and Simmons?" May raised an eyebrow, causing Fitz to blush.

"T-That's different!"

"Sure it is," Skye practically purred, "We all know there's _something_ there."

"All of S.H.I.E.L.D. is betting on Fitz and Simmons, as well as Coulson and May. This is a very legitimate conversation." Hill piped in.

"I second the notion. Y'all need to hook up already." Darcy stated bluntly, causing Jane to sigh and shake her head.

* * *

After dinner was ready, everyone stared at the table full of food, jaws dropped in shock and excitement. There was just so _much_, no one knew where to start.

"Who gets to pick their food first?" Bruce tilted his head in consideration, looking at everyone else.

Naturally, all eyes soon fell onto the only child in the room. Maggie just looked excited. "I'll go first! I'll go first!" She volunteered ecstatically.

"Wait, Maggie, remember the prayer I taught you to say before big holiday meals like this?" Steve inquired.

"Oh, yeah! Daddy's right. We have to pray 'Grace' first!"

"How about you lead us in it, Лапушка?" Natasha suggested warmly.

"Okay." Maggie consented. She looked around at everyone else, who wore equal expressions of approval.

Maggie folded her hands together. "Bless us O Lord, and these, Thy gifts, which we are about to receive, from Thy bounty, through Christ, our Lord, amen!"

"Amen!" Tony echoed and clapped his hands together eagerly. "Alright, munchkin, pick your food, and dig in!"

As the food was served and divided amongst the enormous group, lighthearted and loud chatter filled the room, as everyone got a chance to catch up with one another. It was the first time that many members of the dysfunctional family had been able to all be present at once in a long time, for which everyone was thankful for the chance.

And when the topic of gratitude came up, everyone went around the table, briefly mentioning what they were thankful for. Everyone's answers varied from simple things, such as stars and clouds and rainbows, to more complicated things, like the way their group had been able to bond with each other and rally around one little girl. Natasha and Steve's answers especially focused on Maggie, as well as each other.

When it was Maggie's turn, she was caught mid-bite of a very large scoop of mashed potatoes she had somehow been able to balance on her fork. After some deliberation with her parents, the huge portion of mashed potatoes was halved.

"What are you thankful for, Mags?" Clint asked as Maggie pouted, dumping her potatoes back on her plate. "Besides mashed potatoes, of course."

Maggie rolled her eyes. "I'm thankful for a lot more things than _that_, Uncle Clint!" She protested.

"Then let's hear some of them, kid." Bucky encouraged from across the table.

"Okay, well…" Maggie paused, trying to get her thoughts in order as she poked at her food with her fork. "I'm thankful for everyone here, for sure. I'm really thankful for Mama and Daddy, 'cause they're always there for me when I'm in trouble, especially that one time the bad guys attacked me and Mama."

Natasha smiled sadly at the memory, but Maggie shot her a grateful expression.

"I'm also super thankful for Uncle Clint, because he's always there for me when I have really bad dreams. And Uncle Tony lets me sleep with him and Auntie Pep when they're _really _bad, even though I could randomly hurt them because of the serum. Um…" Maggie pursed her lips in thought. "Oh! I just found out a few weeks ago that Aunt Ria and Uncle Phil potty trained me, so I'm thankful for them because I don't use diapers anymore."

Coulson and Hill shot each other pained knowing looks, each individually shuddering at the long since suppressed memories of hours on the bathroom floor while toddler Maggie had innocently asked them to read their potty books over and over again. Because of that damn bet they had made and both lost, they ended up walking Maggie through the whole damn process of moving from diapers and pull-ups to real underwear. Natasha and Steve were eternally grateful… At least, when they weren't busy laughing at the two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents' expense.

"Thank you for reminding me of that, Maggie. I totally needed to remember that." Hill groaned as everyone stared at her and Coulson with barely-suppressed amusement.

"You're welcome. I'm also thankful for every day that everyone comes home safe from their missions, and that we get to live in a cool tower, and also that I get to live in DC with Mama and Daddy. I'm also thankful that Uncle Bucky didn't die in World War II, so he's still alive, even though he had to be brainwashed and be a bad guy because of it. Same with Daddy… Except the bad guy part." Maggie continued to ramble about everyone for minutes, reminding each person how much they really meant to the redhead.

* * *

After finishing up dessert, Maggie shrunk back in her seat, trying to lie down somewhat. She laid a dramatic hand across her forehead. "I have a food coma…" She nearly slurred, due to the food-induced exhaustion.

"You say that at dinner, like, every single night." Clint quipped. Maggie stuck her tongue out at him.

"I feel you, Maggie." Bobbi groaned from where she sat beside Clint. "Director Fury, I'd like to invest in my saved up vacation time now."

"Wouldn't we all?" Fury remarked dryly.

"I'd say this was a very successful Thanksgiving." Pepper announced, to which everyone offered some sort of nod or grunt of acknowledgement and approval.

"Thanks for all the food, too, you guys. Even though some of us didn't even have any power to cook it in the first place." Skye offered up halfheartedly.

"Skye, it was for your own safety, and for everyone else in the building." Simmons insisted. Skye only rolled her eyes in reply.

"I believe this feast was quite divine! We should dine in a similar way more often!" Thor cheered.

"Well, Christmas is coming up soon." Steve said to Thor. "We'll probably be doing something similar."

At Steve's words, Maggie was quickly back up in her seat, as she momentarily glanced over at Tony. "Wait! Is Thanksgiving officially over now?"

Seeing Maggie's (and, subsequently, Tony's) excitement, as well as knowing what was coming, Natasha sighed. "Yes, Лапушка, it is."

"Uncle Tony!"

"Yes, I know! On it!"

With the flick of Tony's hand, JARVIS changed up the walls of the room, revealing Christmas lights and decorations practically _everywhere. _

"Jesus, guys, it's still November! When did you do all this?" Darcy asked, surprised, as everyone took in their new, colorful surroundings.

"Halloween." Maggie and Tony both answered happily, as they pulled Santa hats out of a hidden nook in the wall nearby.

"Why Halloween? That's so early." Jane inquired as Maggie forced a Santa hat onto her head.

"It's our special tradition." Maggie beamed as she secured a read hat onto her own head.

Though her answer was vague, it was true - the tradition started in the same year in which she and Natasha had been attacked by the Red Room agents. Maggie still had problems with sudden jump scares, along with the concept of fear itself - even in the recreational, innocent light of Halloween. She had still dressed up and gone trick-or-treating for a bit, sure, but she was nervous a lot of the time.

After having nightmares that night, she reached out to Tony for comfort. He knew how much she loved Christmas, as did he, and so seeing the date of November 1st in the middle of the night, he told her they could start celebrating Christmas, and he successfully got her to sleep with some Christmas movies. Ever since, they began their Christmas celebrations on the night of or right after Halloween. Everyone else in the tower had gotten relatively used to it, and even encouraged it, as they saw the positive effects it had on Maggie.

Next thing they knew, fake snow - extremely tiny, soapy bubbles, really - descended upon them from the ceiling. Maggie and Fitz fistbumped at the success of the small machines they had made together just for this purpose.

"So," Hill spoke up with a small sigh, "shall I start writing all the names for the Secret Santa?"

* * *

_~Happy Thanksgiving!~_

* * *

"_Let it go, let it go!_"

"Stop. Just, stop." Natasha groaned as she burrowed her head even further into her pillow, trying (and failing) to block out her teenage daughter's loud singing. "I've been hearing that song nonstop for seventeen years, Maggie, damn."

"It never gets old!" Maggie argued with a huff. "I'm just trying to get you up and out of bed so we can go shopping!"

Ah, yes, Black Friday, Natasha internally sighed. This would be Maggie's first year in accompanying her mother and godmother in the activity, which could only mean more insanity. It also meant that the three women managed to rope Steve and Tony into coming along as well, for the sole purpose of being their pack mules from store to store.

Steve stepping out of the bathroom broke Natasha from her thoughts, as he shook his head in exasperation. "I can't believe this is what Thanksgiving has become. And I thought that parade was too much when it first started back before the War."

"Aw, but I love the big balloons." Maggie pouted. "And they always show Santa at the end!"

Natasha sat up with a stretch; she had gone to sleep after overeating, as usual, at their huge Thanksgiving dinner, because she knew what she would be spending her night doing. She shot Maggie an amused look. "Is this your way of saying you want to get pictures on Santa's lap while we're there?"

"Ew, no, that's creepy. I'll pass." Maggie stuck her tongue out. "Just slap a white beard and Santa hat on Uncle Thor, and then take pictures of me sitting on _his _lap, and, boom, we're done."

"_That_ is definitely creepy." Steve commented.

"I'll keep that idea in mind." Natasha noted as she got out of bed. "Alright, alright, I'm up now. I'll be ready in ten."

"Copy that." Maggie gave a mock-salute before marching out their door.

"Hey! Make sure to bundle up; it's freezing outside!" Steve called behind his daughter, who only gave a, "Yes, I figured it would be!" in reply.

* * *

"This is soooo boring." Maggie huffed as she leaned against a wall, watching Pepper and Natasha scour through the boots section at Macy's.

"Wow, you are literally the reason _I_ have to be here right now, and you're making it all go to waste." Tony, exasperated, commented from beside her.

"Why did they even need us this year? If they always go by themselves, doesn't that mean they can carry it all by themselves?" Steve wondered aloud.

"Maybe they made Happy carry it." Maggie guessed.

"Probably." Tony confirmed. "This year, I think they figured the squirt would go shopping crazy."

"Not at _Macy's_! Clothes shopping is boring." Maggie argued. "I was thinking more Disney Store, or Target, or something... "

"Target is where Mama always goes crazy." Steve reminded Maggie. "So I'm sure we'll be stopping there eventually."

"Oh! And Starbucks. I would love some hot chocolate right now."

"Which we have back at the tower…" Tony side-commented, causing Maggie to elbow him with a roll of her eyes.

"I don't think I've ever been in such a crowded store before." Steve observed as more people streamed through. "This is insanity."

"Well, yeah, 'cause there's always those stories of crazy soccer moms tazing each other over Xbox 360's and trampling each other and stuff." Tony shrugged. "This is the day when returning to our aggressive Neanderthal roots is actually socially acceptable, I guess."

"Have any of you guys ever had to go on undercover missions during Black Friday, or something?" Maggie asked curiously. "Because if so, that sounds like a hilarious story."

"None that I know of." Tony answered.

"Maybe Mama or Uncle Clint have something." Steve offered. "But, as for me, I definitely know that I haven't. And I don't plan on it anytime soon; this actual firsthand experience is bad enough."

"Look at us! We're barely even disguising ourselves, aside from these lame-o fake glasses and shit, and people are so hyper-focused on this Black Friday stuff they don't even realize who we are!" Tony gestured to the hordes of people passing by without sparing their small group of three so much as even a _glance_.

"Or they don't care." Maggie added.

"I'm completely fine with it either way." Steve insisted. "I don't want to be chased by crazy fangirls."

"You and me both. On most days, at least." Tony grinned.

* * *

Hours and several stores into their shopping trip, Steve and Tony were weighed down by several bags full of varying items, and Maggie was starting to actually have fun.

The Disney Store, as she had been eager for, was packed with parents trying to get all their Christmas shopping for their kids done right then and there. However, Natasha and Pepper had become experts at sliding through crowds and grabbing things, so Maggie was able to pick out a few things for herself, and for some of her family members for Christmas.

Target, as Steve had predicted, was a mess. What was originally a trip intended to obtain one specific thing turned into a trip with a cart full of different, irrelevant things. It happened every single year, he swore, to which Natasha just rolled her eyes and called him "dramatic" and "over exaggerating."

"They just have _everything_ here! It's impossible not to get sucked in." Maggie commented, as she eyed their varying things in the cart. "So many good deals!"

"Why the hell did you even _grab _any movies? We literally have access to _all _of them at the tower!" Tony, genuinely confused, commented as he tossed one of the cheap DVDs they had picked out back into the cart.

"It was a good deal." Pepper replied, as if it were obvious. Tony almost flipped the cart over from exasperation.

"Ooh! Mama, can I get these patterened leggings?" Maggie held up the small item to her mother. "They're on sale for $5!"

"See, Tony, this is a perfect example of a 'good deal.' So, yes, Лапушка, you may put those in the cart." Natasha nodded her consent.

Tony rolled his eyes. "Grrr… Capsicle, help me out here." He looked back at the super soldier with a pleading look. "This is ridiculous and redundant!"

Steve only held up his heavily weighed-down hands defensively in reply. "I have no opinion here. I only came to carry things."

"Daddy makes a good pack mule." Maggie decided as they walked through the store.

"Oh, crap, we only grabbed one new set of black socks; I meant to grab two." Natasha groaned as she shuffled through their cart full of things.

"I remember where those are! I'll go grab another one." Maggie volunteered eagerly. "They're not too far from here."

Before anyone could say anything, Maggie whirled around and weaved her way back through the varying clothing displays until she got to the bin of socks that were on sale. She dug through it until she found her mother's size, and smiled proudly at her finding before turning back toward the way she came.

But, then, it hit her out of nowhere. Yes, she knew exactly where her family was, but not having immediate sight of them triggered something inside of her. Next thing she knew, she couldn't breathe - her chest was tightening up, and she could only look around helplessly.

Ever since her parents had gone missing and were later found months before, something was off within Maggie. Tony was the one who was able to recognize and label it first, as he had faced the exact same post-traumatic experiences in the wake of the Battle of New York: panic attacks.

They came randomly to Maggie, sometimes triggered by her parents' absences, sometimes triggered by her own thoughts lingering on one scary thing for too long, or maybe even after facing some of her old scary demons, like watching Clint sleep (because coma) or sudden loud noises (because Red Room attack).

But Target on Black Friday sure was one hell of a place for her to lose it, a small part of her thought cynically before the feelings of hopelessness and anxiety and fear took full control over her mind. She was conscious, but unconscious; she was drowning, but very much above water.

"Hey, Maggie, hey… Just focus on me, okay? You're going to be okay, I promise." Came someone's voice, like a light cutting through the darkness. The socks were gone from her hands, and in them was, instead, the other person's own hand. It was warm and familiar, and Maggie just nodded numbly and tried to drift back down to earth.

* * *

When she came to - when she was able to actually see and perceive the world through normal mode as opposed to fight-or-flight mode - she realized Tony had been the one to chase after her and bring her out of it, just like he always did. Because he had suffered from the same thing first hand for so long, he knew how to be there for her.

"I'm right here, okay? I'm not going anywhere. We're all safe now." Tony reassured her, and Maggie was actually able to focus on him. As she began to be able to breathe again, the corners of her mouth turned up in the slightest hint of a smile to let Tony know she was on her way back.

"There we go. It's okay; your parents are perfectly safe. I promise." Tony gave her hand a small squeeze, and she nodded, still trying to catch her breath.

"Uncle Tony…" She tried, but he shook his head.

"Just focus on trying to breathe right now. That's what's most important here right now, okay?"

Maggie nodded, and silence fell between them. She took advantage of the moment to take in her surroundings; they were sitting in… The middle of a clothes rack? The hell? That was definitely, by far, the weirdest place she had ever recovered from a panic attack in.

"It's below freezing outside, and, like, half a million people are inside this store right now." Tony was exaggerating a bit, but Maggie still got his drift. "There wasn't really any better place to chill out and take a breather."

She thanked her lucky stars for Tony being present in that moment. Not even her parents could calm her nerves, it seemed, even when _they_ were the reason she would fade away in the first place. For whatever reason, her mind had come to accept and require Tony to properly recover from an attack.

Maggie looked back at him remorsefully. She was finally able to talk again. "Did I… Freak everyone else out?"

"Well… Yes, but you already do that on a daily basis because you're always all over the place. Pulling pranks, jumping on people, trying to take over the world." Tony scoffed, and she just shook her head in amusement. "But, yeah, they were a bit scared when I walked you back over. You didn't even register that they were there; you looked like a deer in the headlights. So I figured a little bit of retreat was necessary."

"I… I don't even remember that." Maggie muttered in frustration. "All I remember is grabbing socks, being scared for Mama and Daddy, then you somehow came along, and now we're sitting in a coat rack."

Tony dragged his hand across the clothes hanging around them, making them follow the same motion and direction as his hand. "Technically this is the _clearance_ rack, but…"

"Whatever." Maggie rolled her eyes with a smirk.

Silence fell between them again for a few moments, and then Maggie met Tony's eyes with a more somber expression. "Uncle Tony… How many…?"

"_Too _many." Tony just sighed, looking down at his knees in defeat. "You keep having them so often, I can't keep track. And I don't know how to help…"

Maggie took hold of his other hand, wearing a determined look. "You help _so much_, Uncle Tony. Just by being here, for me, when I lose control… If you weren't here, who knows where I'd end up during these episodes?"

He smiled. "Thanks, squirt. I just always want to make sure you're okay."

"And I am, thanks to you."

"Is this your belated way of saying that, for Thanksgiving, you're thankful for me?"

"Augh, whatever. All I know is, no more Black Friday shopping for me."

"Maybe try Cyber Monday?"

"Maybe…"

Next thing they knew, they saw Steve's face poking through the row of clothes surrounding them. "Hey, how are things in here?"

"They're good, they're good." Tony answered, tossing an arm around Maggie's shoulders. "We can all breathe again, have realized our true feelings towards the cultural phenomenon of Black Friday, and resolved said feelings by planning to participate in Cyber Monday."

Steve looked to Maggie for confirmation, and she offered him a small smile. "Pretty much, yeah."

"So, no more Black Friday shopping?" Steve sounded hopeful. "We can just go back to actually sleeping all the Thanksgiving food off?"

"Yep." Maggie confirmed. "Where'd Mama and Aunt Pepper go? Are they done?"

Steve nodded. "They're paying right now."

Tony let out a pained groan, clutching his chest dramatically. "Rest in peace, my poor credit card!"

Steve just rolled his eyes at the exclamation. "Anyway, we're going back home after this. We're all exhausted and ready to actually sleep."

Maggie wore an apologetic expression. "Are we leaving because of me?"

"No, Target was already the planned endgame because, as Uncle Tony just demonstrated for us," Steve gestured to the billionaire, "This is where Mama and Aunt Pepper blow all their money. They claim that they just can't resist good deals, or something."

Tony huffed and rolled his eyes. "Women." He grunted. Maggie whacked his arm.

"We should probably get out of here now. This is so weird that people are going to be looking at us, and they'll for _sure _recognize you guys, then." She predicted.

While she crawled out and helped Tony up, Steve texted Natasha and Pepper that they'd be meeting up with them at the store's exit momentarily.

* * *

_~Happy Thanksgiving..._

* * *

As she slept, Maggie dreamed of food and good memories with her family. As she woke, she remembered reality.

Dragging herself out of bed that day was always hard, she had come to learn by firsthand experience. Every year, it never seemed to get easier; it was still just as painful.

Her higher-ups had forced her onto vacation, claiming that she hadn't taken enough time off in too long of a time. Though, she cynically thought, they probably didn't care whether or not she actually took time off. They were probably just convinced by a certain Asgardian to force her away from her busy job for a few days.

Which is why it didn't surprise her when, a few hours later that same day, an onslaught of colors and lights outside caught her eye, followed by a gentle tapping on the glass panels on the side of the tower, similar to how one would knock on a door.

"JARVIS, open the window." Maggie huffed out dully, sulking in her seat.

"_Yes, Ms. Rogers." _The AI that, along with the rest of the tower and part of the company's financial gains that had made Tony Stark rich, had been entrusted to her long ago, replied as nonchalantly as ever as the windows opened.

Through them came Thor, wearing a sympathetic expression and wielding Mjolnir in one hand. As his red cape flew up and flowed in the wind behind him, he greeted Maggie softly. "Lady Margaret."

"Hi." She didn't dare turn toward him; she knew seeing him, only one-sixth of the original team that had ultimately raised her, would cause her to break down.

"Happy Giving of Thanks." Thor offered cheerfully as he crossed over and sat down beside her on the couch. "Are we feasting today?"

Maggie just slipped her eyes closed, shaking her head. "Not hungry." Even though everyone had been gone for a while now, she still struggled to get through the holidays that had been strong traditions within her family.

Thor nodded in acceptance. "I see. Ladies Jane and Sif send their love; both were held up by affairs in Asgard, and not able to come."

Of course Maggie knew that Thor came alone because she only became even _more _closed off on these kinds of days when more people were around. Even though she was close to both Jane (whose lifespan had been enhanced by some Asgardian magic that she wasn't paying enough attention in the explanation for to understand) and Sif, having three people breathe down her neck as opposed to one was just too much.

"How have things been with S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Thor inquired after she didn't reply.

Honestly? Things were awkward, and sometimes incredibly hard to get through. Thanks to her parents' serums combined in her, she had God knows how many years of life under her belt now, and still appeared to be no more than thirty. Everyone at S.H.I.E.L.D. treated her weirdly, both due to her odd aging and the fact that nearly her entire family of 'Earth's Mightiest Heroes' was long dead.

After Natasha - the last one to go - had passed away, Thor practically moved into the tower, on Earth, permanently. Maggie tried pushing him away, but he stayed, completely flipping and switching up his old traveling schedule of spending most of his time on Asgard and coming to Earth for a week or so at a time every month.

"They're okay." Maggie simply answered, no more, no less. Thor nodded in understanding.

A few moments of silence passed between them, until Thor broke it. "Lady Margaret, are you ready to go now?"

She was never ready, no matter how many times Thor ever asked. She didn't want to go, but at the same time, she knew she _needed _to go. Every once in a while just wasn't enough, but she actively denied it.

But then Maggie made a huge mistake. She turned to face her huge uncle, thinking she was ready, but quickly realized how ready she _wasn't_. Thor appeared exhausted, his shoulders slumped, with slight dark circles under her eyes. He was suffering just as much as she, trying to get through life while trying to grieve five, six, seven… Too many close, personal deaths to count, really.

Tears were in her eyes before she knew it, and she shook her head with a small, sad smile, her eyes having slipped closed. When one drop spilled out and slid down her cheek, Thor reached out a gentle hand, wiping it away with his thumb. She leaned into his touch, as if within him he was channeling the spirits of their entire deceased family.

"Lady Margaret," He spoke softly, prompting her to open her eyes and really look at him, "We don't have to go if you don't wish to go."

"No, Uncle Thor… We _have _to go." Maggie insisted, and he nodded in solemn understanding.

"Then, allow me to grab the proper supplies for this excursion."

* * *

Maggie looked around at the surrounding tombstones with a nearly exasperated look. God, there were just so _many_.

Somehow, before all of them had passed, Tony or someone had been able to acquire a small, secluded area of a nearby, low-key cemetery just outside of New York City. The only reason it had been secluded was so Maggie and Thor would be able to view everyone in one place, and hang around there past hours if need be.

Of course, Steve had argued against the decision, saying it was unfair to everyone else who lost a loved one and had to visit their graves in the normal way. Then Natasha deadpanned the fact that Maggie would lose _everyone _in her lifetime because of her serum-caused prolonged life, and Steve didn't reply.

Basically, everyone was buried there. All five Avengers, plus Pepper, Fury, Hill, Sam Wilson, Bucky, Darcy, Coulson, May, Skye, Fitz, Simmons, Bobbi…

Thor slowly laid out the blanket he had brought for them to sit on, smoothing out the edges before taking a seat on it. Maggie stopped and stood in front of her parents' graves for a brief second before sitting down next to Thor, still facing the two Avengers' places of rest.

This had become their tragic way of acknowledging ("celebrating") holidays ever since everyone died. Thor and Maggie would sit in the middle of their deceased loved ones, as if that would replace sitting surrounded by everyone at the dinner table. It didn't.

Sometimes they would talk, sometimes they didn't. Thor may or may not mention something about the Asgardian take on the afterlife, and Maggie would listen, sort of. It was always a 'play by ear' type thing.

Other times, Maggie would just lie there, and eventually doze off, dreaming of the past, and having everyone still with her. Those times were, by far, the worst to wake up from. They only reminded her of what used to be, and how it wasn't anymore.

* * *

The duo ended up lounging around the cemetery until nightfall, and were both stargazing, sprawled out on the blanket. They pointed out different constellations, and any shooting stars they happened to see. It was peaceful.

Then, Thor turned his head toward Maggie, looking at her more seriously. "Lady Margaret?"

"Yeah?" She absentmindedly answered, still looking up at the sky.

"What are you thankful for?"

Maggie froze up at the question, and resisted the urge to just jump up and run as far away as possible. What the hell was left for her to be thankful for? Everyone, except for Thor and a few distant others, were _gone_. And there was nothing either seemingly immortal being could do about it.

"I know I am thankful for you, even though we have been far apart lately." Thor continued earnestly, his puppy-dog eyes boring into her soul. She tried to ignore them, she really did.

"I'm sorry." She apologized, momentarily glancing at him before returning to the ever-present stars. "It's just… It's been hard."

"I understand." He gave her a small, sympathetic smile, as he sat up and looked around at the varying graves. "These conditions are not meant to be borne by any mere Midgardian… This much suffering is unbearable for anyone."

"And, yet, here we are." Maggie cynically muttered, closing her eyes with a sigh.

A few seconds of silence passed, until Thor broke it with a repeat of his question. "Lady Margaret, are you thankful for anything?"

She still didn't answer right away. In her mind, she was too busy doing calculations, computing how long it had been since Natasha's death… Just under three years, she gauged. And, yet, she still wasn't able to move on.

"Lady Margaret," Thor called again, but even softer - almost _hesitant_? - this time, "If I agree to share another thing with you, will you share something with me?"

The sudden deal caught Maggie so off guard, she raised her eyebrows and looked over at him. But now _he _was avoiding _her _gaze. She sat up slowly, still shooting him an intense look. "Uncle Thor?"

He shook his head. "I already shared something. It is your turn, and then I will tell you something new."

Maggie nodded ominously, her curiosity getting the best of her. She sighed, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear as she hummed, trying to think of a good answer. "I'm thankful for…" Her eyes caught sight of all the gray stones around them, and she looked back down at her lap in defeat. "I'm thankful for the time we all got to spent together as a family, before everyone passed away. I'm _not _thankful for this prolonged life I'm living, however. Uncle Tony died _decades _ago, and I _still _have yet to look like I've aged a single day!"

Thor looked over at her and tilted his head to one side, appearing as if he were still trying to think and weigh his options. "My next thanksgiving offering is current… And will be something no one here has ever heard before." His voice trailed off as he looked back around at their surroundings.

Maggie followed his line of sight with interest, before looking back at him. "So, basically, something really good recently happened in Asgard?"

He finally let it slip, as a huge smile overtook his face. Thor looked back at Maggie with eagerness. "Lady Jane is with child!"

...Oh? Oh… _Oh. _Maggie had to do a double take on that one. "Wait… _What_?!"

"An unborn child currently rests in Jane's womb, which is the reason why she couldn't travel here today. The babe is still very young, premature, even; birth will not happen for a while-"

Thor was cut off as Maggie engulfed him with a huge hug, as she forgot all her sorrows in that moment and only felt the joy Thor was emitting. "I'm getting a _cousin_?! Took you guys long enough, Jesus!"

"What is this 'cousin' you speak of?" Thor wondered aloud. "It took us many years of trying until we could finally conceive a child. Before, it couldn't work because Jane was a mere mortal while I was Asgardian. More recently, it took her body years to get used to being enhanced in Asgardian ways, prohibiting her from having children. Now, however, she is with child!"

Maggie couldn't help it. She started crying at the news. She needed something _joyful_ in her life, just for once, and this seemed to be offering her a new beginning, though she had no idea how long Jane would be pregnant with this Asgardian baby for.

All those years of playing alone in the tower were finally receiving closure. Though, on the other hand, this baby would never get to know his or her uncles and aunts as Maggie had known them. She could cry at the thought of this kid never knowing the goofy Uncle Clint, or comforting Uncle Brucie, or powerful Aunt Pepper. No, this kid would only know Thor, Jane, Sif, and whoever else on Asgard… Plus Maggie herself, of course.

"I'm thankful for new beginnings." Thor continued gently, cradling the weeping redhead in his arms. "I hope that this future child may provide us with one."

Maggie opened her red, puffy eyes, and looked up at the stars once again. Because they were there every single night, she felt as if they were similar to how her family was watching over her every day now. For a moment, she could feel everyone's presence around her, as if they were still there. If she listened hard enough, she could hear Natasha murmuring soft Russian comforts while Steve would profess his love for Maggie through warm comments and hugs. She would make sure Thor and Jane's future son or daughter would know of their old family members, she decided.

And for that sudden determination that Maggie was sure was placed there by one of her now spiritual relatives, she was thankful.

* * *

**A/N: **Um, so, we're just gonna pretend like I didn't just vanish for six weeks, alright? Alright! Basically, things in real life hit another painful climax recently, and it's been a bit hectic and scary around here.

Ok, so a couple things to establish here!

1\. A bit of a bizarre ending, I know. It's super late right now, and one of the only chances I'll have to get this chapter out there. So, please excuse any glaringly bad writing and/or errors! I'll read back through it within the next few days and tidy it up, but I figured you guys deserved to at least know what next adventure I was sending Maggie out on this time. Hope it wasn't too hard to follow - I tried doing one of those "x number of times abc happened, and the one time abc didn't happen" type things or whatever.

2\. Kinda late in the game for Thor to have a baby? I don't know, I literally thought of that idea last minute and decided to run with it. Maybe it was inspired by seeing Emma and baby Neal's interactions on _Once Upon a Time_. I don't know. Even if I later hate this new plot idea (and/or if any of you do), it would be taking place so far down the 'But Uncle Tony!' timeline that I'd barely want to take a dip into this distant future thing. I mean, basically everyone is dead, so it's pretty depressing. Maybe this Thor x Jane baby makes Maggie feel better!

3\. I decided that due to everything she has gone through, Maggie would have developed some form of anxiety, PTSD-type problems. Panic attacks are scary, and witnessing one is really scary. I figured Tony would be able to act as comfort for Maggie when it comes to her mental health, especially after she's been so hurt by all the traumatic experiences she's had. I tried to write the panic attack scene as accurately and reasonably as I could, based on what I've seen and learned with others telling me what they've gone through - not to diminish their experiences in any way, or try and make them sound as nothing more than writing "inspiration" to me.

4\. I participated in Nanowrimo... LMAO. I got about 13,000 to 14,000 words in, during all the chaos, drama, and stress that literally was November. Shoutout to everyone else who tried it out this year! I was actually wondering if you guys would be interested in reading the story I wrote. It's an AU version of this story. Remember when the Red Room invaded and tried to take Maggie? Well, my nanowrimo story takes place in a scenario where they were successful in abducting Maggie, and they raise and train her. The Avengers can't ever find her, and then Maggie is sent by the Red Room to go invade Avengers Tower by pretending to be her former self and take anyone out who stands in her way of ultimately capturing Natasha to bring back to Russia... Dun, dun dun! Seriously, let me know if you guys are interested, and then I'll see what I can do with it from where I left off! I'm about four chapters in right now. :)

5\. Hooray! This fic is now officially at 30 chapters, and 100k words! You guys are awesome, and I wouldn't be able to have done it without you all!

I think that's it for now... Hoping the Christmas season will give me lots of new writing material! Until then, TTFN, and thank you, once again, for all your support! Happy Advent!


	31. Merry Christmas, and Happy Birthday?

**A/N****: **Two updates in one week?! WHAAAAT?! Yeah, I don't know either.

It's a miracle, guys! I managed to beat my two month long writer's block! YAAAASSSS

This one was brought on because SOMEONE (*cough*independentalto*cough*) got me hooked onto this new headcanon of Natasha being a Christmas baby because of what her name means, according to the Internet. So, if Natasha does have a canon birthday in MCU already (which I don't remember if she does...?) then I am kind of AU'ing here! I just have a lot of Christmas and Avengers feels ok...

This one might be a bit OOC, and doesn't have much Maggie in it at all. But I hope you all enjoy!

I can't believe how many faves/follows/reviews I've gotten! You guys rock! I love you all! Stay tuned for further author's notes at the end!

* * *

Natasha Romanoff never knew her real birthday.

Growing up in the Red Room, she never got to celebrate the great gift of life so traditionally celebrated and appreciated in the rest of the world. No one in the KGB cared for birthdays, nor did they ever share the date of hers with her. In fact, they might have not even known it themselves.

Even after meeting Clint and joining S.H.I.E.L.D., he never pushed her about celebrating her birthday. After she showed little to no interest in the subject, he let it go.

The Avengers, however, did not let such a thing pass. After being brought into the dysfunctional family and celebrating everyone else's birthdays, Natasha found herself at the center of everyone's attention.

"So, Natashalie, when's your birthday?"

Natasha looked over at the ever-curious, grinning Stark, with a neutral expression. "I don't have one." She stated plainly.

The room was filled with shocked silence, save for Clint, who had already been introduced to Natasha's anti-birthday ways long before. Everyone else stared at her with saddened, concerned expressions.

"What do you mean? Everyone has a birthday." Steve protested innocently.

"Aye, even on Asgard, we celebrate the anniversaries of our births." Thor added as he shovelled more cake into his mouth.

"Seriously, dude, don't eat all the cake." Clint pouted from the Asgardian's side as he tried to steal some of the cake off of Thor's plate with his fork. Moments later, they were engaged a loud argument full of threatening.

As Steve and Bruce tried to intervene between the archer and demi-god, Tony turned to face Natasha. "Why don't you have a birthday?"

Natasha shrugged, not wanting to discuss her past with Tony. "I never got to celebrate it. So I never really thought about it." She replied casually.

Tony tilted his head to one side, realization dawning on him. "You don't know your birthday, do you?"

Natasha placed the paper plate that once held a slice of cake onto the table gently, trying to brush off Tony's question. "It doesn't matter. I don't need to celebrate anything."

"Nonsense! Everyone should celebrate their birthday!" Tony protested as Natasha stood up, ready to leave the room. The other four continued to argue.

"Not me." Natasha insisted as she tried to walk around the billionaire.

"Come on, Red! Don't you see what this means?" Tony continued to block her escape path. "You get to pick what day you want to be your birthday!"

"I don't want to." Natasha turned away with an irritated expression. "I don't need a birthday, Stark."

Tony sighed, looking a bit defeated. Who _wouldn't _want to celebrate the day of their birth? It meant being showered with gifts and cake! ...And, as Tony had learned from his new friends, it meant feeling loved and appreciated. Perhaps _that _was the part that scared Natasha off - did she not feel worthy?

While he was thinking, Natasha managed to slip out of the room. The argument between Bruce, Steve, Thor, and Clint had also died down, as Bruce had peacefully cut Thor's extra large piece of cake into equal halves for the two to share peacefully. They hadn't noticed Natasha's absence, nor heard her declaration.

Tony narrowed his eyes in the direction of the hall, where Natasha had escaped to. He and the guys would find some way to celebrate her; he just knew it.

* * *

Weeks later, Steve walked into Tony's lab, only to find the genius cackling in his chair over something on his tablet. With a confused expression, Steve made his way over to Tony's side.

"Stark? What's so funny?" Steve questioned suspiciously as he walked up.

"Oh, oh, oh! Perfect timing!" Tony gasped out between laughs, placing his face in his palm.

"Tony?"

"Your name… According to the internet… Your name… 'Steven'!"

"Yes, that's my name; what about it?"

"Well," Tony finally got some control over himself, "according to Urban Dictionary, 'Steven' means 'sexy, cool, and sophisticated'!"

And with that, Tony was lost to an endless stream of laughter again. Steve looked - and felt - incredibly confused again.

"My name doesn't mean…"

Bruce walked over with an annoyed eye roll. "Just let Tony be, Cap; he's finding great joy in looking up the meanings of everyone's names online when he _should _be working." He shot a pointed look at the laughing scientist.

"Aw, come on, Bruce! Don't be so serious! You know you find this interesting, too; especially considering the definition of _your _name." Tony shot back playfully.

"It was good until you got to the part where it meant marijuana." Bruce sighed, placing his small lab petri dish back on the bench beside him.

Steve wasn't sure what to make of all of this. He had been somewhat educated on the ways of the Internet, mostly thanks to Natasha, ever since coming out of the ice; but that was about it. "What did it say about your name, Tony?"

"From all the definitions I read, it overall means something along the lines of smart, brave, attractive… Basically, everything that is me." Tony grinned.

Steve rolled his eyes. "Of course it does…"

"Hey! I wonder what Natashalie's name means!" Tony randomly piped up, typing on his tablet. "I might as well look up everyone's names while I'm at it."

"It's probably going to be something else completely ridiculous. I can assure you that I have never once heard someone describing their car as being 'so Tony.'" Bruce quipped, quoting one of the entries under Tony's name.

"Hmm… Natasha, Natasha, Natasha… Ah! Here we go!" Tony cleared his throat as if he were reading to a class. "'Natasha' is Russian for birthday, or…" He paused, squinting his eyes in confusion at his tablet.

"Or…?" Steve echoed curiously, not sure what on Earth could be there.

"Or… Christmas Day!" Tony gasped, setting his tablet back down, and turning to the two Avengers with an excited expression. "Don't you know what this means?!"

"That Natasha's name has an actually decent meaning…?" Bruce guessed half-heartedly, having had enough of Tony's antics for one day.

"As much as that is true - though its meaning is not as great as mine - this confirms when Natasha's birthday is!"

Steve raised a suspicious eyebrow. "How so?"

"Look, we all know Natashalie had some evil 'alter ego' type thing back when she was a baddie, and her current name is Natasha. Surely, she picked that name knowing what it meant?" Tony argued.

"I thought she just chose Natasha because it was close to Natalia." Bruce pointed out.

"Plus, Natasha didn't know her birthday when choosing her new name with Clint, and she _still _doesn't." Steve added.

Tony brushed them off. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. But now I know exactly when to celebrate her birthday!"

Steve frowned. "Stark, Nat's already barely comfortable with celebrating Christmas… If you added her birthday onto that-"

"Not _on _Christmas, Capsicle." Tony interrupted. "Just really close to it… I vote we surprise her on Christmas _Eve._"

That sounded risky. "Are you sure she won't try to murder you?" Bruce inquired.

Tony shrugged. "She already threatens to all the time, anyway; I've got nothing to lose!"

Steve and Bruce shared a look. "This could end badly…" Steve sighed.

"Plus, I'm sure we can get Katniss and Goldilocks on board! And Pepper for sure." Tony rubbed his hands together evilly. "Natashalie could never say 'no' to Pepper."

"I don't know, Tony… Maybe Natasha just doesn't feel comfortable celebrating a birthday. I just don't want to push her." Bruce looked down at his hands lying on the lab bench sadly.

"But, think about it, Bruce! Who wouldn't want to celebrate their existence? Someone who probably isn't used to feeling love and appreciated… Someone who feels like they're an awful person!" Tony urged. He turned to Steve. "Capsicle, you've been close with her for a while now - you know I'm right."

Steve inhaled and exhaled slowly. If Natasha found out he was talking about her behind her back like this, she might just incapacitate him… But Tony had a point. Natasha _didn't _see herself as a good person or hero; she didn't believe she deserved to be put on the same level of respect and love as the rest of the Avengers. And it really hurt Steve to see her distance herself like she did.

Tony's heart was in the right place here. Natasha _did _deserve some love and the same appreciation the rest of the Avengers got; hell, she's the one who gathered them all up in the first place! The least they could do is show her how much she means to them.

"Tony has a point. I think we should do it." Came Clint's voice out of seemingly nowhere. Everyone looked up at the air vent on the ceiling, where the archer had been lying quietly, listening in on them.

"How long have you been up there?" Tony frowned. "I thought I locked up the all vents on this floor so you couldn't crawl through!"

Clint grinned mischievously. "You have greatly misjudged my abilities, Stark."

"We did that so you wouldn't come through when we were dealing with hazardous chemicals and end up breathing them in." Bruce sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "But, whatever; explore at your own risk. I don't care anymore."

"Well, at least he agrees with me!" Tony placed his hands on his hips with a confident pose. "We need to do something for Tasha!"

Naturally, all eyes turned on Steve, the team leader, to call it; though, as Tony had pointed out, Steve _had_ been growing closer to Natasha ever since they took down S.H.I.E.L.D. and HYDRA together months before. After having temporarily gone their separate ways - Natasha to find a new identity and Steve to find Bucky - they kept in limited contact, until finally both returning home to DC to help Coulson rebuild S.H.I.E.L.D. They spent a lot of time with the Avengers at the tower in New York as well, leading to plenty of team bonding time.

Steve thought for a few moments, before releasing a soft sigh. The silvery glow of one of Tony's Christmas decorations - set up prematurely, in Steve's opinion, as Thanksgiving was only a few days prior - caught his eye, and he immediately began to brainstorm creative ways of celebrating both Natasha's birthday _and _Christmas within 24 hours of each other…

He accepted the challenge.

"Alright, Avengers, assemble; we have a birthday to plan."

* * *

"Stark, I swear to God, I have already devised seven different ways of murdering you…" Natasha scowled as a yawn cut off her threat.

"Aw, come on, Red! You wouldn't ever hurt Pepper like that, would you?" Tony joked as he led the redhead through the hallway. "She would never forgive you for murdering me."

"Debatable." Natasha muttered, half to herself, as she caught a glimpse of the time on one of the digital clocks on the walls they passed. "Why the hell did you wake me up at 4:00 AM? Do we have a mission or not?" She demanded.

"Ah, well, you see, we do not have a mission. Today is just a very special day." Tony explained vaguely as they headed toward the communal room the superheroes mostly hung out together in.

"I saw the date on the clock… It's December 24th - just Christmas Eve. You're a day early, and, spoiler alert: Santa Claus isn't real. Can I go back to bed now?"

"It is _not_ just Christmas Eve today, Natashalie, I assure you!" Tony feigned a hurt expression. "No, it is so much more than that."

Natasha raised an eyebrow. "More than Christmas? This must be pretty big, then, coming from you. It better be worth cutting into my sleep." She ended her complaint with another yawn.

"Trust me, it is." Tony grinned as they stopped in the room. "Are you ready?"

"Ready for what?"

"Just say if you're ready or not."

"Stark, it's too damn early for me to play your-"

Without waiting for a proper response, Tony flipped up the light switch, revealing the other five Avengers laying in wait with cake and party hats. As their faces broke out into huge grins, they chorused, "Surprise!" as Thor loudly utilized the noisemaker Tony had picked up for him from the party store earlier that evening.

Natasha just blinked sleepily at the display, and then turned to Tony. "Stark, people typically only celebrate their birthday _once _in a year, and I'm not sure that God would appreciate you trying to hijack His."

Tony practically guffawed at Natasha's reaction. "Red, for someone of your skill and quickness, you sure can be slow." He gently laid a hand on Natasha's shoulder and led her over to the table, not once fearing she may hurt him for touching her.

And she didn't. "What?"

"We're celebrating your existence today, Lady Natasha!" Thor boomed, gesturing to the black and red colored cake sitting on the table.

Natasha blinked a few more times, shooting each man a confused expression as she looked down at the cake, reading "_Happy Birthday*, Natasha!_" Looking at it more closely, she saw where the conditions lying in the asterisk were written in much smaller frosting print at the bottom.

"_*We know that your real birthday is unknown, so we figured today was as good a guess as any._"

She looked back up at the other Avengers who were still staring at her expectantly. "I thought I told you guys-"

"That you didn't want to celebrate your birthday, yeah, we know." Clint quoted her. "But we didn't like it, so we did something about it."

"According to a suspicious online dictionary," Steve continued, shooting a look at Tony and his mischievous smirk at the memory, "your name means 'birthday,' or 'Christmas Day' in Russian."

"And _some _of us were already stepping on Coulson's toes about hacking old S.H.I.E.L.D. files in an attempt to find your birthday." Bruce shot a look at Clint and Tony, who innocently averted their gazes. Before Natasha could protest, he gently interjected, "But we didn't look at anything else in your file, I promise."

"Brucie's right. You've still got your secrets, including your mysteriously nonexistent birthday." Tony assured her. "So, after realizing the subliminal message in your name, we figured celebrating your birthday close to Christmas would be a pretty good attempt."

Natasha just stared at them in shock as Steve carefully lit the candle on the cake. Of course she had known what 'Natasha' meant when she had changed her name; but it didn't matter too much at the time. Why were these five men going to these insane lengths just to make her feel happy?

"I… I don't know what to say." Was all that came out of her mouth, because she really _didn't. _All her life, the men who tried to get close to her and make her happy always had ulterior motives, and didn't truly care for her. But this mix of freaks that she had gotten used to associating herself with… They were different, _so _different.

This also explained some of her teammates' actions over the past month. They hadn't been directly _nicer_ to her, per se, but much _happier _around her. She had just dismissed it as Christmas spirit.

"Well, you could say, 'Oh, Tony, thank you so much! I love you more than anything, and I'm so jealous that Pepper has you!'" Tony made his voice for the impersonation incredibly high-pitched and so un-Natasha-like, that everyone was sure he was going to be dead in seconds. But, instead, Natasha was just staring intently at the lit candle in the already dimly lit room.

Clint examined Natasha with a worried expression. "Hey, Tasha? You still with us?"

She wasn't. All she could think of was the little girl, Natalia Romanova, struggling to stay alive and being deprived of a childhood; growing up and finding out through her missions, which pushed her out in the world, every childish right of passage she missed out on.

But, now, her friends - more like a dysfunctional family, really - were giving her the chance to make up for lost time. And maybe it was time for her to lower her walls for a while, and let them in. Maybe together, the six of them would be able to find happiness.

"Natasha...?"

Steve's soft call for her while waving a hand in front of her face pulled her out of her strange trance. With a surprised look in her eyes, she shook her head slightly. "Sorry - kinda zoned out there."

"Yeah, we were a bit freaked out." Tony commented.

"Do you not like it? I was afraid it might be too close to Christmas for your liking, and we all already know how overwhelming and stressful Christmas can be…" Steve rambled apologetically, scratching the back of his head. It was then that Natasha noticed he - and the rest of the Avengers, for that matter - were wearing brightly colored party hats. Even Tony had accumulated one at some point during this conversation. Upon closer inspection, she noticed that each hat was intricately hand-decorated, as they showed each corresponding Avengers' symbols.

She smirked a bit at her observation. "Did you guys make your own party hats?"

Clint smiled proudly, gesturing to his hat covered in hand drawn arrows. "Yup. We thought it fit the occasion well."

"These Midgardian hats are quite small for Asgardians like myself." Thor frowned as he pulled at the irritating string holding the small hat in place. "And their pointed form is strange."

"That's just how party hats look, Thor." Bruce chuckled lightly.

Natasha also found herself smiling now, and she pretended not to notice everyone visibly relaxing as she seemed to be doing. She shyly pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "Well, thanks, guys; it's nice to know I have you all to remember my existence." She awkwardly thanked everyone, glancing down at the lit candle again.

"Don't mention it, Natashalie; we've got your back." Tony smiled victoriously. "Now, then, it's time for someone to make a wish and blow out her birthday candle!"

"Not until we sing first, Tony!" Clint exclaimed.

As soon as the awkward chorus of singing voice started, Natasha struggled to stifle her laughter. The team that was normally so in sync with each other, knew how to reach each other's moves and judgment in battle, couldn't even sing a song in the same _key. _They were so out of tune with each other, that even Natasha was almost convinced these five men couldn't do anything together to save their lives. But she enjoyed the song all the same.

At the end, Steve reminded her to make a wish. She rolled her eyes dismissively at his comment, but still decided on a silent wish rather quickly: to be surrounded by this new family for the rest of her life. It was pretty cheesy, but still true all the same.

After blowing out her candle, everyone cheered, and Tony spoke up again.

"So, is it okay to make your birthday Christmas Eve for real? Because I might have already started updating some of your legal documents…"

Natasha wasn't too spaced out to miss Tony's passive mischief this time. "Stark!"

"Hey! This also explains your red hair and green eyes - your face just _screams _Christmas."

The only thing screaming afterward was Tony after Natasha almost poked his eyes out with a plastic fork.

* * *

"Wow, so, Mama got to pick her birthday?" Maggie was captivated by Steve's story.

"Yep. It kinda freaked her out at first since she wasn't used to having a birthday, but she was really happy, afterward." Steve explained, smiling fondly at the memory. He silently reflected on how quickly a decade had passed since those days, before they all got together and became a family.

"I can't believe she didn't ever have a birthday party when she was little!" The eight year old exclaimed, as if it were the biggest deal in the world. Knowing Maggie, it probably was. "How did she survive?!"

Steve chuckled at his daughter's dramatic antics, patting her arm reassuringly. "Well, at least we can celebrate it all together now."

"Uh huh!" Maggie agreed cheerfully, carefully adjusting the drawstring party hat on her head. "Daddy, when is she coming home?"

"She should be home really soon-"

"_Captain Rogers, Ms. Rogers, Mr. Stark has requested your presence in the penthouse. Apparently the 'spider' is in the 'web'?" _

Maggie and Steve's matching, bright blue eyes met each other's excitedly at that. Maggie was off the couch and running over to the elevator before Steve could stop her.

"Alright, thanks, JARVIS. Maggie, don't run!" Steve called after her as he grabbed Natasha's gift and card off the table.

* * *

**A/N: **So, I'm definitely shooting for updating more often this month, as well as focusing on Christmas/wintery themes. You can expect them to be around this size, or maybe a little bit smaller. No more of these 8000-10,000 word-long things for me!

Also, since everyone can view the reviews left on here, I figured I'd answer some inquiries posted last chapter here publicly for all to see, even though I may have PM'd the reviewers individually.

The story will go on! Even though it's marked as complete, I _will _tell you guys when I choose to end it... And, why, of course. But don't worry, that won't be any time soon.

In this universe, yes, FitzSimmons DOES end up together. My poor shipper heart wouldn't be able to handle anything else. Philinda is also a thing here, too. But, because these characters are more on the side, this shouldn't affect any future storylines that much.

As for that random storyline I came up with at the end of last chapter with Thor and Jane havin' a baaaaaby way in the future, I pictured Maggie having more of a really close older sister relationship with the kid, as opposed to a chance for her at romance. For one thing, knowing him/her their entire life from diapers to adult underwear, that would probably freak Maggie out too much to want to date him or her. I also decided months ago that I wanted to keep Maggie single (though we see her date or have love interests/crushes sometimes) and childless. I'd imagine her not wanting to pass Steve's serum or Natasha's enhancements on to anyone, as well as preventing a whole sub-race of 'advanced' and 'enhanced' humans emerging in the future from her bloodline.

I think that's it for now. See you all later!


	32. The Storm of the Century

**A/N: **So I definitely intended to and had the resources to update sometime earlier this week but alas I got caught up in school and impending finals... On the bright side, I got a B+ borderline A- (assuming my teacher rounds up those little decimal points!) on my term paper! Woot woot! Special shout out to my fanfic skills for improving my writing speed, my parents for living through the 1970s, Nixon for being super sketch, and my love of making memes. Thank you and goodnight.

This one isn't too exciting - I was trying to keep up with the Christmas theme, but this one is a bit more broad and only falls under the category because Maggie mentions the date. Oh, well. I also wrote this after realizing it's been a looooong while since we had the little Rogers family of three spending time together alone! So, this is just some late night rainy day power went out fluff, I guess.

Thanks for all the faves, follows, and reviews! HAPPY ADVENT/DECEMBER/WHATEVER!

* * *

"Hey, change of plans. We're grounded tonight."

Steve and Maggie looked up at Natasha from where they were sitting on the ground with matching expressions of concern.

"Why?" Maggie asked.

"They're having a ton of snow in New York right now; we can't fly in." Natasha explained as she sat down with them. "We're gonna have to wait it out."

"Aww, but I love the snow!" Maggie whined dramatically. "All we get is rain and wind."

Steve looked to the window and saw the acclaimed 'hurricane' weather outside, as more rain splattered against the window because of the strong wind. "We get snow too, Mags."

"Yeah, but not as much as New York." The ten year old pointed out. "Mama's birthday is tomorrow, so Christmas is in two days! We can't miss celebrating it with Uncle Tony and Uncle Clint and everyone!"

"People think the storm will blow over by then, Лапушка. So, you have nothing to worry about." Natasha assured her.

Maggie let out a frustrated huff, then laid down on her stomach to resume watching _Frozen _on the TV. She had argued it was a Christmas movie because, well, snow, and neither Steve nor Natasha felt like taking up that battle with the driven redhead.

"What about here? We're having our own storm, too." Steve asked Natasha.

"It should be over tomorrow, from what I've read." She replied. "But it's just going to continue to be super windy outside. People think the power will go out."

"I hope it doesn't! I like all the pretty Christmas tree lights. Also, I want to be able to watch TV." Maggie shot her parents a look of concern.

Steve shook his head in exasperation. "I remember the days before television-"

"Yes, I know," Maggie rolled her eyes, and then imitated him with a lower voice, "'Back when I was a boy...'"

"I don't talk like that." Steve commented.

"No, I agree with Maggie; you kind of do." Natasha said with a straight face, making Maggie cackle and Steve sigh.

"Mama, if we can't go to New York tomorrow, what are we gonna do for your birthday?" Maggie asked a few moments later, curiously tilting her head to one side.

"We can just celebrate here, I don't mind." Natasha shrugged. "I'm sure it'll be fun either way."

"Ooh! Maybe we could go to the Triskelion and have a big party!" Maggie suggested.

"I wouldn't mind seeing Uncle Nick in a party hat again." Steve chuckled. "I never thought I would ever see that. It's great to watch everyone else's confused reactions."

"I don't think Uncle Nick would appreciate us showing up with a party in tow, Лапушка." Natasha laughed. "We can just have our own special party here, at home."

"If you say so!" Maggie shrugged, and turned back to _Frozen. _

The three all watched the movie in silence for a few minutes, and Natasha silently wondered how many times she had seen it in the last ten years. Probably far too many for any single person, as she could recite most of the movie line for line now. She shrugged the thought off, and snuggled into Steve's side, feeling content with just being home with her family for the holidays.

Steve was in a similar boat. Instead of despising the winter as he had after coming out of the ice - painful memories were associated with the cold as a result - he had grown to love it after discovering its playful nature with Maggie.

While Maggie watched Elsa freeze Arendelle over on screen, she asked her parents, "Would you want powers like Elsa?"

"Nope." Steve suppressed a shiver at the thought.

"Never. I'd miss the heat too much." Natasha answered earnestly.

"But then you could make it snow whenever you wanted! You would have control over the weather!" Maggie insisted.

"Don't we already have Uncle Thor for that?" Natasha quipped.

"He's more than just climate control." Steve replied.

"Yeah, it's just a side bonus." Maggie added.

They resumed their silent watching as the movie transitioned into the infamous "Let it Go" song scene. Both Steve and Natasha knew better than to interrupt Maggie during a _Frozen _song, especially "Let it Go."

So, the room was filled solely with Maggie's singing and the background noise of Elsa's own voice in the TV.

"_Let it go, let it go! Can't hold it bac-_" Maggie's sing-along was cut off as the TV shut off, with the rest of the lights in the room, leaving the family in pitch black.

"Noooo! But we were getting to the best part!" She complained, her voice muffled as she laid her head face-down on the soft, carpeted floor in sorrow, having her expectations of the power going out met.

Natasha reached for her phone, and found it not a foot away from her on the ground. She turned the screen on, illuminating hers and Steve's faces.

"Well, the power's out." Steve commented.

Maggie simply groaned in reply, with a muffled "Duh! It's pitch black!" in there somewhere, and Natasha stood up with a sigh. "Time to light a bunch of candles."

"Hurry, I don't like the dark! It's creepy." Maggie urged her mother on as she raised her head back to normal level. "Especially with the apocalyptic weather outside."

Steve raised a curious, but amused, eyebrow at her wording while Natasha left the room in search of candles and a lighter. "Who taught you the word 'apocalyptic'?"

"Agent Skye." Maggie answered cheerfully. "That's what she said when it was really stormy outside a few weeks ago, and then when I asked her what it meant, she told me!"

"It definitely sounds like something she would say." Steve chuckled as Natasha swiftly returned. He knew Maggie, as she had stated moments before, wasn't a big fan of the dark. He figured that if he could keep her engaged in a conversation, it would help distract her from the total absence of light. "So, we gotta decide what kind of cookies we want to make for Santa this year."

Steve's plan seemed to be working, as Maggie didn't sound too nervous. "Oh, yeah! There's just so many good choices… Why does Uncle Tony always have so much cookie dough, anyway? He can't even bake!"

"I think he just likes it when you and Pepper bake for him, so he tries to have a lot of supplies on hand so that you guys can bake for him whenever you're both there. Lazy." Natasha quipped, amusement in her voice, while she lit a few small candles that she had placed between the three of them on the floor.

"Sounds about right." Steve added with a nod, as Natasha stood back up and lined up the rest of the candles, bigger ones, on the shelf, lighting them all. "Well, I guess we can just bake _all _the cookies, and then put out different kinds, and eat all the leftovers on Christmas Day."

Maggie gasped excitedly. "Daddy, that's the best idea you've _ever _had!"

"Hey, but I get to eat some of the cookies you bake tomorrow night, right? It _will _still be my birthday, after all…" Natasha finished lighting the candles, and returned to where she had been sitting with them before.

After mulling it over for a second, Maggie nodded. "I think we'll have enough. But how many cookies should we set aside for Santa?"

"He only needs a plate, plus a glass of milk." Steve figured.

Maggie watched the flame of the candle in front of her burn intently. "But what about the reindeer? Don't you think they'll be hungry, too?"

"I don't think they can eat cookies, Лапушка. It might make them sick."

"Well, that's dumb! They're missing out."

"I'm sure Santa feeds them a lot of reindeer food during the trip. He wouldn't let them get sick." Steve offered.

A flash illuminated the room, followed by thunder. Maggie jumped a bit at the sudden sound, but looked out the window curiously. "Now there's thunder and lightning, too?! How are we _ever _gonna get to Uncle Tony's tower?"

"The storm will pass over us soon, I'm sure. We can leave after that." Natasha replied.

"I always like watching the lightning, anyway. I think it looks cool." Steve said, watching out the window for another flash. A few moments later, it hit, and Maggie let out an awed 'oooohh' at the sight of the lightning strike.

"Do you think Uncle Thor is causing this?" Maggie asked her parents curiously.

"I don't think so. He's supposed to be arriving at Uncle Tony's tower some time tomorrow from Asgard." Steve answered.

A few more moments passed in silence, until Maggie sighed. "I'm _so _bored. There's nothing to do!"

"We could play a board game." Natasha suggested, and Maggie perked up.

"That's not a bad idea." Steve commented, and smiled as he saw Maggie's excitement. "What game should we play, Maggie?"

"Hmmm…" She glanced out the window once more, before turning back to her parents. "Well, since it looks like we're going to be stuck here for the rest of eternity, might as well play something long. How about Monopoly?"

"The power isn't going to be out _forever, _Лапушка."

"It feels like it will be!" Maggie insisted, then shivered. "And I just remembered that means there's no heat in here, huh?"

"Nope, just like the good old days, eh, Rogers?" Natasha shot Steve a cheeky grin as she elbowed his arm.

"Ha, ha, very funny." Steve deadpanned.

"Seriously, though, it's freezing; we should build a fire!"

"We should not. The last thing we need is having nowhere to go because we burned our house down when it's pouring outside." Natasha shot down Maggie's idea.

Maggie groaned. "Ugh! Why didn't you guys buy a house with a fireplace?"

"We never thought we'd be spending this much time here when we bought this house; we figured we'd be out on missions most of the time." Steve explained.

"Then a certain little redheaded girl came and turned everything upside down." Natasha finished and poked Maggie's head teasingly.

"You're welcome." Maggie said in a singsong voice. "Now, then, can we get some blankets and Monopoly?"

"I got up last time, so I'm not doing it." Natasha insisted, looking at Steve.

"Nose goes!" Maggie called, and both redheads quickly tapped their noses. Steve frowned.

"I still don't get that."

"It doesn't matter, because we were going to send you to get stuff, anyway."

"Thanks, Natasha."

"You're very welcome."

* * *

Natasha had no idea how long they had been playing Monopoly. She wasn't sure at what time they started, but judging by the now late time on her phone, she had a feeling it was a few hours. Luckily, there had been minimal arguments over properties and purchases, as Steve seemed pretty neutral throughout the game and would back down at Maggie's insistence, or sometimes even Natasha's. He became a mediator between the two competitive redheads, which was expected, as he had been named the banker at the start of the game.

"Pay up, Mama! Ha!" Maggie laughed victoriously as Natasha handed her the play money with an eye roll.

"Oh, yeah! Make it rain!" Maggie chanted, and was about to throw some of the money in the air, until Steve reminded her they were sitting around open flames. Thus prompting her to ask, for what felt like the millionth time that night, if they could try roasting marshmallows and making s'mores by candlelight.

"Once again, I will say: 1) We don't have any marshmallows. 2) We don't have any sticks to use, even if we had marshmallows. 3) That would take forever; these are just candles as opposed to campfires that people roast things over. 4) Who taught you the phrase, 'Make it rain'?" Natasha listed off and raised an eyebrow.

"Uncle Tony kept saying it last time I played Monopoly with him, Uncle Clint, and Auntie Pep. It was funny. Aunt Pepper just kept rolling her eyes and Uncle Tony ended up coming in last!" Maggie giggled.

"He never seems to be good at these money-based board games, surprisingly." Steve added, amusement in his voice.

"But, seriously! Why don't we own marshmallows? Who _doesn't _own marshmallows?!" Maggie wasn't ready to let go of her sudden craving for marshmallows.

"Us, apparently." Natasha deadpanned. "Now, come on, it's your turn, so roll."

The game continued like that for a while, and eventually, Natasha discovered it was just past midnight after checking her phone for the time. She and Steve tried to convince Maggie to go to bed, but the redhead declined, stating that because she had slept in so much that day, she was not yet tired.

"Happy birthday, Mama!" Maggie cheered. "Now it's officially your birthday!"

"Oh, yeah, I guess it is."

"Happy birthday, Nat." Steve gave her a peck on the lips, which was accompanied by Maggie's vocal disgust.

"Gross!" She even stuck her tongue out to especially emphasize her feelings.

Both parents just rolled their eyes, and then resumed the game.

* * *

"How much longer will this game last? Jesus." Natasha muttered, before her mouth broke out into a huge yawn.

"Have people ever _really _finished this game? Because I don't think so." Steve insisted.

"I don't think so, either." Maggie yawned. "Even _we _have never finished it."

"Well, that's because someone always ends up falling asleep, or getting so frustrated that they quit when we all play." Natasha pointed out.

"We're just all so lame." Maggie mumbled and laid her head on her arms sleepily as Steve rolled the dice.

After a couple more turns, Natasha paused when she was about to roll the dice at the sound of Maggie's slow breathing. She looked over, and saw the younger redhead had practically passed out, her head tilted to one side and resting on her arms.

"Well, I guess we figured out how to put her down." Steve commented as he also noticed. "Now what?"

"Now we can all go to bed." Natasha sighed happily, before yawning again.

"Where should we put her for now? I think it'd be easier to clean up everything right now instead of tomorrow, when we might be trying to leave."

"Hmm…" Natasha thought for a moment, not sure what to do. On one hand, obviously the answer was put Maggie in her bed, and, well, then it's done. But on the other hand, should Maggie wake up in the pitch black darkness by herself, she might get freaked out.

Natasha had a feeling that as a parent, she should be encouraging Maggie to step out of her comfort zone and iron out some of her fears that had developed over the years and traumatic events of her childhood thus far. But she couldn't bring herself to just leave Maggie in a dark room all alone.

Steve seemed to be on the same page. "I can take her back to our room, leave a candle there, and then come back here and help you clean up." He offered.

Natasha nodded. "That sounds like a good plan."

With that, Steve bent down beside their daughter, and carefully picked her up in his arms. Thanks to Natasha, Maggie was generally shorter and smaller than average, so it was incredibly easy for the super soldier.

As he left the room, holding a candle in one hand and Maggie in the other, Natasha began putting all the Monopoly pieces away and moving the candles off the floor. Some of them had been scented ones, so the room smelled like an odd combination of pleasant things, ranging from sugar cookies to peppermint to vanilla.

When Steve returned moments later, he helped her finish up, and together they blew out the rest of the candles.

"Hey, this is fitting for your birthday." Steve commented.

"Don't tell Maggie that; she'll be mad if she missed me blowing out my birthday candles."

"Very true."

After taking care of everything in the living room, the two Avengers sleepily returned to their room, where Maggie had already bundled herself up in all the blankets.

"Y'know, Maggie sleeps just like you." Natasha commented with a scoff. "She hogs all the blankets."

Steve frowned. "I don't hog all the blankets."

"Yes, you do."

"No, I don't."

"How would you know? You're sleeping."

"I just know!"

"Ssh, you'll wake her up."

Steve just rolled his eyes, and settled onto one side of Maggie as Natasha settled on the other side. The spy realized Maggie might wake up worried about being in their bed, as she feared she might hurt someone in her sleep with her inconsistent muscle strength, thanks to the serum. But Natasha was too tired to care.

The last thing she remembered before drifting off to sleep was throwing an arm around Maggie, and trying to obtain as much of the blankets as possible before her blanket hogging family could take them all from her.

* * *

Maggie woke up to talking, and tried to go back to sleep by burying her head in her pillow. But, a repetitive tapping on her shoulder was trying to convince her otherwise.

"Come on, Mags, it's time to wake up. We gotta fly up to New York."

"Mmm…" Maggie mumbled against the pillow. "What time is it…?"

"Early." Natasha yawned, sitting on the other side of the bed. "Seriously, Лапушка, I want to go back to sleep just as much as you."

"Then why can't we leave later?"

"Because we still have a lot of things to do here before leaving. Like, for instance, giving Mama her birthday presents-"

That got Maggie up, and she sat up quickly. "I completely forgot! It's Mama's birthday!"

Natasha chuckled. "It's okay, Лапушка. You already wished me happy birthday last night."

"Wait! Is the power back on?" Currently, the bedroom was only being illuminated by sunlight, so she couldn't tell.

Steve nodded. "Yep. It came on late last night, after we went to bed."

"Awesome!" Maggue cheered, before worming her way out of the blankets and jumping out of the bed. "I'm gonna go get Mama's presents!"

With that, the redhead dashed out of the room, much to Steve and Natasha's amusement.

"Well, happy birthday, Nat." Steve chuckled.

Natasha smiled. "Thanks. Let's just hope she doesn't knock the whole Christmas tree over in her excitement while trying to grab the presents out from under it."

* * *

**A/N: **I figured Maggie not enjoying the dark wouldn't be too far of a stretch for her character. After all, she's had some scary experiences so far. I'm having way too much time with this whole 'Natasha being a Christmas baby' thing!


	33. The Babysitters of the Galaxy

**A/N: **Hope you guys don't mind the Guardians of the Galaxy getting involved here, but I couldn't resist! Watching the movie again for the first time since August just really made me appreciate them again. And I thought they would make interesting babysitters, heheh.

I'm in the middle of finals right now, so this will have to suffice for now. Please excuse any glaring mistakes or OOC stuff - my brain is just full of school information right now, argh!

Thanks for all the faves, follows, and reviews!

* * *

"Rocky!" Two year old Maggie giggled as she wrapped her arms around the mutated raccoon, who just groaned in reply. He was used to this greeting, but surely it was old by now? Not to mention he wasn't even _that _soft.

"Yes, kid, I'm here, you can let go now." He grumbled as he tried to pry her arms off, but she fought back with equal strength.

"I am Groot." Groot seemed amused at the sight, and Rocket just rolled his eyes. Of course Groot would encourage this. The huge tree was just too kind to _not _enjoy small children, especially small children whose warm and 'adorable' behavior was torturous for Rocket.

"I can't believe there isn't anyone else available to babysit." Tony groaned as he watched the redhead pet the usually aggressive and snappy animal.

"Hey, I lived on this planet before, we've totally got this." Peter Quill, also known as Star-Lord, protested, placing his hands on his hips with a confident expression.

"This small child reminds me of my own, from long ago." Drax the Destroyer actually _smiled_, kneeling down on the floor beside Maggie and Rocket to talk to her. Maggie was thrilled by all the attention, though she still held onto Rocket.

"Do not fear, Stark. If we are able to defeat the toughest of foes in battle, surely we can handle watching a little girl for a few hours." Gamora offered.

"Nat and Steve are so going to kill me." Tony muttered to himself before shaking his head in exasperation. "Alright, just… Don't burn the tower down, and make sure she gets fed. Just ask JARVIS for assistance for anything; he knows what she needs and when she needs it. And, please, by God, do _not _leave the tower. We've been trying to keep the squirt's existence on the D-L so no baddies catch wind of it and come after her."

The infamous Guardians of the Galaxy had come to Earth a few days prior, bringing news of an intergalactic enemy on their way to Earth. The Avengers responded immediately, and the two teams of misfits banded together to fight. Pepper was able to watch Maggie while they were gone.

But, now, everyone was already called away on their own separate missions. Thor had returned to Asgard to make sure they were still safe, Bruce had already weeks before set aside that weekend to attend a science convention halfway across the globe, Natasha and Clint were sent away undercover, Steve was off leading the STRIKE team, and Pepper was on a business trip for Stark Industries. That left just Maggie, Tony, and the Guardians of the Galaxy alone in the tower in New York.

While Pepper was absent, though, a local issue came up within the company, and they needed Tony to head over there as soon as possible. He wasn't going to bring Maggie with him; he didn't like having her around while at work, because people would notice her and start asking questions, maybe even go after her because of her direct association with Tony. He would die before letting that happen.

So, he needed someone to hurry over and babysit. Instead of waiting for someone from DC to come up, he figured the Guardians of the Galaxy couldn't screw up _too _badly… Right?

Tony's attention was redirected toward Maggie at the sound of her laughter. When he looked over, he saw that she had finally released Rocket, who had strategically placed himself out of her close reach and was muttering something about needing to go shoot something. Now, Groot was offering her a small flower, and Drax offered to help put it in her hair. The heartwarming scene gave Tony a tiny amount of faith. Maybe this wouldn't be as bad as he thought.

"See?" Peter had been watching, too, as he gestured to the others. "We've got this all under control, Stark."

Tony shrugged. "Well, do you know how to change Pull-Ups?"

Peter paused. "...What the hell is a 'Pull-Up'?"

"We can ask our digital friend." Gamora offered up, before clearing her throat and looking up at the ceiling expectantly. "JARVIS, I summon you."

"Gamora, we've been over this, you don't have to say that every time you need something, just verbally ask." Peter groaned.

She just ignored him. "JARVIS, What is this 'pulling up' Tony Stark speaks of?"

Tony sighed. This could either go really smoothly or really poorly.

* * *

"So," Peter clapped his hands and rubbed them together, "What should we play?"

"Blocks!" Maggie immediately answered, before toddling over to her tub of toys on the other side of the carpeted area.

"Blocks? Like hell would I be caught _dead _playing with blocks." Rocket scoffed, and tried to walk off, but Groot grabbed him and pulled him back.

"I am Groot."

Rocket shrugged him off. "No, Groot, I've already softened up enough today! I need to go destroy something."

"I am Groot."

"The purpose of playing with blocks? No, Groot, children play with blocks to _build _things, not destroy."

"I am Groot."

"Yeah, you are right, I would _never _destroy a child's block set up." Rocket paused. "Well, actually…"

"I am Groot!"

"You're probably right again, Drax _would _kill me if I made the girl cry, huh? Guess we can't test the ol' saying, 'stealing candy from a baby,' then."

"Why would you steal candy from a young, innocent child?" Drax questioned Rocket from where he stood beside Maggie, who was happily showing off her toys to Peter and Gamora. "That is cruel and low, even for you, creature."

Rocket just facepalmed with a groan. "See what I mean?"

"I am Groot."

"No, _I'm not going to take any kid's candy_! Gah! I thought we just established this!"

"Pete." Maggie babbled, having always ignored the 'r' at the end of Peter's name, "Play blocks with me?"

"Of course I will! Blocks are awesome." Peter sat in a cross-legged position beside the redhead, and she enthusiastically turned her small tub over, dumping out the toddler-sized legos. Gamora looked down at them curiously, not sure if she was welcome to join or not.

"G'mora." The assassin's name came out in a bit of a jumble, and Maggie looked up at the green-skinned woman innocently, holding up a block. "Play!"

With a warm smile, Gamora accepted the offering, and sat down with them. Drax, having finished his conversation with the raccoon and tree, also joined them on the floor.

Rocket turned away from the scene, and began walking away, Groot in tow. "Well, I don't know about you, big guy, but I've had enough of this softie stuff for a whole week. Let's get out of here."

Groot looked torn. "I am Groot."

"Stark ain't the boss of me! I'm the boss of me." Rocket huffed. "If I want to leave, I will."

"I am Groot."

"You're staying? Because of the girl?"

"I am Groot."

"Yes, technically Stark asked _all _of us to watch her, but, look," Rocket gestured to the three Guardians sitting around the toddler, "She's got those three to look over her if anything happens, even though their competency to take care of a child is very questionable."

"I am Groot."

"Well, yeah, _our _competency to take care of a child is _also _questionable."

"I am Groot!"

Rocket's ears twitched in surprise, as he and Groot looked back at where the exclamation had come from. Maggie was now standing, looking over at Rocket and Groot, having just proudly echoed Groot's infamous phrase.

Groot looked ecstatic, and made his way back over to her. Peter had been amazed thus far at how fearless Maggie seemed to be around all of them; none of them fazed her, not even at their first meetings, despite some of their 'unique' looks.

"I am Groot." Groot bent down in front of her, and she happily parroted him in response.

Peter looked at the huge legos sitting in front of him curiously, seeing how they had changed over the years. These ones were big, less sharp, and just more manageable. He also noticed there were little figurines.

"Who are these tiny Terrans? What are they?" Drax, who had also noticed them, asked, picking one up and turning it over in his hand.

Maggie noticed, and placed her hand over Drax's to point out the figure. "Ariel!"

"Ariel?" The rest of them echoed, save for Groot, and Rocket, who had finally joined them.

"What about this one, Maggie?" Gamora asked, holding up another one for the redhead to see.

"Merida!" Maggie squealed happily, taking the small princess into her own hands. "Like me!"

"Like you?" Peter needed clarification; he didn't speak toddler.

"I think she means that it looks like her." Rocket offered up, but grumbled when the rest of the team looked over at him, surprised at his answer.

"What? Why are you all looking at me? That thing obviously has red, curly hair, and so does the other thing."

"She is a _child, _not a _thing_, creature."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, Drax."

Maggie scurried off back toward her toy box, and everyone watched in interest as she returned moments later, holding small Avengers action figures with a huge grin on her face.

"Now, _those _characters I definitely recognize." Peter smirked.

"Wait, they make toys of the Avengers? How come nobody makes toys of us, and gives us profit from the sales?" Rocket questioned.

"I don't want to be a toy." Gamora replied. "The Avengers are famous in this world; you heard Tony earlier. They have lost their privacy."

Rocket held out his paws in a questioning stance. "I'm just saying, if we could make some money off of selling some merchandise of ourselves…"

"I am Groot."

"Yes, Groot, I know that people here sell and buy plants just like you! But they don't talk like you; it's not the same." Rocket pointed out.

* * *

Maggie and Groot had engaged in a one-sided conversation with the tall Christmas tree in the room. Well, specifically, Groot had approached the tree and talked to it, and Maggie just echoed him and was completely entertained.

"Is she supposed to sleep or eat or poop at some point? Because unless I'm mistaken, that's what Quill does, and you two are the same species." Rocket shot Peter a pointed look.

"There is _much _more to being Terran than just eating, sleeping, and pooping, Rocket." Peter argued.

"Rocket has a point, though. Shouldn't the child take a break for something of the sort soon?" Gamora looked at Peter curiously.

"Why is there such a large tree in here?" Drax interrupted, looking over to where Maggie was now showing Groot the various ornaments.

"Who, Groot?" Peter smirked, then upon seeing the unamused expressions on his friends' faces, laughed at his own joke.

"Don't make me shoot you." Rocket rolled his eyes.

"Oh, come on guys, it's Christmas!"

Gamora raised an eyebrow. "What's 'Christmas'?"

"It's the biggest holiday of the year here! It takes place every year on December 25th."

"Well, Quill, your math is only slightly more awful than usual," Rocket gestured to a digital clock displayed on the wall, "It's only December 23rd."

"Christmas Adam!"

"Who is Adam?"

"It's just an expression, Drax. I forgot it would completely go over your head."

"I'm too fast for-"

"Wait, is Maggie hanging objects on Groot?"

At Gamora's observation, they all turned, and saw Maggie pulling Christmas lights out of a tub that had been sitting next to the tree. Groot was already donning some ornaments from his varying branches and limbs, staring at them curiously.

Rocket looked back at Peter. "Alright, Quill, _what _is she trying to do to Groot?"

"She's just trying to decorate him like the Christmas tree. It's fine." Peter shrugged, walking over to where the tiny redhead was still struggling with the lights. Peter silently marveled at how many ornaments hung on Groot's legs and forearms, as Maggie was so small she couldn't reach any higher.

"Here, Maggie, let me help." Peter offered with a warm smile, and Maggie happily handed him the string of lights. Together, they began wrapping them around Groot's body, while making sure the large tree could still walk around and move his arms.

"I do not understand this tradition. What is Christmas? Why do Terrans decorate trees?" Drax looked to Gamora and Rocket for answers, but neither could provide them.

Gamora thought of something. "I believe this to be an instance we require technological assistance. JARVIS, what is Christmas? What is the significance of trees?"

"_Christmas is a traditionally Christian holiday, in which families come together to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The holiday has become much more secular now in the present day, and families decorate their houses in bright lights and large decorations. Children await a jolly old man, wearing a red suit, named Santa Claus, to visit their houses during the night before Christmas, Christmas Eve, and leave them presents if they were nice all year. If they were naughty, they receive coal." _

"This is terrifying." Rocket commented.

"Old men breaking into houses on the same day each year?" Drax shook his head in disbelief. "I would never let a person into my house in the middle of the night."

Gamora walked over to the duo decorating Groot, and looked at Peter suspiciously. "Quill, this holiday is creepy. How can it be so joy-filled as you make it out to be?"

"Christmas is amazing! You get presents, eat a big dinner, get to make cookies…"

"But an old man breaks into your house?" Drax didn't look convinced.

"No, he comes in through the chimney, and leaves presents. Then he climbs back up the chimney, and flies away in his red sleigh full of presents, pulled by flying reindeer."

"'Chimney'?"

"'Flying reindeer'?"

"'Red Sleigh'?"

"I am Groot?"

"Santa!" Maggie exclaimed after everyone's questioning echoes. Peter thought for a moment, thinking of how to explain it to his team.

Then, it hit him. "Hey, Maggie… Does your Uncle Tony have any Christmas movies?"

"Yes! We have movies!" Maggie jumped up and down excitedly.

"Alright, then, team, your new mission is to get an education. A Christmas movi-cation." Peter nodded his head in approval at his idea. "But, first, now that we're finished decorating, we gotta put a star up on top of the tree. Right, Maggie?"

Maggie nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! Or an angel."

"Or an angel." Peter agreed, and they quickly found an angel with a wide enough opening to place on Groot like a hat.

"Alright, here we go." Peter grunted as he placed his hands under Maggie's armpits, and lifted her to Groot's height. The tree bent forward a bit to meet them halfway.

"Groot's a Christmas tree!" Maggie cheered as she carefully placed the angel on his head, making sure it would stay, and then clapping happily.

"He sure is, baby Avenger." Peter couldn't help but laugh at Groot's new look.

"He looks pretty." Maggie said earnestly as Peter placed her back down on the ground. Groot looked happy.

"I can't believe you just turned Groot into a giant decoration." Rocket protested as Peter walked back over toward the TV.

"Well, get used to it, because I think we should do it every year." Peter proposed, leading to Rocket grumbling his frustration again. "Now, then, JARVIS, let's see what Christmas movies ya got!"

* * *

"Wait, so lemme get this straight - there's a flying Terran animal out there with a red nose that lights up? Quill, what the hell kind of drinks were your people drinkin' when they came up with this stuff?"

"Sssh, just watch the movie, Rocket. You'll understand eventually… I hope."

* * *

"How can a sleigh carrying that many presents land on people's houses without destroying them? Not to mention, how can an animal-powered flying vehicle travel to everyone's houses in one night?"

"Magic, G'mora!"

"I'd say so…"

* * *

"I actually haven't seen this movie before. It was made after I left the planet."

Rocket sighed. "Oh, boy, this should be good then."

"What's this movie called again, Maggie?"

But Maggie was almost fast asleep, pressed up against Gamora's side. Maggie's warmth and need for physical contact with others surprised the intergalactic team so much; she would just casually sprawl out over any of them. It seemed that Gamora was the best pillow today. Her eyes fluttered open for a few seconds with a yawn. "_Elf_."

"So, I take it that this is about elves."

"Uh huh." Maggie snuggled into Gamora's side more, and drifted off.

Groot looked a bit unsure from where he was sitting beside the couch, ornaments jingling with every movement and lights illuminating half of the room. "I am Groot."

"Groot's right; the elves are kind of creepy, and look like those guys we just took out last week." Rocket snorted.

"I would assume Christmas elves aren't the same things as those dark creatures, Rocket." Gamora argued.

"Or they could be, and they've just been able to live here under the cover of innocent toy-builders." Rocket insisted.

"Do not forget the one who wished to clean teeth, creature." Drax momentarily looked away from the movie to join the discussion. He had been sucked into each seasonal film easily.

"Of course not. How can I forget that getting your teeth cleaned here could lead to those monsters blowing your brains out?" Rocket rolled his eyes.

"Knock it off, Rocket. Dentists are already really scary here as it is. Especially for kids."

"Oooh, Quill's scared to get his teeth cleaned."

"I don't enjoy needles and sharp metal tools poking around in my mouth! Jesus!"

* * *

When Tony arrived home no more than two and a half hours later, the group was only halfway through _Elf. _He walked in to find Maggie sleeping beside Gamora, as they continued to watch and comment on the scenes of the movie.

Peter was laughing at Buddy and Walter's interaction. "'What's your favorite color?' Man, I'm totally using that when the Nova Corps call us next time!"

"That's not a bad idea." Rocket had to agree.

"They might just kill you for being annoying." Gamora quipped.

Tony paused when he saw Groot's new look. "Um… Guys, what happened?"

Five heads turned back to look at him, one of which was carefully mindful of the large decoration on his head.

"Christmas happened, Stark, duh." Peter said as if it were obvious.

"Yeah… I can see that…"

Rocket turned over and examined an ornament he had snagged off of Groot curiously. "Y'know, this holiday isn't half bad. Maybe we should come back here around this time of year more often."

"I am Groot."

"Groot's onboard with the idea!" Rocket announced.

"Sshh, Maggie's sleeping." Gamora snapped, gesturing to the toddler cuddling with her.

"I was right. I can't believe it. You guys _were _able to care for a child." Tony walked over to the group with a satisfied expression on his face.

"I told you we would!" Peter said successfully, prompting Gamora to shush him again.

"And did you say you were coming back next Christmas…?"

"If we're on the right side of the galaxy, yes! I want cookies." Rocket decided.

"Hey, _I'm _the leader of this team."

"No one cares, Quill."

"Wait," Tony interrupted, "First, what happened to Groot?"

Groot only gave a happy smile as he lifted an arm to show off all the ornaments Maggie had hung.

* * *

**A/N: **Okay, I'll admit it - I may have had a little bit _too _much fun here writing these guys. Definitely expect them to pop up again at some point in the future.


	34. The Gifts of the Magi

_Alternate Universe: Maggie is being raised by Clint after her parents and the rest of the Avengers died. _

* * *

"Ah, there you are, Maggie! Come help me finish this letter for Santa real quick."

Normally, Maggie would have rushed over to her godfather in the blink of an eye to help him write. Instead, she just stood off to the side, staring at him wearily.

"Santa Claus isn't real." She replied coolly, in a matter-of-fact tone of voice that took Clint completely off guard. He quickly turned back to look at her.

"Says who?"

"Says everyone at school."

"Who said that they're right?"

Maggie just shrugged, finally crossing over the carpet to the former Avenger who was sitting at the dinner table, a pen and paper laid out beside him. "I don't know. All I know is that believing in Santa Claus is for babies. I'm not a baby."

Clint looked the eight year old over carefully, trying to gauge how invested she was in this preconceived notion that Santa wasn't real. She must attend school with a bunch of sticks in the mud, Clint figured. Why would a third grader _not _want to believe in a jolly old man who gave them gifts every year?

"Besides, Santa never gives me what I want." Maggie continued, crossing her arms over her chest. Clint had a feeling of where this was going.

"Mags," He said gently, "Santa can give you any toy you want. He's given you every toy you've asked for, ever."

"But I don't just want toys, Uncle Clint. I want my parents back."

Clint swallowed a lump of sadness in his throat, trying to steel himself enough to continue the conversation. Maggie's current family situation was a tragic one. When she was a year old, she lost her parents and the rest of the Avengers - except Clint - to Ultron. The event drove Clint to take over full legal guardianship of Maggie, and Fury made it Clint's official mission to raise her, as they had no idea what kind of shape she'd grow up to be in with Steve and Natasha's enhancements being in her blood. Other than that, everyone else kept their distance from the redhead.

So, Clint and Maggie lived in a small house in a more rural part of New York where they could lay low. Maggie seemed to have caught on to the more 'secretive' aspect of their lives in recent years, as she connected the dots with having to cover up and not show off her face much in public with Clint. Tony had apparently updated his will after Maggie's birth, leaving most of his money and possessions to her. Clint used that money as savings for them to live off of.

Refocusing his gaze, Clint saw Maggie staring down at the floor while apprehensively running a hand down her arm. He recognized the gesture, and quietly pushed his chair out from under the table, opening his arms.

"Come here, kid."

After a moment of consideration, Maggie closed the few feet of distance between them and wrapped her arms around Clint's neck. He pulled her up into his lap, pressing a kiss against her temple, and rubbed her back soothingly.

"I know you always want your parents back, Maggie. But that's not what Santa's job is; see, he doesn't have the power to bring people we lose back to us. He can only make us toys and gifts and bring them to us each year to remind us that we're never alone, and that we've been able to make it this far, even if we've lost someone important."

Maggie looked up at her godfather, with wet, sad eyes. He had a feeling Maggie had had a bout of teasing at school today for her belief in Santa Claus, and it was probably combined with the typical taunts about her not having parents like everyone else.

"Really?" She sniffled out, and he nodded with a gentle smile.

"Really really." Clint confirmed. "Now, tell me, kid, what did the bullies at school say today?"

Maggie looked surprised for a moment at his perceptiveness, but recovered quickly, as she turned her head to the side to look across the room at their Christmas tree, as if it would give her strength. "We were all talking about if Santa Claus is real or not, and when I said I still believed in him, they laughed at me. One boy said it was just 'cause I don't have parents."

Ah, so Clint was right. He really needed to talk to Maggie's school more about their bullying problem, which he already had been for years now. Maggie seemed to have always had it bad. "Well, that one boy is stupid."

Maggie giggled at the archer's opinion. "I wanted to say that, but then I didn't wanna get in trouble. I just told them that they don't get to have a cool uncle like me."

"Oh, Maggie, you flatter me." He hummed, causing her to giggle again. With an exaggerated groan of effort, he stood up, still carrying her, and walked them over to the couch. Sitting on the couch was their pet golden retriever named Lucky (well, Clint called him 'Pizza Dog'), who seemed to be aware that Maggie was sad. As soon as the duo sat, the dog moved over to lay his head in Maggie's lap, his collar jingling with all the bells Maggie had attached for a Christmas decoration. She pet his head lovingly.

"Now, then, let's see what cheesy Christmas movies are on TV." Clint clicked the TV on with the remote, and they soon got sucked into _The Polar Express_.

* * *

When the credits rolled, Clint turned to Maggie, who was happily humming along to the end-credits song. "Alright, now that an obligatory Christmas movie has re-instilled all the Santa Claus theology in our brains, can you help me finish our letter?"

Maggie nodded enthusiastically, but then tilted her head to one side. "'Santa Claus theology'?" She echoed in confusion.

"Basically, how awesome Santa Claus is." Clint shrugged, jumping up off the couch with a stretch. "Now, come on! Let's go write a letter!"

She followed Clint back through their small home to the dining room table where the abandoned paper and pen lie, Lucky following behind with a happy wag of his tail.

"What do you want to ask for this year? The sky's the limit, kid. I still remember when we got that dog." Clint gestured to the golden retriever, who currently stood by Maggie's side protectively. Clint had to admit, having the dog around really had been good for Maggie.

Maggie smiled nervously, biting her lip and casting her gaze off to the side. Clint wondered what crazy thing - like the aforementioned dog - she'd want this year. "Well, I've been thinking…"

"Yes…?"

"And I know you said he can't bring my parents back, or anyone else…"

Clint was really nervous about the possibility of acquiring whatever it is Maggie was about to request now. "Okay…?"

Maggie took a deep breath to compose herself, and then reached into the pocket of the pants she was wearing. She carefully pulled out a small photo Clint recognized instantly; it was of baby Maggie with her parents after a mission. Steve and Natasha looked worn out in the picture, still completely in their combat gear and armed, but smiling and beaming like two excited children with a giggly nine month old Maggie between them.

Clint remembered that day very well; it was one of the longest missions the two young parents had had to take since Maggie's birth, and they had been eager to return home the entire time, according to Hill, who had been assisting them with the mission. So, as soon as they got home and were reunited with Maggie, the world was at peace for them again.

But, for once, Maggie wasn't pointing at her parents in the photo. Instead, she was pointing at the shield strapped onto Steve's back. "I've seen the shield in other pictures before… I know what it looks like. You said it was lost when they and everyone else…" Her voice trailed off, and she decided to pick up her train of thought from a different angle. "If Santa Claus is real, then he can find my dad's old shield and bring it to me, right?"

Clint was at a loss of words. He stared at the picture Maggie was holding, not sure what to say. As she had said, Steve's shield was lost in the total destruction and collection of debris that was New York after Ultron's attack. They had never been able to recover it, and now Clint was panicked. He had no idea what to do.

"Well, Maggie, your dad's shield… It was lost, and it might be because it was broken."

"Broken?"

"Yeah… If it got shattered, or broken into a bunch of pieces, there's no way that anyone would be able to find it."

"But, Uncle Clint, you said Santa was magical! And if he can't bring people back from the dead, how come he can't use his magic to find something and bring it to me?"

Clint was stuck, and at a loss of words. A part of him was saying to just give it up now, and tell Maggie the truth about Santa Claus. But he couldn't bear to do that. Maggie had already lost so much innocence and childhood because of the way her family had been so violently ripped from her. Letting go of Santa Claus meant letting go of even more of the fun that should've been her childhood in the first place.

Not to mention, that would break Maggie's trust so quickly. After he had so vehemently defended Santa, to just do a total one-eighty and go back on his word would drive her away from him, he knew.

He couldn't convince Maggie to change her gift idea. She was determined this would make or break her belief in Santa Claus.

So, Clint knew what his new mission was.

"Alright. You can ask for your dad's shield."

Maggie gasped, surprised. "Really?!"

"But, there are no promises. If Santa can't get it, Santa can't get it." Clint had to soften the blow somehow if he failed.

Maggie studied him for a moment, wearing an expression very Natasha-esque in Clint's opinion. "Okay."

"Then, let's finish this letter! Do you want to be the scribe, or should I be the scribe?"

"You scribe, and I'll talk!"

"Yes, Ma'am."

* * *

"_This is Deputy Director Hill." _

"Hey, Hill, I, uh, have a favor to ask." Clint scratched the back of his head nervously while he held the cell phone up to his ear. "A big-ass favor."

A pause. _"I take it by your choice of language, Maggie is not around." _Another pause, and her voice grew softer. _"How is Maggie doing? It's been a while." _

"She's at school right now. We talked on the phone last month, Hill. Not much changes around here." Clint shrugged.

He could hear a sigh coming from her end. _"I know… I just miss her sometimes. Which is ridiculous, since the last time I saw her she couldn't even talk or do anything." _Clint smiled at the tenderhearted side Hill was exposing to him, as he knew that that scarcely ever happened.

"_So, anyways, this favor you need?" _

Back to the business talk. "What's the 411 on Cap's shield?"

He could almost hear the surprise Hill was surely feeling on the other end at his words through the phone. _"Um, nothing, remember? We could never find it…"_

"There's _nothing_?"

_"Literally nothing, as far as I know." _

"No, Hill, please, there _has _to be something!" Clint was practically pleading now. "Maggie is expecting Santa to bring it to her on Christmas."

"_Maggie wants _what_?!" _

"She is starting to lose faith in Santa Claus, Hill. I can't let her lose one of her last pieces of childhood so soon." Clint continued. "Maria, she's been asking Santa to bring Steve and Natasha back to life for her for Christmas _every year_. This is the first real compromise we could find."

"_Clint… I'm not sure what I can do…" _

"We have to do _something_ for her, Hill. All this Santa Claus stuff aside, she deserves to have a real piece of her parents besides the pictures."

A few moments of silence passed between them, before Hill spoke up again. _"I'll see what I can do. For right now, I'm going to put you through to Fury. If we can't get Steve's shield, we might be able to find some other things of theirs to give to Maggie. I'll put Fury's elves to work." _

"Thanks, Hill. You're a lifesaver." Clint smiled happily, wishing Hill was standing in front of him in person so he could properly thank her face-to-face. "You know, you should come visit sometime. Maggie is always asking about the whereabouts of her Aunt Ria."

Quiet, dry laughter could be heard from Hill. _"I still don't understand the whole 'Ria' thing." _

"That was her first attempt at saying your name, and I encouraged it afterward. But, seriously, Hill, visit. Bring Coulson or Fury with you, too."

Now, a sigh met Clint's ears. _"You know we can't do that, Barton. It's too dangerous, and could blow your guys' covers. Maggie's life and safety is always our priority, remember?" _

"Of course I remember! But I'm sure we could pull it off without a hitch."

"_That's confident, Barton. But I think we're going to have to take a raincheck for now." _Clint was disappointed, but not surprised. He really wished Maggie could meet Hill, Coulson, and Fury, who had been absent from her lives for her protection. They watched over the archer and the girl from a distance._ "Ready to face Fury with your wishes?" _

"Well, considering they're Maggie's wishes, I'm not too scared." Clint chuckled. "I know that he loves that kid."

"_Well, that's not untrue." _Hill confirmed with a laugh. _"Alright, patching you through now." _

Clint waited the few seconds between calls patiently, and smirked when he heard Fury's gruff, simple greeting of _"Director Fury." _

"Long time no speak, Fury." Clint greeted casually. "I come bearing a simple request today."

Fury sighed. _"What would that be? Is Maggie okay?" _

"Err, sorta. See, she's really doubting Santa Claus this year, who is her last piece of childhood innocence, really. Anyway, she's asking for Cap's shield from jolly old St. Nick, and I need help with that."

"_Why would she…? Never mind why, but you do realize that this might be impossible, right?" _

"I know, but I needed to do something, Fury. Screw S.H.I.E.L.D. and all the museums; if there is even a piece or fragment of that shield out there somewhere, Maggie deserves the right to it the most."

Fury thought for a few moments before replying. _"I agree. We gave up the search on the shield years ago. I won't lie - Hill, Coulson, and I were probably caught up in the grief of losing everyone, and busy trying to get you and Maggie settled. We were a bit distracted for a proper search." _

He was being earnest, which was a bit rare. But Clint didn't comment on it. "That's understandable."

"_If any parts of it had been found, it might be in storage somewhere. I take it that you sent Hill out to find it already?" _

"Yes, I called her first, and she connected me to you. Please, Nick, Maggie needs _something. _It's only been getting harder."

"_I'll do all that I can." _

"Thanks, Fury. If there's anything I can do to help, please let me know."

* * *

The search was frantic and stressful. Clint refused to be out of reach or far away while Maggie was at school, and for sure couldn't drag her along to DC to try and search the Triskelion. But he did his fair share of work via files through his tablet, courtesy to Hill and Coulson, who had also been brought into the search efforts. Because Clint couldn't work on it when Maggie was around, he spent his nights sifting through file after file.

It was a constant back and forth between two extremes: brutal and boring. He was reading reports from the day all his teammates died written by the S.H.I.E.L.D. medical personnel sent to find the bodies, and other reports about basic storage data. It was an emotional, tolling ride for him.

That's when he found it. He quickly dialed Hill's number late one night, after finding a data entry of a fragment of a red, white, and blue shield with a star in the middle. Whatever dumb agent had filled it out could have easily said "Captain America's shield," but Clint dismissed the thought. He was too excited.

"_Oh, Barton! I was just about to call you-" _

Clint cut her off, eagerly sharing the file he was looking at with her via email. "Hill, look! It says here that a part of the shield was locked up in a vault in a base in New Mexico, near the area where Thor crash landed on Earth the first time."

"_And this file that I have," _Hill's file immediately took precedence on his screen, and Clint raised his eyebrows in surprise, _"Says that there's another piece underneath the Playground." _

"How the hell did the pieces get separated?" Clint wondered how that could happen.

Hill shrugged. _"S.H.I.E.L.D. and America were grieving. No one could do their jobs right for months. I'm not that surprised that this happened. Plus, looking at the fragments again would mean remembering what happened." _

"That's true." Clint narrowed his eyes, looking at his tablet with a more concentrated gaze. "So, my piece looks like about a quarter of the thing itself. Yours looks more like a third."

"_So, we need the rest of the five-twelfths to get the whole thing back together. Are we trying to reassemble the whole damn thing? Because I'm not sure that there is a strong enough superglue for that." _

"You and your mental math." Clint teased with a roll of his eyes. "And… I never thought of that, to be honest. I couldn't even picture past finding _any _pieces of it."

"_Well, we better start thinking, and fast. There's a giant snowstorm due to hit soon, and that'll make it tough to get these pieces to you. Coulson and I also went through the Triskelion storage area, and found Natasha's Widow's Bites and her belt." _

Clint had to admit it - he was fairly excited now. "Really? Oh, man, Mags is gonna be so excited! I can't wait!"

"_Neither can we. Alright, you head on to bed now. We'll keep looking through files here for hints at the locations for the rest of Cap's shield, and you resume your mission of raising Maggie." _

"Roger that. Goodnight, Hill. Thank you so much."

"'_Night. And don't mention it - it's the least we could do for her."_

* * *

As Christmas Eve drew closer, Clint felt both more eager and more anxious each day. He was excited to give Maggie her gift from Santa, but also anxious that he, Hill, Coulson, and Fury might not finish assembling the shield in time.

By December 20th, they had successfully managed to locate all four uneven fragments of the shield. Hill also offhandedly mentioned finding some old things of Natasha and Steve's around the Triskelion that they hadn't expected to find. For instance, they found Natasha's arrow necklace, and Steve's old compass with Peggy's picture, as well as his sketchbook.

On December 21st, Hill and Coulson took the day to set out and make their rounds around the country to get the parts of Steve's shield back. Maggie was over at a friend's house for the entirety of the day, so Clint intended for Hill and Coulson to bring him all the parts along with the other random trinkets for him to try and assemble it. But they never showed up.

On December 22nd, Coulson and Hill still hadn't come, and Clint had to put a brave face on around Maggie all day. He had no idea what had happened to them. He was worried, and fell asleep bundled up in a large blanket with Maggie on the couch watching Christmas movies before he could call Fury and ask.

On December 23rd, there was still no word. Clint kept a vigil by the window all night, watching for them to come. They never did.

On December 24th, Clint almost wanted to cry. He had failed Maggie, and he knew it. He also might have sent out his two close friends to their deaths, as there was still nothing from them or Fury. He was worried, and on edge the entire day. Maggie noticed.

"Uncle Clint, why have you been so sad lately? Christmas is tomorrow!" She exclaimed, and he gave her a sad smile.

"Yeah, you're right, I should be happier. But I guess I just haven't been feeling as happy lately." He sighed, looking outside at the blizzard. Could Hill and Coulson have been caught up in that in their car and crashed?

Maggie thought long and hard for a moment before speaking again. "Uncle Clint, do you wanna open your one Christmas Eve present from me right now so you'll feel better?" She proposed excitedly.

"No, kid, that's okay-"

But she was already halfway out of the door to the living room. "Cool, I'll go get it!"

Clint sighed. _She sure does have selective hearing sometimes_, he mused.

When she returned, Lucky was trailing behind her excitedly, tongue hanging out and tail wagging as usual. The golden retriever sniffed at the interestingly wrapped box Maggie was holding curiously, probably thinking food was inside. Clint rolled his eyes at the sight.

"Okay, this is a thing I made at school for you in art class." Maggie explained as she handed it to him. "Ms. Maku said mine was super good!"

"Alright, then, let's see it." Clint challenged as he placed the box on the table, and carefully unwrapped it. Inside the box, he found a small square ornament - a picture with a decorated frame surrounding it. Looking closer, he saw the picture was of him and Maggie from her eighth birthday earlier that year. Clint had taken the picture himself on his phone, as they spent the day alone.

Flipping over the ornament, Clint found the words, "Merry Christmas, Uncle Clint! I love you! Love, Maggie" written on the back in Sharpie. He also noticed how heavily decorated the small frame was, as it was covered in marker scribbles, glitter, and beads.

"Wow, Mags… This is incredible." Clint turned the ornament over a few more times in his hands, still treasuring it and its sentimentality. "Thank you so much."

He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her into his side, allowing him to press a kiss against the top of her head. She giggled at the contact. "You're welcome, Uncle Clint. Can we go hang it up on the tree?"

Clint smiled warmly, rubbing her arm affectionately. "Let's go."

As they walked out of the room together, Clint was able to momentarily forget about Coulson and Hill.

* * *

The day itself was pretty peaceful. They were snowed in, as the blizzard outside was treacherous. They mainly just stayed together, bundled up in a large fleece blanket on the couch with Lucky beside them, talking, watching Christmas movies, and listening to Christmas music.

Once Maggie started yawning at ten, Clint sent her straight to bed, convincing her that the sooner she went to bed, the sooner Christmas morning would come. She put up little resistance, complying when Clint carried her to her bed.

After that, Clint returned to the living room, where he paced and paced. He had no idea what to do now. Maggie's big present from Santa was currently MIA, as was all of S.H.I.E.L.D., as far as Clint was concerned. He'd literally made no contact with anyone for days.

Then, at 11:00 PM, his phone rang. He raced to it, answering without even checking the caller I.D., hoping it was someone to tell him what had happened.

"Where is it?!"

Instead of an answer, he heard a pained moan. _"Jesus, Barton, don't shout so loud…" _

Clint wore a confused expression. "Wait, Coulson? Why are you calling from Hill's phone?"

"_We were pursued by HYDRA along the way. Got run off the road by them, spun out of control and crashed. Had to make a quick trip by the hospital, but we're on our way now... But, somehow, the box of Steve and Natasha's things was gone when we came to. I'm so sorry, Clint. We don't know what happened..." _

Running a stressed hand over his face, Clint sighed. "I'm so sorry, Coulson. I never meant for you and Hill to get hurt-"

"_It's not your fault, Clint. It's just part of the job. Hill's stepping on the gas right now. We won't make you have to tell Maggie the truth alone." _

Apparently, their phone was on speaker, as Hill's voice came through next. _"I know I said we could never do this, but you were right. Maggie deserves _something _from her parents, and, well, all we can really give her now is ourselves." _

"See? I was right." Clint was currently bundling up, getting ready to go outside. "It's hard to see outside right now. I'll wait out on the porch for you guys."

"_Clint, you'll catch pneumonia!" _

"Don't baby me, Maria, I can take care of myself." Clint snarked back, before walking outside into the storm.

* * *

Maggie woke up to the sound of the front door closing. She groggily sat up, and called out for Clint, but heard nothing in reply.

"Uncle Clint?" She continued, sliding out of bed. Lucky, who had been sleeping at the foot of her bed, groggily lifted his head, letting out a small whimper.

Maggie turned back to the dog. "Lucky, do you know where Uncle Clint is?"

Lucky just tilted his head to one side in reply. He then crawled off the bed and followed Maggie.

They wandered outside of her bedroom, heading toward the living room and walking quietly on the creaky wooden panels. Peering around, Maggie still couldn't see him. "Uncle Clint? Where are you?"

Suddenly, a _thud! _on the roof caught her attention, and startled her. She then heard noises coming from the chimney above their fireplace. Lucky padded over to the fireplace with a weary growl.

Not sure of what the source of the sound was, Maggie backed up further away from it, before coming to a stop at the front window. Hearing muffled yelling outside, she wiped the condensation away from the window and saw Clint wandering around, yelling out to seemingly no one.

But, then, Maggie heard the noises from the chimney again, along with Lucky's corresponding growling, and put two and two together. With an excited gasp of "Santa!", Maggie grabbed her coat off the coat rack and her boots, zipping up her minimal layers before pursuing her godfather outside.

Meanwhile, dust fell onto the logs of the fireplace, and a pair of black boots hit the hard ground. Lucky released his offensive position, straightening up with a tilted head and curious sniff.

* * *

"Uncle Clint! Come inside, quick!" Maggie yelled to the archer as she carefully maneuvered her way down the steps of the porch to the driveway where Clint was standing.

Seeing Maggie, Clint hurried over to her, ready to catch her if she slipped, but mostly wanting to send her back inside. "Maggie! What are you doing awake?"

"That's not important! Uncle Clint, Suh-Suh-Santa Claus is in our huh-house!" Maggie declared, teeth chattering from the cold wind.

"_What?!_" Clint wasn't sure _who _was in their house, but began walking back up the stairs. "Kid-"

But, then, the roar of a car sounded, as Hill swerved into their driveway, and parked not a second later.

"Uncle Clint, who i-i-is that? Oh, whatever, come on! You were right! Santa's real, come _on!_" Maggie pulled Clint's hand up toward her, up the stairs, while Hill and Coulson somehow managed to get out of their car against the wind. Clint was able to see Coulson's arm in a sling, and assumed they both had a number of bruises and cuts on their faces.

Grumbling at the timing of events, Clint just grabbed Maggie and picked her up, carrying her back down to the driveway in his arms. She protested with a gasp.

"Wait, no, Uncle Clint, Suh-Santa Claus really _is _in there! I swear!" Maggie yelled above the wind.

"I'm sure he is, but there are two people that you really need to meet first, Maggie." Clint returned, meeting Coulson and Hill at the garage door.

The snow began letting up, making things much more visible, and the wind began to die down. Maggie peered up at the roof with an amazed expression. "But, Uncle Clint, look-"

"No, Maggie, this is something important that I really have to tell you." Clint started, turning his body so Maggie could look at Coulson and Hill. "I don't think Santa's going to bring your dad's shield today, and it's my fault."

But both S.H.I.E.L.D. agents saw Maggie, not listening, staring up at something else, and they followed her gaze. Upon the sight, their jaws dropped.

"Uh, Barton, you might wanna listen to the kid-"

"No, Hill, this needs to be said." Clint cut her off, still not looking up or at Maggie, staring at the ground in remorse. "I lied to you. I told you Santa could bring his shield, but-"

"Clint, shut up and look up at the roof."

"Coulson, do you mind-"

Clint stopped mid-sentence at the sound of a man calling out. Maggie was pointing up at the top of the house, and Clint finally followed her pointing.

It was excellent timing, as he saw the back of a shiny red sleigh, with a large, bulky bag full of _millions _of presents, he was sure, sitting in the back. It was an interesting sight atop the roof of their small house. Beside the bag in the seat was a man in all red, and Clint could make out a few strands of his white beard. He was flying away.

"I _told _you it was Santa!" Maggie yelled gleefully as they watched the Christmas legend disappear into the night sky, off to deliver more presents. She squirmed in Clint's grasp, prompting him to put her down, and he did.

Maggie tugged on his arm aggressively, trying to return to the house. "Come on, come on, come on! Santa left us presents! Bring your friends inside and let's go see what he left!"

Neither Hill nor Coulson could suppress their laughter at the scene, and Clint just gave an exasperated sigh before following the redhead in.

* * *

"Maggie, don't you want me to introduce you to these two people? Two _very _important people who came this way just for you?"

Maggie just shrugged. "Hi, I'm Maggie. Nice to meet you. _Presents!_"

Clint just groaned, and Hill and Coulson looked like they were enjoying this. The three adults followed the eager third grader to the tree, where she dragged out a rather large box. Lucky was currently lying off to the side, next to the tree, appearing to have been guarding the gift just for Maggie.

Coulson shot Hill a suspicious look. "That looks a lot like the size of…"

Hill looked at him like he had grown another head. "_HYDRA _robbed us, Coulson, not _Santa Claus_."

Before opening her present, Maggie walked over to the coffee table and grabbed a picture of her parents, with Steve holding the shield toward the camera so Maggie could fully see it, and placed the picture on the ground next to her and the present. Even Clint wasn't sure what the jolly old man could have left. The jolly old man who apparently _did _exist.

Maggie took a deep breath to calm her nerves as she began untying the ribbon and tearing the wrapping paper off. When she got through that layer, she was left with a white box labeled _S.H.I.E.L.D. STORAGE _on the side, causing Hill and Coulson to stare at each other in utter shock.

"No way…" Clint murmured, walking over as Maggie removed the lid from the box. She gasped at the first thing she saw inside, glancing momentarily at the picture beside her, recognizing the first item in the box as a crucial part of her mother's outfit.

With a shaky hand, she reached into the box, pulling out a black leather jacket with the S.H.I.E.L.D. emblem on the sleeves, along with Natasha's old Black Widow belt and Widow's Bites after it. Clint stared at the objects, feeling numb, as Maggie held them up to him.

"Were these things…" Maggie breathed, running her hand over the (no longer functioning, Clint noticed, silently thanking Santa for the safety precautions he had taken) Widow's Bites, "Were these things really my mom's…?"

Clint needed a moment to find his voice, before finally laying a hand out on the leather jacket, feeling the familiar material. He picked up one of the sleeves and examined it, catching the scent of it as he breathed, and knew immediately. "Yes, your mom used to wear all of these things."

Fascinated and speechless, Maggie laid one of the gloves open in her lap, laying her small hand on top of it. After another second, she slowly slid her hand into it, somewhat feeling the sensation of her mother holding her hand for the first time.

"Coulson, how in hell…?" Hill looked at the older agent with a look of pure confusion. The man had no answer.

After removing her hand from the glove, Maggie ran a thumb over the hourglass-shaped belt buckle. She then turned back to the box, looking back inside for more things. Next, she pulled out a compass, and an arrow necklace.

At the sight of the arrow necklace, Clint couldn't help but feel choked up. He placed a hand over his mouth in an attempt to compose himself. Maggie examined the arrow charm closely in her palm, before looking back up at Clint. "Was this also my mom's?"

"I gave it to her." He confessed, wiping his wet eyes. "She used to wear it all the time."

"Like… A best friend necklace?"

Despite himself, Clint laughed through his tears. "Yeah, kid, like a best friend necklace."

Maggie stared at it for a few moments longer, before looking back up at Clint. "Can… Can I wear it?"

Clint only nodded, feeling overwhelmed, and took the necklace in hands that were shaking much like Maggie's. He gently leaned toward her, fastening the necklace around her neck and brushing her hair out of the way. As the cool metal hit Maggie's skin, she felt even closer to her mother than ever.

She finally turned her attention back to the compass in her hand, and Clint offered to help her open it. As he opened it, Maggie stared at the picture of the woman inside curiously, and looked up at Clint curiously.

"Agent Peggy Carter." Coulson answered the unspoken question immediately, knowing everything there was to know about Captain America and his life. "She was a close friend of your father's. Your parents named you 'Margaret' after her."

The revelation led to gears turning in Maggie's head, as she stared back at the picture in her palm. "Is… Is she still alive?"

"No, I'm sorry." Hill answered this time, wanting to give Clint time to recover from all of Natasha's items. "She was friends with your dad back when he was fighting in World War II. After he was frozen, she started S.H.I.E.L.D. She passed away from old age just before you were born."

Maggie took the news in stride, nodding in understanding. She turned back to the box, pulling out a sketchbook next. There was a collective sigh of "_Steve._" in the room, as everyone instantly recognized the owner of the item.

Flipping through the pages curiously, Maggie admired the drawings with an awed expression. "Wait… My dad drew all of this?"

"He was a great artist." Coulson told her, and she nodded in agreement.

She stared at each drawing in admiration. "He's really good. I wanna draw like him someday."

"You draw really well already. You'll probably get there soon." Clint praised her, and she smiled.

She then set the book down carefully beside each of the other items that had also been laid out with gentle care, as if they could break at any second. Looking back in the box, Maggie's breath caught in her throat. "Uncle Clint…"

At the sound of his name, Clint looked in the box with her, and was shocked at the sight. He helped Maggie pull the large circular object out, helping her prop it up against her lap for closer examination.

Hill and Coulson were also stumped. "We… We never reassembled it…"

"Look, Hill, it doesn't even look like it's ever been broken."

Following Coulson's gaze, everyone could tell he was right. The paint was shiny and new, though a little bit worn to show it had at least been used in a fight. Maggie laid a hand on the cool metal with a small sob.

"It's Daddy's shield. It's really his shield…" She murmured, a tear dropping onto the shiny red outer ring as she pulled it closer, laying both hands on it, almost hugging it.

As Maggie grabbed a few of the other objects from the box, she hugged them all tightly to her chest as if they would disappear at any moment. "Thank you… Thank you so much." She whispered between her tears.

There wasn't a dry eye in the room. Hill and Coulson embraced, joyful that their mission had succeeded. Clint scooted over to where Maggie was sitting, and wrapped his arms around her, laying his head on top of hers. He realized that he had always had a luxury that Maggie did not. He had always had something of Steve and Natasha after they were gone: Maggie herself. Maggie, meanwhile, had nothing until now.

It was as if everyone was finally receiving closure for the events of seven years prior. Now Maggie was able to fully accept and understand their lack of presence, but still have something more tangible than pictures and Clint's bedtime stories.

Clint opened his tearful eyes at one point, staring at the wall across the room. For a moment, however, he could've sworn he saw the rest of his fallen teammates standing against the wall, watching the scene with their own emotional expressions. Natasha and Steve simply mouthed the words, _"thank you"_, and they were all gone when Clint blinked.

Despite himself and the sobbing child in his arms, Clint smiled, letting the tears flow freely. Finally, he could grieve and hopefully move on from the deaths of his best friends.

It was a Christmas miracle.

* * *

"So, still, how did Santa manage to get that box? It was in our car when we crashed because of those HYDRA goons." Hill grumbled, determined to solve the mystery, as she aggressively stabbed a piece of chocolate chip pancake with a fork the next morning.

"Maybe Santa really is HYDRA." Coulson joked, causing Hill to glare at him and steal some of the food of his plate. Coulson just smiled at her temper.

"I have no idea. Did he leave you a note or a card or anything, Maggie?" Clint prompted the redhead, who was currently wearing her mother's large leather jacket over her pajamas. Maggie had slept in it, telling Clint it felt like she was in Natasha's arms. He had almost started crying again.

Maggie swallowed the food she had been chewing. "I don't remember. Can I go check?"

"Sure."

As the redhead scurried off, Coulson sighed, content. "God, I missed her so much."

"Me, too. Hopefully we can actually be involved in her life, now." Hill said in a hopeful tone of voice. "Maybe even Fury, too."

"Maybe. He has a huge soft spot for her." Coulson quipped, and the archer and deputy director nodded in agreement.

"Uncle Phil, Aunt Ria!" Both agents looked happier at the sound of her voice addressing them. Clint had finally properly introduced Maggie to them, and she had been ecstatic, having remembered them from all of Clint's stories.

Maggie returned to the table in a whirlwind, a card in hand. "Santa _did _leave me a note! And there's a special part for you guys. I'll just read it out loud!"

Clint figured Maggie wanted to show off her reading skills, and he couldn't help but feel the same way - _he_ wantedto show off her advanced skills to people to impress them sometimes.

"_Dear Maggie Rogers, _

"_I have received every letter you and your Uncle Clint have sent me each year, and I'm sorry that I can never fulfill your request. Unfortunately, I cannot bring people back once they are gone. But I can make you any toy you desire to help you feel better._

"_I hope that my gift to you this year will suff_-suffih...suh… Uncle Clint?"

"Suffice."

"Suffice. _I know it's not the same as having your parents with you like all the other boys and girls, but I hope you can feel your parents through these old objects of theirs. _

"_Also, do not fret: I do not work for the evil organization HYDRA. I simply stole back the thing they stole from your Aunt Ria and Uncle Phil. _

"_I look forward to visiting your house next year. I hope these items bring you comfort when you miss your parents. Always remember, though, that you have your Uncle Clint, and now you also have your Aunt Ria and Uncle Phil to help you feel better when you're sad or lonely. _

"_Take care and stay nice, _

"_Santa Claus." _

"Well, at least he isn't HYDRA." Hill commented, smirking at Coulson, after Maggie finished.

"That would just be depressing." Clint shook his head with a sigh.

"Santa Claus is a good guy! And now that I have Mama and Daddy's weapons, I can fight the bad guys, too!" Maggie struck a pose, causing the adults to laugh.

"Well, then, Maggie, the good news is that you can very easily get into S.H.I.E.L.D. because of your parents." Hill smirked as Clint groaned.

"No, no, absolutely not. That is far too dangerous."

"Aww, but Uncle Clint!"

* * *

**A/N: **Merry Christmas, guys! Hope I didn't break your hearts too badly with this one (ok, I may or may not have gotten choked up writing this, but that info will be kept between you and me). And Santa is now canon for MCU, I have decided. Hehe.

I've been wanting to explore AU's within this AU (AU-ception!) for a while, mainly having scenarios in which different crucial parts of Maggie's life are absent, leaving her to develop different relationships and bonds with other members of her family. I don't know, this oneshot was an interesting way to play around with Maggie and Clint's relationship, as well as the return of Coulson and Hill's comedic relief roles (seriously, they would make a really odd uncle and aunt respectively).

Here, yes, all the Avengers are dead - even Thor. So sad! D: Hopefully this isn't what happens at the end of one of the future Avengers movies (I can't handle it aiyah). As for everyone else Maggie is 'related' to (i.e., Pepper, Jane, Darcy, etc.), I kind of left that vague and open to how anyone wants to interpret it. Personally, I kind of dubbed everyone with Hill in the argument of 'if someone sees me associating with Maggie, they'll make the connection and target her', but you all can think whatever you like. (Maybe even that everyone else died too?! Because, man, that's intense!)

I probably won't update again until after Christmas, as I'll be busy with the fam, so happy holidays, everyone!


	35. Bad Words are Censored for a Reason, Kid

**A/N: **Time for some light-hearted fluff! If you all recall, I briefly mentioned in the oneshot with toddler Maggie dragging Coulson and Hill around the Triskelion that Tony and Clint had to unteach Maggie a bad word... Well, here we see what happened with that! Along with some character development for Clint to learn the difference between disciplining and bullying a child. Ooh!

Shoutout to my sister for naming this chapter. I don't know why, but it happened anyway.

Thanks for all the faves, follows, and reviews! Happy New Year's, and here's to 2015 being amazing!

* * *

"Asshole!"

Clint and Tony froze where they each stood in pure shock. Pepper covered her mouth with her hand. Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose with a silent, stressed sigh.

Maggie, meanwhile, continued to sit on the floor, giving one of her toys a hard stare as she had when exclaiming the curse word.

_Don't react, don't react..._ Bruce prayed, figuring the best way to avoid having a problem with Maggie's parroting was to not make a big deal out of instances she repeated something bad.

Unfortunately, as he thought this, Clint was practically putting on a show.

"No, no, Maggie! Don't say that! That's a bad word!" He was panicking. Tony looked not too far behind.

The two year old's eyes just stared back at Clint's innocently for a moment, before reflecting a hint of mischief. Oh, God. They were in for an adventure, Bruce knew.

"Why?" Maggie questioned.

"It's not nice to say bad words." Clint continued as Pepper glared between the two men whom she assumed let the profanity slip.

Maggie tilted her head to one side. "But you and Uncle Tony say it all the time!" She protested.

Pepper's eyes were practically burning into their skulls now. "Do they?" She asked for confirmation.

"Uh-huh!"

"That's not _entirely _true, now..." Tony laughed nervously, walking over to the toddler on the floor. "Right, squirt?"

Maggie just smiled mischievously in reply. "Asshole!" She repeated cheerfully.

"Oh, God, we are so fuc-screw-_goddam-_dead," Tony finally and safely settled on, causing Pepper to sigh in exasperation, "When Capsicle and Red come back!"

"She definitely learned the word from _you_." Clint pointed an accusing finger at Tony, glaring at him with a look of anger.

"No way! She learned it from _you_!" Tony pointed back at him, reflecting the same expression on his own face.

"I can prove it right now!" Clint sneered, walking over to the toddler and sitting down beside her. "Hey, Mags, who taught you that word?"

"What word?"

"Asshole."

A collective shout of, "_Clint!_", full of further frustration and exasperation, could be heard.

Clint clamped a hand over his own mouth as Maggie giggled at everyone's behavior. "Oh, shit! I didn't mean to _reteach _it to her!" He panicked.

"Shit?" Maggie smiled innocently, looking up at Clint for confirmation.

They were in for a long day of scouring the Internet for parenting techniques and if there were any 'undo' buttons in children.

* * *

As Tony ran quick scans and searches through JARVIS over the web, Clint watched the countdown clock they had set up to warn them when Steve and Natasha were returning with a stressed expression.

Bruce just shook his head in genuine exasperation from where he was sitting peacefully on the couch. "Look what you two have done." He scolded, subtle amusement in his voice.

"You don't need to _remind _us, Bruce." Tony groaned, rolling his eyes. "We're going to fix it ASAP."

"We're already screwed, Tony! It says here that we weren't supposed to react when she said it." Clint pointed at one of the webpages on his tablet with a frown.

"You weren't." Bruce confirmed in a deadpan.

"Look, there are other solutions to do past that! Like… Give her a new, alternative word to say instead!" Tony pointed at one of the websites he found. "Or put her on time-out."

Clint cringed. "That's usually pretty depressing. Let's try to avoid that." He suggested.

"You are so _weak_, Birdbrain. What are you going to do when she's fifteen and wants to go out to a party, and just gives you a _look _with puppy-dog eyes? Just gonna let her go because you don't want to send her back to her room?" Tony scoffed.

It was true: Clint had a _dangerous _soft spot for Maggie, and everyone knew it. He didn't discipline her much outside of gentle scolding to tell her when what she was doing was wrong. Though, it wasn't too much of a problem, because Maggie wasn't that problematic or troublesome. She threw tantrums every once in a while, sure, but most of the time, her episodes of acting out and being a brat were because one or both of her parents would be gone for longer than a day on a mission, and she missed them.

"I'll tell her to ditch that lame crowd, and come play Chutes and Ladders with me." Clint replied, sounding very sure of himself, as he crossed his arms over his chest with a proud nod. "She could never say 'no' to me."

"I actually think that's the other way around for you two, but, okay." Tony muttered as he rolled his eyes at the archer's farfetched expectations.

"So, what alternative word should we offer her?" Bruce asked, walking over. "Because I'm not sure what a nicer way of saying 'asshole' would be."

"Well…" Clint thought for a moment. "What about 'pizza'?"

Tony let his head hit the table with an exasperated groan. "'Pizza'? _Really_? What are you, hungry?"

"At least it's a friendly, widely accepted word." Clint argued.

"Okay, we've got that settled." Bruce decided to move on. "And if she later repeats 'shit'?"

"Shoes." Tony offered. "It's close, and it'll be funny to hear her say that when upset."

"This isn't a _game_, Stark."

"Hey, 'shoes' for 'shit' is a much better alternative than 'pizza' for 'asshole'!"

"Well, I can tell you right now that you are definitely acting like _pizza_ right now!"

"_Shoes, _Barton!"

"Children, please." Bruce sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Maggie and Pepper are literally in the next room over; they can hear you."

"Actually," Pepper, all of a sudden, emerged from the hallway, "I just put her down for a nap."

"Wait, _what?!_" Both Tony and Clint exclaimed fearfully.

"Pep, no! We need to fix her!" Tony protested.

"Maybe a nap will do the trick." Pepper shrugged, walking over. "She was pretty tired when we were playing; she told me herself."

Bruce raised his eyebrows. "That's a first."

"We're working in a very small window of time here! We need to work with her and unteach her those words!" Clint added to Tony's initial comment.

"And just _whose _fault would that be?" Pepper shot both men a pointed look, causing them both to shrink back slightly.

"Wait, how do we know that Natashalie didn't let it slip? She argues with everyone all the time. It's very possible that she could've caused this!" Tony pointed out.

"Probably not, I mean, she's a _spy_, Tony. She knows how to appropriately change and adapt to her environment." Bruce shut the billionaire's argument down.

"_You _two caused this." Pepper continued, her voice leaving no room for argument. "So, _you _two will fix it."

"Yes, Ma'am."

* * *

When the countdown hit three hours, Maggie woke up from her nap. Of course, upon seeing Clint when he came in, she greeted him cheerfully with her new favorite words.

"Unca Clint! Asshole!"

Clint resisted the urge to cringe at her crude language. "Hey, kid. We need to have a little chat."

As he sat down on the floor, Maggie hopped off her bed, and crawled over (Clint would never understand why the hell she _still _enjoyed crawling when she had very much established her walking skills by now), stopping just in front of him.

"We need to talk about some of the new words you learned today." Clint started slowly, hoping she would follow.

Maggie looked at him curiously. "Shit?"

"Yes, that's one of them." Clint nodded. "See, that word can hurt people's feelings. Uncle Tony and I shouldn't say it, but sometimes we do on accident."

"It's bad?"

"Yes, it's bad."

"But I like it!"

Clint had a feeling she might say that. "Well, how about a different word that you can use instead?"

"What word?"

"Shoes."

"Shoes?"

"Yeah, shoes." Clint confirmed. "When you're upset, you can say 'shoes' so people will know that you're mad or sad."

"Why?"

"Because that other word you said is not a nice word."

"Asshole?"

"That one isn't nice, either." Clint was confident he had this all under control, now. "Instead of that word, you can say 'pizza.'"

"Pizza?"

"Pizza."

"Pizza!" Maggie repeated happily.

Clint mentally patted himself on the back. Crisis averted! He began to stand up. "Alright, are you ready to go out and see everyone now?"

"Yup!" She reached her arms out to him, and he picked her up. "Mama and Daddy back?"

"Nope, not yet. Sorry, kiddo."

She let out a little huff of disapproval. "Aw, shit!"

Clint nearly dropped her in surprise. "Maggie, didn't I just say you can't use that word anymore?" He tried to make his voice as firm and scolding as possible, but it came out as more of an amicable suggestion.

"Oh, yeah! I forgot!"

He had a feeling she was well-aware of what she was doing right now. He knew that she knew that he knew. Most likely. Probably. Even though she was only two years old. Oh, hell, she was _Natasha Romanoff's _daughter, for Christ's sake! Manipulation and mischief was just _bound _to be in her nature!

"Okay, but don't forget anymore. Saying that word hurts people's feelings." Clint reiterated softly. "We need to tell people when we're upset with nice words, like 'shoes' and 'pizza'. Okay?"

"Okay, Unca Clint." Maggie laid her head against his chest while wrapping her arms around his neck, and Clint couldn't help but feel like Maggie was just trying to soften him up so he wouldn't punish her later on.

* * *

Despite Clint's suggestions, Maggie _still _used the bad words. Even after Pepper, Bruce, and even _Tony _tried to get her to stop through discipline, she just ignored them and refused to acknowledge what they were saying. The only one holding back was Clint, and Maggie knew it; she would just run to him when someone tried to call her out on her new, colorful vocabulary.

So, while Maggie happily played with her blocks and action figures with Tony and Bruce on the floor in the communal room, Clint and Pepper were having a serious discussion in the kitchen.

"Clint, you can't just let her get away with things anymore. You have to discipline her when she acts out." Pepper said. "Just last week, when she wouldn't stop drawing on the wall, you didn't stop her; Tony did. Though, he did just offer her an alternative, I guess."

Maggie had been hellbent on drawing all over Tony's walls one day for whatever reason, which Tony stopped by redirecting her to a large, vacant room on the floor above them for her to scribble all over to her little heart's desire. Even Steve got excited about maybe painting something on the wall with Maggie later on when she was older, like Rapunzel did in _Tangled_, dubbing it an 'art' room.

Clint just sighed in reply. "I'm sorry, Pepper, I just… I don't want her to see me as the bad guy if I punish her."

"That's why you make sure to do it calmly and correctly. Even then, she probably couldn't stay _that _mad at you for _that _long. We all know who she loves the most here." Pepper ended lightly.

"I guess." Clint shrugged. "I dunno. I had a pretty sucky dad growing up. He could be pretty abusive, and I guess I just don't know how to be different from that, since it's the only kind of parenting I know."

Two years ago, Clint would _never _talk about his childhood with _anyone_, save for Natasha, _maybe. _But, now, everyone had already grown so much closer, and they all confided in each other all the time. It became almost natural and expected.

"Clint, trust me. There is _no _way you could ever be like that to Maggie." Pepper said strongly, staring at him intensely. "I see the way you look at her. You treat her like she's more than the world itself, which I'm sure all of us seem to have come to agree with. We spoil her so much."

"She is my world." Clint admitted earnestly.

"Then I know you can do what is necessary to help teach her right from wrong." Pepper assured him. "_You _have to be the one to tell her that the words are wrong, and that if she keeps saying them, there will be consequences. And, should she ignore what you say, you _need _to follow through with the necessary discipline."

It sounded simple enough, in theory. But it still made Clint uneasy. He knew it was for the good of his goddaughter, of course. So, he tried to focus on that. "Okay… I'll do my best." He swore, and Pepper nodded her approval.

"Good. Let's go back to her now."

* * *

"Maggie, I told you that if you said those words again, you would go on time-out."

"_No_, Unca Tony!" Maggie protested, scurrying away from the billionaire. "I'll stay here."

"Maggie." Bruce redirected her gaze to himself, as he stood beside Tony. "You broke the rules, so there are consequences."

"No, Unca Brucie!" Maggie crossed her arms. "I'm not going on time-out!"

Just then, Pepper and Clint entered the room. Upon seeing the confrontation, Pepper gestured to Clint to intervene, and he swallowed nervously.

Unfortunately for him, Maggie instantly recognized him as a source for immunity from everyone else's rules and regulations, as usual. "Unca Clint! Unca Tony and Unca Brucie are being _mean _to me!"

Pepper shot the archer a sympathetic look. This was going to be rough.

Somewhere, deep down inside, Clint found strength to stand up against the tiny redhead, and he stood his ground. "Maggie, did you break their rules?"

That was a tone of voice foreign to the toddler, coming from her godfather. She looked at him in confusion. "I didn't!"

"Maggie, what did you just say to Uncle Tony?" Bruce chimed in from the side. "Tell Uncle Clint what you just said to Uncle Tony."

Clint stared hard at Maggie, silently challenging her with his intense gaze. She immediately averted her eyes, and picked at the hem of her shirt nervously. Even while Maggie was very much Natasha's daughter, she was still half Steve. She hated confrontations and had her own relatively accurate sense of morals already; she was very self-aware and knew that what she was doing was wrong.

But, as both of her parents were very much stubborn, she would deny it to the very end. "Pizza and shoes." She insisted, but everyone could tell she was lying. She was an awful liar.

"Maggie." Clint repeated, walking over to her, and taking a knee in front of her, meeting her at eye-level. "Did you say the bad words to Uncle Tony?"

Maggie squirmed under his gaze, but he remained there, as strong and unwavering as ever. She looked up at him sheepishly before averting her gaze once again. After a few seconds, she gave in, silently nodding her head once.

"Even after I specifically told you not to?" Clint continued. He really hoped he was doing this right.

"I-It was an accident!" Maggie tried using his reasons earlier, looking back at him again, her blue eyes big and pleading. "I'm sorry!"

Clint paused at that, remembering what it felt like to be a victimized child, always apologizing, but still being punished for no reason. He lost some of his resolve, and glanced back at Pepper. She just encouragingly gestured for him to go on.

Then, Clint realized Maggie's tone of voice _wasn't _fear of being hurt, but a much lighter fear of having to sit somewhere quietly for a few moments. She wasn't _afraid _of him; she just wanted to get out of the consequences that had been sworn to her.

Recognizing the difference clearly now, Clint resumed. "I told you to never say those words again, because they hurt people's feelings. You hurt Uncle Tony and Uncle Brucie's feelings."

Maggie looked a little bit guilty at that. Clint continued. "Now, then, I want you to apologize to Uncle Tony and Uncle Brucie for talking to them like that. Then, you're going to sit on time-out for two minutes. I told you not to say those things, and you didn't listen to me. You disobeyed me, and there are consequences for that."

He really didn't like the word "obey" being used in the relationship between and adult and child. It sounded a bit controlling to him, but he knew it was a strong word that young children could understand.

Now Maggie really tested him, as her eyes filled with tears that were quickly threatening to fall. He panicked internally, but remained calm on the outside. "B-But Unca Clint! You're not s'posed to be mean! You're s'posed to be nice to me!"

Tony and Bruce shot each other nervous glances at that, and even Pepper felt a pang of sympathy for the archer. This was definitely the hardest part here: establishing the fact that discipline was not equivalent to bullying.

Clint swallowed nervously, and took a deep breath to keep his composure. "I'm not being mean to you. You didn't follow my directions, and you were mean to Uncle Tony and Uncle Brucie."

"But Unca Clint! You can't send me on time-out!" Maggie cried in protest. "I don't wanna go on time-out!"

"I'm sorry, but you didn't listen, so you need to deal with the consequences." This conversation felt like it was going around in circles, but Clint didn't really know what else to do. "Come on, go apologize to Uncle Tony and Uncle Brucie, then I'm taking you back to your room for time-out."

Maggie just stared at him for a long moment, looking almost _betrayed. _It broke Clint's heart, but he needed to set boundaries. He couldn't just let Maggie have her way forever.

Then, she decided to cooperate, trudging over to Bruce and Tony while sniffling. "I'm sorry."

"We accept your apology." Tony offered with a small smile, while Bruce just nodded.

"Alright. Let's go." Clint walked over to her, offering his hand. She hesitated for a moment, but then took it with another sniffle.

As Clint led Maggie out of the room, Pepper walked over to Tony and Bruce with a mixed expression.

"Wow, that was so…" She struggled for a word, but finally settled for, "Intense."

"Yeah, man, I was definitely not expecting Birdbrain to suddenly take responsibility like that. You must have given him one hell of a pep talk. Pun intended." Tony shook his head in exasperation. "I thought Maggie would break him for sure."

"She definitely pulled out all the stops." Bruce added.

"Now, then, I just hope Clint isn't too traumatized…" Pepper sighed, looking off in the direction of the hallway where the duo had just exited the room moments before.

* * *

Clint stood at the door, timing the time-out with the clock hanging on Maggie's wall. Meanwhile, Maggie was sitting in her small chair, which was in the corner, facing the blank walls. She had tried to get up or talk a couple of times, which Clint quickly stopped by threatening to add more time.

When the time was up, Clint walked over to the redhead with a small sigh. Time to pick up the pieces of what he believed to be their now damaged relationship.

"Alright, kid, time's up." He announced, as he stopped a few feet away. "You can get up now, but first, I want to talk to you."

Maggie stood up and turned back toward him, her eyes now free from the tears she was shedding minutes before. Clint gestured for her to approach, and, again, she hesitated, but finally walked up to him.

He kneeled down to meet her at her own height, just like before. During the search for anti-swear parenting techniques earlier, Clint briefly read that the best discipline was offered when parents met their kids at eye level, as their own equals, instead of talking down to them. Of course, knowing Maggie and the personalities of both of her parents, talking down to her would most likely yield very negative results.

"Now, then, Maggie, do you know what you did wrong?" He questioned her.

She nodded.

"Can you tell me what you did wrong?"

"I was mean to Unca Tony and Unca Brucie 'cause I used bad words, even though you told me not to."

"Are you going to do it again?"

She shook her head.

"Good." He nodded, but she still looked very much upset. "What's up, kid? Why are you so sad?"

"You hate me." Her voice sounded so pitiful and depressing, he just wanted to wrap her up up his arms and hug her.

How could he ever hate her? Hell, he couldn't even punish her for acting out until ten minutes ago! "I don't hate you! Why would you think that?"

"'Cause you put me on time-out and got mad at me."

Clint immediately thought back to that look of utter betrayal Maggie had given him earlier. He thought for a moment before trying to explain how she was wrong. "Well, what about when Aunt Pepper, or Uncle Brucie, or Mama or Daddy put you on time-out? Do they hate you?"

"No."

"Then why would I hate you?"

"'Cause you never do that to me, Unca Clint!"

Just as Pepper had mentioned earlier, Clint's lack of discipline caused Maggie to see him as the adult who would let her do and get away with anything she wanted.

"Maggie, listen to me." Clint said softly. "Just because I punished you after you did something bad doesn't mean I hate you. I love you very much, and nothing you do would ever change that."

"Then why did you put me on time-out?"

"Part of loving someone means not letting them do bad things." Clint really hoped she would understand where he was coming from. "I want you to be a really good person, and sometimes good people make mistakes. I'm here with your parents and Aunt Pepper and everyone to help you learn from your mistakes."

Maggie seemed to be comprehending what he was saying, as she nodded after he finished. "So, you still love me?"

"Of course, kid. I could never stop loving you." Clint assured her. He then opened his arms up. "Now, can I have a hug?"

Really, he was doing this mainly because it was what he had seen the rest of the Avengers and Pepper do after disciplining Maggie, and it seemed effective. He also really wished he had this when he was a kid.

Maggie entered his arms quickly, wrapping her arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around her small body with an equal amount of force, smiling with the success of his behavior-related parenting experience.

* * *

"Uncle Clint? Hello? Are you listening to me?!" Eighteen year old Maggie waved a hand in front of her godfather's face. "Is anybody in there? Did your hearing aids die, or something? Yo!"

Clint quickly broke out of the trance, staring back up at Maggie in surprise. "What?" He blinked a few times, seeing her staring at him impatiently. He chuckled. "Sorry, you just sent me off down memory lane for a bit."

Maggie raised an eyebrow. "How did I do that? All I did was call you an asshole for beating me in that round of Slapjack." She pointed at the cards under Clint's hand with an angry expression.

"Trust me, kid, this is far from the first time I've heard you say that word."

"What?"

"Nothing, nothing." Clint shook his head with a chuckle. "Now then, let's continue!"

Maggie disregarded his ambiguous dismissal with a smirk. "You're going down this time, Uncle Clint." She was determined.

They resumed their back and forth of throwing cards down on the table, until, finally, Maggie let out another Jack, and Clint beat her to it.

Maggie groaned, slapping the tabletop in frustration. "Shit!"

Clint then descended back into his fit of laughter.

* * *

**A/N: **I figured Clint would most likely be the softie out of everyone, even Tony. This was fun to write!


	36. Lesson Learned

**A/N: **Happy New Year, everyone! ...Yes, I do realize it's February.

I apologize for my month of absence. I finished 2014 off still pretty busy with family and friends, as well as school and a bad cold occupying me for the month of January. With it, I lost my time and motivation to write, oi.

Though, I think part of it was I found myself wanting to explore the Avengers characters without Maggie around. For those of you who follow me as an author outside of this story, you probably saw I uploaded that oneshot "All That's Left is a Ghost of You" a few weeks ago which just features the six of them. Wow, you can probably tell what mood I was in when I wrote that, sheesh. I guess I have been feeling kinda down on and off lately. I dunno, I always abhorred the month of January, because it's starting all over again. After finishing a semester and finals and everything, we just go on to do it all again, which is not very bright. Not to mention, I generally enjoy the second half of a year, with summer and fall holidays and all that, so there's that.

But enough of the mopey stuff! And on with an explanation to this... Strange chapter. In a fit of bad writer's blocked, I texted my best friend in real life (the only person I've opened up to about my fanfiction author double life, hehe). She prompted me using an experience she had with her own sister once upon a time, an unconventional experience similar to when a child gets into the habit of biting people.

So, have fun reading this one, guys, and shoutout to you and all your awesomeness, LiCl! Hope this doesn't disappoint. :P I tried my best to stay true to your prompt. Love ya!

Thanks for all the faves/follows/reviews! You all are cooler than Jesus Christ holding garlic twists. ;)

* * *

"JARVIS! Call Cap and Natashalie down here _immediately!_"

"_Certainly, sir." _The AI responded, almost sounding sympathetic, as Tony grumbled, wiping his damp cheek. He needed to have a _serious _talk with the two parenting Avengers.

How their daughter had learned to act like a dog and lick everything - and every_one_ \- was beyond him; all he knew was it was gross, unsanitary, and a habit that needed to end _now. _

"Stark, what's the problem? Toddler too much for you?" Came Natasha's teasing voice as the two Avengers strolled into the room. The redhead was wearing a smirk, while Steve looked a bit more concerned at the urgent call.

"Mama!" Maggie came rushing into the room, as she had been hiding after declaring to Tony they were playing hide and seek a few minutes before. It appeared she gave up when her parents decided to show up. "Daddy!"

Steve hoisted the three year old up with an exaggerated groan of effort, which elicited a giggle from her. Natasha raised a questioning eyebrow in Tony's direction, to which the genius just groaned.

"Come on, now, she's just acting innocent! She's evil, I tell you!" Tony accused, pointing a finger at the toddler who was more invested in poking Steve's face and laughing at his discomfort. "Do you _know _what she did to me?"

"Well, considering the fact that you're still standing, I'm going to assume not much." Steve quipped as he held Maggie out a little ways away from him, to avoid getting poked in the eye by accident. "I think you're overreacting to whatever it is."

"No way! Your daughter _licked _me!" Tony exclaimed, pointing to his cheek. "She just waltzed up to me, asked me if I wanted to know a secret, so I said, sure, why not, and then I bent down to listen to her, but then, out of nowhere, she _licked _my cheek! It wasn't even a kiss or anything, she just _licked _me! Then she said I was 'it' for hide and seek, and ran away!"

Natasha held back her amused laughter at Tony's dramatic explanation. He was making a big deal out of nothing, in her opinion. There were worse things Maggie could do, like biting or hitting. Not to mention, out of all the people that were perfect for 'licking' and just freaking out in general, Tony Stark was by far the most amusing to get a reaction out of.

Truth be told, she was pretty proud of her daughter.

"Oh, wipe that grin off your face, Natashalie! It was a very traumatic experience." Tony grumbled, shaking his head. "I can't believe we raised her this way. Unbelievable."

Steve curiously noted how Tony was including himself in Maggie's raising with the word 'we.' "Again, I think you're overreacting." He rolled his eyes as Maggie played with the collar of his shirt.

"Crybaby." Natasha coughed under her breath.

Tony huffed. "Fine! Don't take me seriously! Just wait until you send her off to preschool, and she starts licking everyone and everything around her, and gets infected with all kinds of germs! We'll see who will be laughing then."

"It's probably just a phase, Tony. Geez, she'll grow out of it as long as people like _you _don't make a huge deal out of it." Natasha insisted. She then shot him a pointed look. "Must I bring up the 'pizza' and 'shoelace' episode as an example again?"

"That was different! This is actually a _bad _thing!"

As Tony and Natasha continued to argue on the morals and ethics of licking versus swear words, Steve sighed. He turned back to Maggie, looking at her curiously. "Did you really lick Uncle Tony?"

Maggie nodded. "Uh-huh! It was funny." She then glanced over at the bickering heroes, and whispered to Steve as if it were secret, "He screamed like a little girl!"

Steve resisted the urge to laugh, because he didn't want to encourage more licking from Maggie, but still found the entire situation hilarious. He also found Maggie's learning and application of the phrase, "like a little girl," equally amusing. She probably picked it up from the archer and billionaire. "Well, it's probably not a good idea to lick people anymore, okay? You might catch some bad germs from them."

Maggie's eyes widened. "Is Uncle Tony _sick_!?"

"Not this time, kiddo, but I'm not sure about the next time you lick him." Steve chuckled, shaking his head. "For now, try to keep your tongue _inside _your mouth, okay?"

"Okay!" Maggie agreed loyally, but knowing her, it would take a lot more than that to break a developing mischievous habit.

* * *

"Uncle Clint, I'm gonna lick you!" Maggie approached Clint, sticking her tongue out, trying to appear threatening. He just sighed, used to this routine by now.

"Kid, what is your deal? Why are you so obsessed with licking people lately?" He asked as he held her away at arm's length. "What happened to regular kisses?"

"Kisses are boring; licking is better!"

"No way, licking is gross. What would you do if _I _licked _you_?"

"You won't lick me!"

"How do you know?"

"Because I just know!"

Now Maggie was _really _starting to sound like her mother, Clint internally reflected. She ceased in her attack after a few moments, withdrawing to return to her toys on the ground a few feet away.

Clint was baffled; why was she so invested in the idea of _licking _\- out of all things -people lately? There had been the initial incident with Tony days earlier, and since then she had managed to catch both of her parents, Pepper, Thor (which was a very amusing reaction), and Clint himself off guard with her tongue. Now, Natasha and Steve were starting to actually see to breaking the new habit, while Tony paraded around the tower with a huge, _"I told you so!". _The only person Maggie had yet to get was Bruce, who had been absent for most of the incidents.

"Mags, only dogs and other animals lick people; _people _don't lick people."

Maggie pouted. "I like doggies!"

"That doesn't mean you have to _act _like one…" Clint thought for a moment, then snapped his fingers when an idea popped into his head. "Oh, I know _just _what to do to break this habit of yours!"

She had already tuned him out, instead focusing on her Disney princess dolls and superhero action figures. It was an interesting crossover, in Clint's opinion, but he discarded that thought; he had an idea of how to proceed now.

"Maggie, do you wanna go take a trip and see Uncle Brucie?"

Bruce, who still had yet to be victimized by the child terror, was a doctor, and had acted as a therapist for Tony in the past; surely, he could work with children as well?

* * *

"Uh-huh, okay, exactly _what _are you asking me to do again, Clint?"

"You need to figure out why she wants to lick everyone all of a sudden. What's the cause of this new strange fascination? Why is she going through this phase?"

Bruce gave Clint a pointed look. "She's a toddler. She's _always _going through phases."

"Yeah, but not any licking-related ones! Bruce, maybe she wants to be a dog! Or Stark taught her how to French kiss…" Clint shuddered at the second thought. "Look, I think if we continue on like this, Tony's going to have a germophobic meltdown, or something."

Bruce sighed. It was far too early in the day for this, in his opinion. This was his life now: meeting the random, unexplainable, requests of his teammates that were _supposed _to help keep peace in the tower among them. Somehow. They trusted his judgment the most just because he was a doctor, really. At least, that was what Natasha had told him on multiple occasions.

He had already heard an earful from Tony about Maggie's new favorite activity, as well as a brief synopsis from Pepper of the past few days and how Maggie managed to lick everyone else at least once. Tony was just happy he wasn't alone now.

"Alright, fine; I'll talk to Maggie." Bruce agreed reluctantly, to which Clint beamed happily. Next thing Bruce knew, he was being led into an adjacent room with several of Maggie's toys littered across the floor, and her seated in the middle of the mess. Typical.

"I need to go do some things, Mags, so have fun with Uncle Brucie!" Clint announced, giving her a farewell kiss to the temple. "Make sure you answer _all _the questions he asks you, okay?"

"'Kay." Maggie was more invested in the Elsa doll in her hand than her godfather. Clint gave Bruce a 'good luck' shoulder pat on his way out.

"Hello, Maggie." Bruce began with a light tone of voice, crouching down on the floor beside her. "How are you today?"

She looked up at him happily. "I'm good!"

"Good, good. I'm glad." He sat down in front of her, crossing his legs. "Now, then, I've heard there have been some things going on."

"What things?"

"I heard you like to _lick _people now." He paused. "Is that true?"

Maggie just nodded enthusiastically.

"Why do you lick people, Maggie?"

"Because it's fun, Uncle Brucie!"

"What makes it 'fun'?"

"It makes Uncle Tony scream." Maggie was giggling, but to Bruce, it almost sounded like evil chuckling. He could just hear Tony's voice in the distance claiming Maggie was some sort of demon spawn, and now that didn't sound _that _inaccurate.

"Isn't that kind of mean, though?" Bruce gave a slight frown. "If he screams, then it must mean he feels bad."

He had no idea what he was doing, honestly, or why the hell Clint had put him in that position. He was just playing it all by ear at that point.

But it appeared to get the gears in her head turning, as Maggie thought for a few moments before replying again. "He was sad?"

_Well, I wouldn't use the word 'sad'; maybe 'overly enthusiastic' or 'worked up' is more accurate…_ Bruce _had _heard Tony's ranting and yowling that day - JARVIS saved a video and later played it back for those who were not present because it was just _that _hilarious - so he found the entire thing pretty entertaining. But now that Maggie had yet to stop, he wasn't surprised everyone was starting to get concerned about it becoming a habit she might take out of the house.

"I think you scared him." Bruce answered instead. "He wasn't expecting you to do that; he thought you were actually going to tell him something."

Maggie frowned, looking more confused than ever. "But it was a prank!"

Bruce gulped. They had all been told specifically by Steve and Natasha to _not _introduce Maggie to the world of pranks and trickery, in hopes of them holding off her genetic prankster potential for as long as they could. But, then, here she was, tricking people into getting close so she could lick them instead, and she had learned enough about the concept to be able to label it a _prank_.

"Well, sometimes, pranks aren't as funny as we think they are." Bruce said calmly. "Licking Uncle Tony was probably not as fun for him as it was for you."

"Why?"

Bruce sighed. Talking to toddlers was repetitive and hard, in his opinion; they only understood so much, but still knew how exactly to get around things and into trouble.

Before he could actually come up with an answer, Maggie was in his face. With a sigh, he resigned to his fate as she licked his cheek, giggled somewhat maniacally, and darted out of the room.

"JARVIS? Tell Clint that the mission was compromised."

"_Certainly, Doctor Banner." _

* * *

Steve tried to block out the sounds of the chaos around him. He was _trying _to read the paper and see what's going on in the world, but, of course, Maggie and Tony were running around the room and screaming like maniacs instead. _Of course. _

"You can't catch me, you can't catch me!" Maggie huffed out between pants, as they had been playing their little impromptu game of tag for a while now. She led Tony around the room, circling mainly around Steve on the couch. The super soldier didn't even protest; he was used to this behavior by this point.

Tony, meanwhile, groaned in frustration. "I'm not here to play tag with you! Stop running!"

Steve smirked at how worn out Tony sounded, rivaling Maggie's exhausted breathing. He didn't understand why Tony was playing along with Maggie if he didn't want to chase her. Obviously, all he had to do was stop running.

Maggie just continued running - seriously, they had all given up on trying to enforce a _no running around the tower_ rule as soon as the kid started walking and was able to say "no" - until Tony finally gave up, and collapsed onto the couch next to Steve.

"That's it! I'm done, I'm out, I lose." He huffed as he sprawled out half all over Steve, trying to catch his breath. "I give up, you win."

Steve shrugged the billionaire off of him. "Get your own couch, geez. I'm sitting here already."

"Technically this _is _my couch." Tony pointed out, his flushed features giving Steve a sharp look. "I own this entire building."

Maggie stopped beside the furniture on Tony's side, pushing herself up to peer over at him. "Uncle Tony, you're _so _slow!"

"Yeah, thanks for pointing that out." Tony grumbled, still breathing hard. "I'm tired now; leave me alone."

Instead, Maggie just launched herself over the arm of the couch and on top of him, eliciting an _oof! _from Tony while Steve just tried harder to concentrate on the paper in his hands.

"I win, so, do you know what that means?" Maggie grinned as Tony gave up on trying to sit up. She was pretty much sitting on top of his chest, so it was pointless.

"I don't know, but haven't you done enough damage already?" Tony sighed, laying his head back on Steve's thigh. "Capsicle, be my pillow."

Steve rolled his eyes. "It appears I already am."

"Uncle Tony, I'm gonna lick you!" Maggie stuck her tongue out, giggling as she advanced on his face.

"Nope, not again!" Tony held her back with his arms, but she fought back. As they engaged in some odd form of arm wrestling, Tony looked back up at Steve with worry on his face.

"Capsicle, help me!"

Steve didn't take his eyes off the newspaper. "Wow, look, the city's almost completely finished with cleanup from the Battle of New York, finally."

Tony gaped helplessly at him. "Cap!"

"Apparently some people want to make the shawarma restaurant a part of an Avengers museum and exhibit, too." Steve appeared to be sticking by the "no reaction" tactic, and Tony assumed the soldier was also trying to get back at the billionaire for the swear words incident with Maggie months ago. Bastard.

Tony couldn't believe it. "_Steve!_"

"Uncle Tony!" Maggie giggled as she leaned in closer.

"Augh! You know what?" Tony pushed Maggie away, off his chest and onto his legs, as he quickly sat up. He was going to prove to Steve that he could get rid of Maggie's new habit all by himself. "I think _I _am going to lick _you_!"

Maggie just looked at him like he was crazy. "No, you won't!"

"Yes, I will!"

"No, Uncle Clint said he would lick me, and he didn't!"

_Goddamn it, Clint! I thought we taught you how to parent already! _Tony internally swore at the softie-turned-actually-decent-parental-figure. During Maggie's day of swearing, they forced Clint out of his timid, discipline-less style of taking care of the redheaded toddler. But it appeared he still had a long way to go.

"Trust me, squirt, I'm not joking."

Maggie made a face. "Yeah, yeah, whatever."

Tony could not handle Maggie sometimes. She flip-flopped between the personalities of her parents so often that she could be unpredictable. Apparently, today was more of a Natasha day for her.

"Can you please get off of me now?"

"No."

"I seriously _will _lick you."

Maggie stuck her own tongue out at that.

Tony saw out of his peripheral vision that Steve had glanced over at them briefly. So, the super soldier _was _paying attention, after all. Well, Tony decided he would prove himself to be the ultimate parental figure once and for all.

"Margaret Romanova Rogers, you leave me no choice but to give you a taste of your own-"

He ended his declaration abruptly as Maggie licked the tip of his nose, and then jumped off of him with a burst of laughter. With an irritated frown, Tony stood up.

Maggie just continued giggling at him as he said one word: "Run."

Steve sighed once again as the chaos and yelling resumed, with his daughter bolting out of the room and Tony hot on her tail.

* * *

How Maggie ended up in the elevator and on her way to the gym without an accompanying adult was beyond Tony. All he knew was now they were running around the sparring mat as Natasha and Clint paused their practice and mission prep to watch the commotion.

"How much longer do you think this will go on?" Clint asked Natasha as his eyes followed Maggie and Tony running around and around.

"Depends. Both of them can be way too energetic for the rest of us sometimes, so hopefully they'll tire each other out." Natasha replied as she watched with an unsurprised expression. "Is this all because of Maggie's licking thing?"

"I think so." Clint guessed.

"Well, hopefully this is also the end of that." Natasha commented.

"Mama, save me!" Next thing Natasha knew, Maggie had launched herself at her mother, hitting the spy square on in the gut. Clint laughed at Natasha's misfortune as she groaned at the sudden contact.

"Next time, Лапушка, try to give me warning before doing that…" She requested in exasperation, picking Maggie up.

"Natashalie, do something!" Tony steadied himself as he panted by putting a hand on Clint's shoulder. The archer held back his laughter at the standoff.

"Mama, Uncle Tony was gonna hurt me!"

"I was _not_!"

Natasha sighed. Sometimes she just _really_ felt like the parent of both Maggie _and _all the rest of the Avengers, thanks to how they acted.

"Can't you two just get along? Uncle Clint and I were busy preparing for an upcoming mission, and then you two showed up and interrupted us."

The spy set Maggie back down on the ground - well, sparring mat, technically - and gave Tony a tired expression.

"Yeah, seriously, you two need to chill." Clint added after Natasha gestured for him to say something. They were still trying to get him more involved with keeping Maggie under control.

"Alright, fine, let's go, squirt. We won't hang out with these lame-o's." Tony stepped away from Clint, crossing his arms over his chest.

Maggie walked over, and looked up at him. "Uncle Tony, I have to tell you something!"

Immediately, Clint and Natasha knew what to expect, but Tony still bent down, anyway.

And as soon as he did, and Maggie stuck her tongue out with a giggle, Tony quickly licked _her _cheek. No one else moved. He pulled back and got in a defensive position, ready to fight off the toddler terror. Maggie looked at him in complete and utter shock.

"I told you I would lick you, didn't I? See how it feels! Ha!" He gloated.

Instead, Maggie rubbed her cheek, quickly yelled something about germs and cooties and "Uncle Tony is _so gross_!", and ran off to the bathroom. Clint and Natasha wore equal expressions of _"what the hell just happened" _while Tony opened and closed his mouth, searching for something to say.

"Um… I hope I taught her her lesson?"

Clint looked back over at Tony. "At this point, I have no idea what to say. Aside from, 'what the hell?'"

"Your guess is as good as mine!"

Natasha opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted with Maggie calling for her. Something about needing to turn on the sink.

"She definitely gets her dramatic antics from you." Clint quipped afterward, and Natasha just hit him upside the head.

"Oh, shut up. I have to go clean up the traumatizing mess Stark left behind." Natasha rolled her eyes, and Tony looked offended.

"Hey! I was just teaching her the lesson of karma. Payback's a bitch, and she needs to know that!"

Natasha glared at him as she stalked off in the direction of the bathroom. "If you tell her that, I might just murder you."

* * *

Upon arriving at the bathroom, Maggie had asked Natasha to help her wash her cheek because - and Natasha is quoting Maggie here when she explains the reasons to others - _"Uncle Tony is gross."_ The spy didn't argue with that, as she had to admit she agreed to a certain degree.

Later, mother and daughter regrouped with everyone in the penthouse, and Maggie actively kept her distance away from Tony and his tongue. She also didn't threaten anyone with being licked, so it appeared that Tony's tactics worked.

"Daddy, Uncle Tony _licked _me!" Maggie explained to her father as he lifted her. "He's so _gross_!"

Steve smirked at her exclamation. "Well, _you_ were licking everyone else for a while. Don't you think licking people in general is just gross?"

Maggie looked at him, unamused. "No."

Well, Tony had managed to _temporarily _break Maggie's habit, it seemed.

* * *

**A/N****:** I suppose this one also ended up acting as a sort of sequel to the last chapter, with pizza and shoelaces and all that. Toddler Maggie sure is a riot, sheesh.


	37. Cruisin' for a Bruisin'

**A/N:** Heyo, my loyal readers and fellow Marvel fanatics! This week I bring you an installment featuring Maggie trying to drive. Say whaaa?

I'll be honest here - this one was written kind of impulsively, as my way of not wanting to do history homework. Oh, APUSH, how I love thee. This one also may seem a little different as far as the writing goes than the normal ones, cuz, I dunno, that's how it felt when I was writing it.

Anywho, here's some nice Natasha and Maggie mother-daughter bonding fluff. I figured out of the two of them, Natasha would be more likely the one to teach Maggie how to drive rather than Steve. I mean, obviously, he must know how to drive a car, but we all know him for his epic motorcycle stunts and running through walls as seen in winter soldier.

Thanks for all the faves, follows, and reviews! Congratulations to everyone out there reading this who can drive, and good luck to those of you out there currently learning or will have to eventually. :D

* * *

"Drive."

Maggie eyed her mother - wearing a black bike helmet and a pillow strapped to her chest, _Jesus Christ she's so dramatic _\- in the passenger seat, as she tightened her hold of the steering wheel. Looking up in the mirror she had adjusted, she caught sight of her own bike helmet on top of her head. It was purple because Clint had decided that he would be the one to purchase a new helmet for Maggie years ago. She was also wearing corresponding knee pads and elbow pads because Natasha insisted on safety first. Maggie didn't even know they owned all the protective gear, or why. She then prevented Maggie from strapping a pillow from herself, though, because that may obstruct Maggie's supposed driving abilities. Natasha's logic that day was just pretty strange.

So, using her left foot, Maggie cautiously undid the parking brake, and pressed her right foot down on the actual brake. With another deep breath, she shifted the car into drive, using what she had dubbed the "PRNDL" (pronounced _prin-dle_). Steve had said that was a good way of remembering the different gears, while Natasha grumbled something about people not understanding the difference between actual words and acronyms.

Immediately, upon removing her foot from the brake, the car started moving forward by itself. Maggie looked at Natasha desperately, as if silently asking if their car was made by Tony or was some kind of robot that actually drove itself.

The spy just rolled her eyes playfully. "Put your foot down on the brake again, Maggie. The car just starts moving when you put into gear."

"Oh, okay." Maggie sighed in relief, and put her foot on the brake. "Now?"

"Now, I repeat: drive. _But_," Natasha quickly said before Maggie could carry out the command, "please no pedal to the metal. I know this isn't my nice car, but I'd rather not die in a fiery car crash."

Maggie looked unamused at the comment, and Natasha just met her with an equally blank expression. Her deadpan humor was often a stark contrast from Maggie's more giggly personality, which made their interactions all the more entertaining for the others to watch.

Finally giving in and rolling her eyes at Natasha, Maggie looked back at the literally empty road ahead of her. _Literally. _They were somewhere in the middle of nowhere, some back roads of Virginia, or something. Natasha was very obvious in her concerns about the fifteen year old's first driving experience. Even though there was nothing to hit, Natasha had still made herself and Maggie put on a bunch of protective gear that children used when learning how to ride a bike. Again, the spy's strange logic.

Maggie finally pushed her foot to the gas, startled by the sudden movement as they were launched forward.

Well, launched at about an ambitious 15 miles per hour, at least.

She had already had the idea that the harder you push on the pedal, the faster you'll go. She'd seen the movies where people slammed on the gas pedals, and their speeds rose past 70 miles an hour. She had no interest in going at such a speed.

Natasha sat, quietly observing, as Maggie drove so painstakingly slow.

"You know, technically, we're on a freeway."

Maggie groaned at Natasha's comment. "Why would you take me out to a freeway to learn how to drive? That's so dangerous!"

"Well, I figured you'd have room to speed around. But I now retract that sentiment." Natasha sighed as she looked out the passenger side window, looking out at the literally empty-for-miles land.

"Would you prefer me to go faster?"

Natasha knew Maggie enjoyed jumping from underwhelming to overwhelming in less than half a second to get reactions out of people, and she knew that the second she said yes, she wanted to actually travel faster than the snails she could spot out on the side of the road left out from the rain a few days ago, Maggie would slam her foot on the gas with an "I warned you!"

"I would prefer you to travel at a safe speed between 25 and 50 miles per hour." Natasha instead quipped a second later, deciding to set some parameters. No way were those the speeds one should be traveling at on the freeway, but there was literally no one out in the middle of nowhere with them. So, why not.

Maggie grinned, mischief in her eyes, as she sped up to 30 now. Natasha breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

Maggie drove straight on the two lane road for another thirty seconds or so, until she started panicking about a car coming toward them in the opposite lane, and, _oh, God, they're gonna run into us, they're gonna run into us! We're gonna die! _

"Just relax, Лапушка. They'll stay in their lane, and we'll stay in ours." Natasha replied to her daughter's frantic commentary.

As they passed the car, Maggie exhaled loudly. Natasha rolled her eyes. She definitely did _not _remember learning to drive being so dramatic and as big of a deal as Maggie was making it out to be. She sighed again as she leaned against the passenger door, looking out the window with a bored expression while Maggie went on about some car approaching behind them, and how it was going to hit them. Maggie was sure of it this time. Natasha merely made a retort about how if the car behind them _did _hit them, the other driver would be the one having to pay for the damage. Thus was the law of the road in terms of rear-ending incidents.

"Oh, yeah, that's right. That's what they told us in driver's ed when we learned about what to do in case of an accident." Maggie confirmed after Natasha's mini-lecture about car insurance and who was at fault in the most common scenarios.

During their conversation, the car just drove into the other lane, and then back into theirs, passing them. Maggie disapproved of the action, deeming it unsafe to drive into the lane of oncoming traffic. Natasha just shrugged and said they were in the middle of nowhere, so the laws didn't matter anymore. Not to mention, the two redheads themselves weren't even following them, since Maggie's speed was hovering between 25 and 30 the entire time.

Well, at least she wasn't as reckless and clumsy behind the wheel as she was when just walking, Natasha silently humored to herself.

"We're also breaking the law by having you let me drive." Maggie added, with a mockingly pretentious tone, to Natasha's comment about their complete disregard for the general speed of the freeway. "I'm not supposed to drive until I have my first lesson, and then the dude will sign my permit saying _then _I can practice with you and other adults."

"I figured you didn't want your very first experience of sitting behind the wheel to be on the oh-so-friendly streets of the District of Columbia." Natasha replied dryly.

Maggie thought about it for a moment. "I guess that's true."

Another minute of silence passed between them, until Natasha finally challenged Maggie to speed up.

"How much?"

"A lot. We're on the freeway, for Christ's sake."

"I thought you said no pedal to the metal!"

"70 miles per hour is the legal speed limit for highways. That's not pedal to the metal."

Maggie just shrugged, and then pressed her foot down on the gas. Hard.

In seconds, her speed jumped up from 25 to 55, and then she was about to pass 70. Natasha was pushed back into her seat uncomfortably by the sudden speed-up, completely discarding her mental images from minutes before of Maggie being less reckless behind the wheel.

Lord have mercy if the girl ever tried to follow in her father's footsteps and tried to master riding a motorcycle.

Oh, who was she kidding? _Of course _Maggie's next goal after mastering the Class-C licensed motor vehicles in the world would be to try a motorized bike.

"Slow down, slow down, slow down!" Natasha called frantically as Maggie hovered around 80, as the teen was too apprehensive about taking her eyes off the road to glance down at her speedometer.

Sure, they were in the middle of nowhere, but Natasha couldn't help but worry. Like hell was she going to let her daughter speed off into the sunset and into some poor unfortunate soul in the lane of oncoming traffic.

Both redheads rocked back and forth as Maggie slammed her foot on the brake - _why is she slamming everything? _\- and they skidded to a stop. As they sat there, completely disoriented and Natasha looking like she'd rather be anywhere but there in that moment, Maggie tried to sound apologetic.

"Sorry."

But she was grinning again, that big mischievous grin that everyone had grown to fear. Where that grin was, trouble followed. Natasha sighed.

"For the record, I'm actually finding this kind of fun. All those years of Mario Kart have brought me to this day."

Maggie looked so damn proud of herself, despite her less than satisfactory driving, that Natasha couldn't help but smile.

"Yeah? Well, it's great if you have fun driving, but make sure to not run over everyone and everything."

"I haven't hit anything yet! I'm a great driver already!" Maggie sounded pleased, as she beamed at Natasha. The spy was concerned by Maggie's declaration because of the fact she included the word "yet" when proclaiming the victory of her lack of hitting things. "Can I drive us home?"

Natasha stared out the window at the scenic nothingness with an exasperated expression on her face, but after a few seconds and a few calming breaths she decided sure, why not. Natasha was a master assassin, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, an Avenger - she could (and definitely should be able to) handle a little more unpleasant driving.

She would make sure to direct Maggie using the most rural and empty roads as possible, but navigating the city would be a challenge for sure.

And Maggie really enjoyed challenges. She looked at Natasha expectantly.

After one more deep breath, and fluffing up her protective pillow just a bit, Natasha nodded. "If you think you can handle it."

Maggie nodded, a determined look on her face, and Natasha began to guide her through the process of making a U-turn.

And Natasha could only count on one hand the number of times Maggie went too far and ended up off the road during the three basic steps, so she took that as a small victory.

* * *

**A/N: **I know this one's pretty short compared to my past chapters, but I've figured that if I stick to shorter oneshots, I may be able to update more regularly. Here's to hoping that doesn't totally fall through!

Also, I couldn't resist making Natasha strap a pillow to her torso. The idea was just too funny to pass up.


	38. Still Into You

**A/N: **Hello, my lovelies! I hope you all are doing well! This one was prompted by the lovely sportfan64, who basically asked for a chapter in which Maggie goes through a crisis that many of us (I know I did!) go through when we were younger: _my parents are fighting, are they getting divorced? _My own experience wasn't exactly like that, per se, more so it was me asking my mom when she and my dad would get a divorce because I had assumed it to be a thing every married couple does after a while, as one of my friends' parents at the time was splitting up. I was in... Hey, whoa, I was the same age as Maggie is in this chapter when I was interrogating my mom about the whole concept of divorce!

Anyway, this one is kinda angsty maybe? I thought of it more fluffy, but, either way, it was definitely _not _supposed to be this long. But the words kept flowing and boom, this happened. Hope this doesn't go too OOC or weird or any of that! This one's kind of a belated Valentine's Day chapter, and can kinda go with one of the recent "Romanogers Appreciation Month"'s theme of "Fire and Ice," over on tumblr! I would argue it fits the theme because Nat and Steve are actually fighting in this one, AKA a contrast. XD

Thanks for all the faves, follows, and reviews! I would never divorce myself from all of you lovely readers. ;D

* * *

Maggie burrowed deeper under the covers on her bed, clutching the soft fabric of the layers tightly while shutting her eyes even tighter. She took a nervous breath, trying to block out the sounds from outside her bedroom.

More specifically, she was trying to ignore the sound of her parents arguing just down the hall, in their bedroom. They weren't yelling, but talking at a loud enough volume that she could hear the aggressive and harsh tones of their voices rising with each statement given by both of them.

She couldn't make out exactly what they were saying, but knew that they were fighting. Normally, she would have gotten up and intervened, but she didn't want to get in trouble for being up late.

Maggie had no idea what her parents' arguing could mean, or why they were even doing it in the first place. She thought that people who loved each other as much as her mother and father did _always _got along. It confused and bothered her to no end.

So, she tried to focus on blocking them out, and thinking about something else. Hopefully, with that, she would be able to drift off to sleep.

* * *

The following morning, the six year old noticed her parents' less than pleasant moods, especially around each other. Pretty soon, she herself was in just as bad as a mood as them. She wasn't sure why, but she just was.

Steve and Natasha hardly spoke directly to each other, only speaking to and regarding the other when the conversation included all three of them, or to say goodbye for the day.

Maggie didn't ask any questions about their foul mood, just brushing it all off as Steve led her out the door for school and Natasha settled on the couch with a S.H.I.E.L.D. file to look over.

At school, Maggie asked her friends for advice.

"My parents were fighting last night. Like, they sounded really mean to each other when they were talking." She explained at recess, her voice conveying her concern and confusion.

"My mommy and daddy used to do that." One girl, Bridget, answered. "They fought so much that they got a divorce!"

"What's a divorce?" Another girl, Katie, inquired as Maggie and the other girl with them, Sammy, mirrored the same questioning expression.

"It's when a mommy and daddy can't stop arguing, so they break up." Bridget explained.

"Break up?" Sammy echoed.

"Yeah, they leave each other and live in different houses and don't love each other anymore." Bridget clarified.

Maggie gasped. "Do you think that's what _my _parents are gonna do?"

"Do _all _parents do that?" Katie added, concerned. "I don't want my mom and dad to break up!"

Bridget shrugged. "I don't know. But mine did, and they're happy now. Sometimes I miss us all being together, though."

"So, then, where do _you _live, if they live in different houses?" Sammy curiously tilted her head to one side, her dark brown hair falling against her shoulder with the motion.

"I mostly live with my mommy, but sometimes I live with my daddy. It changes." Bridget explained.

Maggie already knew what it felt like to have multiple homes; she was often changing between the Avengers Tower, and her actual house with her parents in DC.

"That sounds confusing." Katie commented.

"Sometimes it is, 'cause I forget if I left things at my mommy's house or daddy's house." Bridget said.

"Did the divorce make _you _sad, Bridget?" Maggie asked next.

"Yeah, I like living in one house with both of them. I miss it." Bridget answered.

Maggie wasn't so sure she could be satisfied if her parents chose to follow the same path as Bridget's parents.

As the teacher called all the first graders back in, Maggie found herself only more concerned with her situation at home. Now that she knew what a divorce was, and that it was a very real possibility in her given situation, she was extremely worried about where the arguing may lead her small family.

* * *

The tense, icy atmosphere between Steve and Natasha faded a little bit as the rest of the week progressed. At least, it got to the point where they were concealing their rough patch when Maggie was around.

But Maggie still stayed up late at night, waiting and listening for the exchange of harsh words and sharp comments. Sometimes they came, sometimes they didn't, but her parents were obviously still stuck at a stalemate in whatever it was they were fighting about.

When the weekend hit, and the two Avengers were called in for a mission, Maggie stayed at the Avengers Tower. While she was there, she thought more and more about what Bridget had told her at school, and what would happen if Steve and Natasha had one of those "divorce" things her friends had talked about.

Apparently, her extensive thinking was noticeable in her expression, as Maggie soon found Clint waving a hand in front of her face while the others all looked at her with matching worried faces. Behind them, _The Little Mermaid _was playing on the TV; they must have passed an important part that she uncharacteristically missed completely, giving away her lack of attention.

"Earth to Maggie! Hello, is anyone in there?" Clint called loudly, looking her over a few times as if she were missing. Maggie just giggled at his behavior, and swatted his hand away.

"I'm here, I'm here! Just thinking really hard." She assured the archer brightly.

"That much was obvious." Pepper said from her other side on the couch. "What's got you so distracted that you missed out on 'Part of Your World'?"

Maggie just shrugged, brushing her inquiries off. "Nothing."

But Tony shook his head in disagreement from the other couch, looking at her like she was crazy. "No way. Spill it, squirt."

With everyone's eyes burning into hers, Maggie averted her gaze sadly. She sunk lower in her seat, which everyone also noticed. What they had assumed to just be some funny, humorous thing distracting her now seemed to be more serious, judging by the way she was sulking now.

"Maggie, what's going on?" Bruce asked softly.

After a few seconds, she just exhaled loudly, her gaze darting between everyone else as she met their eyes. "It's a silly question."

Clint snorted. "Nonsense. Out with it, kiddo."

"Well…" Maggie paused, now looking at her hands in her lap. "Do Mama and Daddy hate each other?"

The room immediately fell into a stunned silence, with the only sound being the white noise the TV emitted as the movie continued. The four adults shot each other confused looks, silently asking one another if they had any knowledge of what Maggie was referring to. But no one had anything.

"Why do you think they hate each other, Maggie?" Pepper asked softly, prompting Maggie to life her eyes to meet her godmother's.

"They were fighting a few days ago when I was supposed to be sleeping. I mean, I was in bed, and I was really sleepy, but then I heard them talking in their room, and they sounded mad." Maggie explained. "Like, they got more and more mad as they kept talking. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but it sounded super serious."

"I don't think they hate each other." Clint offered her immediately. "They were probably just disagreeing over something that doesn't really matter."

Maggie shook her head. "But they've been mad about it all week! Like, it's gotten better, but they still seem kinda upset."

"Have you tried asking them about it?" Bruce asked.

Sheepishly, Maggie shook her head once again. "No… I was too scared."

"There's nothing to be afraid of, Maggie." Pepper advised. "They won't get mad at you for asking, I promise."

"Yeah, if anything, they'll be proud of you for being so mature and diplomatic about it." Tony commented, even though his vocabulary completely went over Maggie's head. But she didn't ask for any definitions.

Instead, she looked thoughtful for a moment, before glancing back at Clint. "So… They _don't _hate each other?"

"I seriously doubt it. I mean, I don't think they could _ever _hate each other. They just love each other so much." Clint replied earnestly.

"And sometimes people who really love each other get really upset with each other; it's just something that happens sometimes." Bruce added. "With love comes conflict."

"Wise words, Doctor Banner." Tony commented, bumping shoulders with his close friend.

Bruce gave a tiny smirk. "Thanks, I guess."

"But what if my parents don't love each other anymore?" Maggie looked concerned again, as she looked between the four adults for answers. "My friend Bridget at school was saying that when her parents stopped loving each other, they got a divorce or something that made them live in different houses!"

Seeing the path the conversation was going down, Pepper shook her head. "I can assure you, Maggie, your parents still love each other very much. I don't think you have to worry about them getting a divorce or splitting up."

Maggie appeared somewhat convinced, but still unsure. "Really?"

"Really." Clint confirmed. "Seriously, kid, your parents have had tons of disagreements and arguments before. This isn't anything new; it just so happened that you know about this one."

"I think you should try asking them about it." Bruce advised. "Maybe ask them why they seem so upset lately. Then you can talk about it with them, and they'll tell you what we told you: it's just a little disagreement, and they'll get over it soon."

Maggie nodded thoughtfully, knowing what the first thing she would be doing when going home would be.

* * *

The "little disagreement," as Bruce had labelled it, seemed to have only escalated after their latest mission. When Steve and Natasha picked Maggie up at the Tower, everything seemed fine; but once they were back in DC for a little bit, things picked up where they had left off for Maggie.

The silence that was usually comfortable was awkward, filled with a tension that was thick enough to be noticed by the six year old. Steve and Natasha played with her, of course, like they always did; but they still seemed as eerily quiet around each other as they had been the previous week.

"Daddy, can we draw?" Maggie hoped they would be more fun one-on-one with her, instead of the all together. The uncomfortable silences and lack of enthusiasm they were showing was really boring. Plus, she really wanted to draw, and she loved Steve's art. "I wanna draw."

He gave her a wide grin with an "Of course!" so solid, that it was obvious art-oriented activities were some of Steve's favorites.

Natasha just gave Maggie's head a kiss before pulling out some files from work to look over. Maggie half-led, half-dragged Steve off of the couch to the dining room table, which was their go-to art station.

"What should we draw, Maggie?" Steve asked once they settled at the table with all their supplies together.

Leaning half of her weight against the table as she reached for supplies that were just out of reach, Maggie cheerfully looked up at him with her answer. "We should draw the three of us!"

"Roger that." Steve said, his voice now professional as he saluted Maggie. She giggled as she handed him a purple piece of paper.

"You can draw the lines, and I'll color!" She also announced, grabbing handfuls of crayons and dumping them between the two of them. "Our art always looks best that way."

"I like it when you draw, too." Steve offered. "Your drawings keep getting better and better."

"You said it takes a loooooot of practice." Maggie said with a sure nod, drawing out the vowel for emphasis. "So, I practice a lot!"

Steve nodded as he began to sketch in pencil. "I can tell."

Maggie leaned against his arm as she watched him work, his hand moving in smooth motions as it dragged the pencil along the paper. His drawing made them all look so happy and loving with each other, that Maggie couldn't believe that they would hate each other.

* * *

"Steve, I told you: _no _self-sacrificing on missions." Natasha's green eyes burned in frustration as she stared Steve down. "We've been over this so many damn times in the past ten years. You put the whole mission in jeopardy!"

"I did _not _compromise this mission, Natasha. _You _were the one acting reckless, so I had to do _something_!" Steve argued, not backing down from her harsh glare.

Natasha rolled her eyes. "You don't trust me to take care of myself, doing this job that I've been doing for my entire life." It was a snarky statement laced with irritation, which only made Steve sigh.

"I thought we've established the fact that we can't take on as much as we used to, now that we have something to come home to." Steve gestured to their bedroom door, which led the way to the hall, which ultimately led to Maggie's room.

In her room, Maggie looked toward her own bedroom door, her blue eyes especially dark with sadness. She had thought everything was going to be okay, and that her parents would forgive each other soon; but she had been wrong.

"Don't play that card with me, Rogers. That was a low blow, and you know it."

How much could Pepper, Clint, Tony, and Bruce really have known when they talked to her about it the previous week, anyway? It only got worse since she talked about it with them, which must have meant that her parents may have actually stopped loving each other.

"I'm just saying, that we need to be more careful now. Especially after last year, I just… She can't afford to lose either of us."

Maggie bit her lip nervously at the thought. She couldn't imagine the distinctive characters that were her parents - two Avengers, two heroes widely loved and accepted - existing without the strong bond of love between them. Of course, there had been a long time period before either of her parents met that such a love had yet to exist in the world, but Maggie didn't know that world.

"You think I don't know that? On missions, I do whatever is necessary to get the job done as quickly and efficiently as possible. Taking risks is part of the job, Steve; you and I _both _knew that very well when going into this whole parenting thing."

No, Maggie only knew the world that existed with the love between the soldier and spy. A scenario without it sounded impossible to her; she couldn't even imagine what her life would be like if they didn't love each other anymore. If they hadn't ever loved each other, she wouldn't even exist!

"That doesn't mean we have to go running into the line of fire every time we go out to fight!"

Exhaling, Maggie pushed herself up, and cast the covers of her bed aside. She didn't think, only acting instinctively, as she slid out of bed and padded out the door, into the hallway toward their room.

She couldn't just stand by and watch the arguing anymore, waiting for the "divorce" shoe to drop. Sure, she still didn't really understand it, but she feared the concept of them not loving each other anymore. That just sounded so foreign and wrong to her.

"Mama? Daddy?"

Steve and Natasha's staring contest ended abruptly, as they both turned to see a sleepy Maggie standing in the doorway, tightly clutching the stuffed husky plush Clint had brought back home for her years ago.

He had been in Russia on a lengthy mission that left him cold and miserable and complaining. Apparently, he relieved himself by buying a stuffed animal for Maggie, claiming a husky would help her "remember her true Russian heritage!" Natasha had just punched his arm upon hearing the comment.

Now, though, the thrashed husky, named Stella - the Latin word for "star" because Tony had still been quizzing Natasha on her Latin at the time because _how the hell can someone just casually speak Latin?_ \- was held tightly to Maggie's chest as she took a few tentative steps into the room.

Natasha and Steve didn't move, and didn't resume eye contact with each other, either; instead, they looked as if their own parents had just come and busted them for doing something bad. Maggie stopped a few feet into the room, simply staring up at the two superheroes expectantly through her droopy eyes.

"I'm sorry, Лапушка, did we wake you up?" Natasha was the first to recover, her voice instantly becoming soft and maternal - a sharp contrast from what it had been moments before in her harsh conversation with Steve.

Shaking her head, Maggie just looked sad, like she was truly feeling down and blue. It was strange, and a depressing sight.

That's when Steve and Natasha managed to glance over at each other, completely disregarding their argument, and focusing on what was up with Maggie. They communicated silently, through micro expressions asking the other if they knew what was going on.

It turned out they didn't even have to ask.

"Are you gonna get a divorce?" Maggie looked up at the two adults again, her sad expression lighting up the tiniest bit with the curiosity lacing her voice.

Neither hero was expecting that, as they both looked at her, completely taken off guard.

"What? Why did you think we were going to get a divorce?" Steve asked gently as Maggie exhaled silently, and resumed staring at the ground through dark eyes.

"Maggie, come over here and sit." Natasha pat the bed softly, and Maggie complied. She walked over to the large bed, and allowed Steve to lift her up onto the large mattress. Once there, she sat with her legs crossed, and gently dropped the ever-loyal stuffed Stella in her lap as she looked back up at her parents again.

"Why don't you love each other anymore?" She asked the more burning question that time, looking between them sadly.

Natasha's expression was immediately curious as she lowered herself down on the bed beside the six year old. "Sweetheart, why don't you think we love each other anymore?"

"'Cause you guys keep fighting, and talking like you hate each other." Maggie answered earnestly, meeting Natasha's eyes evenly. "And then you look really unhappy all the time."

"That's not because we don't love each other." Steve insisted, sitting down beside the two redheads. "We've just been having an issue we keep disagreeing over."

"People who love each other disagree sometimes, Maggie." Natasha continued where Steve left off, the two previously aggressive heroes now back in sync with one another. "It's just a part of being in love."

"Then why did Bridget's parents get a divorce? Are you gonna get a divorce?" Maggie appeared really tired now, her voice full of more emotion as she continued to stare down Natasha. The spy, in return, studied Maggie's face closely, trying to calculate just how close were they to a possible meltdown from exhaustion. "I don't want us to live in different houses and not love each other, Mommy."

Natasha could count on one hand the number of instances Maggie got to a point where she was vulnerable enough to let "Mommy" slip. Natasha had always been "Mama," and prided herself on the intimate name. There had been times years before, however, when Maggie was so exhausted, emotionally or physically, that "Mommy" came out instead.

Which made this occurrence a strange one. Hell, Maggie hadn't even called for Mommy when Alexei and his men had attacked and almost killed Natasha - she still called for Mama. So, Natasha figured that meant the stage of confusing people's names was over.

But apparently true exasperation and desperation could make young minds revert to their old ways, too, Natasha thought as Maggie wrapped her arms around her mother's neck.

Hugging Maggie back, Natasha twisted her body so Maggie could still see Steve. After all, it sounded like this involved him just as much as it involved her.

"I can _promise _you, Maggie - we are not getting a divorce, or living in separate houses. Ever." Steve assured the child, now making eye contact with her. "We'll still all love each other forever. I swear on Avenger's honor."

Maggie nodded silently, her mouth and nose pressed up against Natasha's shoulder. Her eyes appeared damp, like she had been ready to cry her way out of an impending family breakup, should that have been the path they were going down.

But, as both Avengers had stated firmly and surely, they were not. Pressing a kiss to Maggie's temple, Natasha ran a hand up and down her back.

"I'm sorry that Bridget has to live in different houses with her parents. But, just like Daddy said, you're stuck with both of us. We're all gonna keep living together like this for a long time, Лапушка. I think we all love each other too much, that we couldn't even handle living away from each other."

Lifting her head slightly, so that she could now look at both of her parents' faces, Maggie wiped at one of her tired eyes with a small fist. "Does that mean you guys can be done fighting now? I don't like it when you fight."

"I think we're done now." Steve answered easily, his voice soft. He turned, meeting Natasha's eyes with an apologetic smile. "Truce?"

Natasha just offered an affectionate smirk, followed by a quick nod. "Truce."

The two sealed it with a quick kiss, which Maggie was too tired to protest. By the time they looked down at her again, she was struggling to keep her eyes open.

"It's way past your bedtime, Missy." Natasha said in a mockingly stern voice, standing up with Maggie drifting off in her arms. "It's definitely time for you to go nighty night."

"Mm-kay." Maggie mumbled sleepily as Steve leaned over and gave her another goodnight kiss. "Nighty night…"

Steve couldn't help but smile as he watched Natasha carry the first grader out of the room. He hadn't realized how in-tune to his and Natasha's emotions Maggie had been, but was glad to see that it was now resolved.

What he said had been true; sure, he and Natasha have always, and probably will forever, butt heads and get into arguments, but that didn't change how they felt about each other. And it definitely wouldn't change how they raised Maggie.

Natasha seemed to express the same sentiment when she returned, mirroring his expression when she returned to the bed.

"I guess what we were talking about doesn't really matter that much now, does it?" Steve chuckled as she sat down beside him.

With a sigh, Natasha leaned against him, shaking her head. "It doesn't really at all. Though, it settled this childhood life lesson for Maggie, which was probably bound to happen eventually."

Steve nodded in agreement. "Probably."

They fell into a comfortable, self-reflective silence for a minute, until Natasha looked up at him again.

"Just so you know, Rogers, I guess I do _kind _of love you."

He rolled his eyes, playing along with her.

"I guess the feeling is _sort _of mutual, Romanoff."

* * *

**A/N:** This chapter sure was all over the place, I'll say! It was interesting to write - I really was exploring Maggie's character for the millionth time. This chapter especially points out her more empathetic side that I've been trying to pinpoint in writing. I think Natasha having a child who is extremely empathetic, while Natasha herself isn't a big emotion person is an interesting concept. It also explains why Maggie is able to be so perceptive with the others sometimes.

I also meant to do the whole "Mommy" thing a while ago, but it slipped my mind between all the different oneshots, gah! Oh, well, at least it's on the table now. =) Hope I got your prompt on point, Sportsfan64!


	39. Come, Morning Light (Part 1)

**A/N: **Hey, everyone! This is the first part of a oneshot that's, like, really long on my laptop (and not really finished yet?). I'm not sure how many parts it'll be, but at this point in time it looks as if it'll just be two uneven parts, haha. I also haven't decided if I'm actually going to post them consecutively, or whatnot.

This whole thing is all a direct sequel to Chapter... 28, I think? "If Only a Heart Could be as White as Snow," I believe was the name. AKA, Maggie and Natasha's flight from the Red Room agents! This chapter and the subsequent ones basically show the aftermath of those events right after they happened, as opposed to the vague references we've all seen so far. So, get ready for some (possibly OOC - I probably got waaay too into this) angst, everyone! *evil laughter*

I wrote this one months ago, right after finishing the Red Room chapter, so I'm not sure how I feel about it. Maggie acts pretty mature for a 6 year old here, I'll give ya that. And everything is just depressing. Also, it kinda ends abruptly, because there was no better spot to cut it off, as the rest of what I have on my laptop kinda switches focus from Maggie to Natasha.

Thanks for all the faves, follows, and reviews! I love you all more than pizza~

* * *

"I wanna be with Mama."

"I know you do, Mags, but she has to rest right now." Clint replied softly.

Maggie just slid her eyes over to look upon his face for a few moments before returning to her blank stare out the window. Clint could see the tension and stress in her shoulders. She even jumped at every little sound.

They were currently in Coulson's empty office at the Triskelion, waiting out Natasha's recovery. Bruce had finished the surgery two days prior, and the spy had woken up once since then, but Clint was tasked with trying to keep Maggie's mind off of what had taken place over the past week while Steve was pulled away for other things (mostly related to the health of the two redheads, and how to take care of them from that point on).

He had no idea what to do now. She changed. A lot. What the hell had happened before they found them?

"Hey, Maggie." Clint called her back out of her daze gently, not wanting to startle her. Luckily, he did not, as she shot her eyes back at his. "Do you want to explore the air vents? I know your moth-_parents,_" he tried to bring Natasha up as little as possible, "said that you couldn't go in these vents until you were older, but why not bend the rules a little under these circumstances?"

Maggie's eyes widened, remembering Natasha saying those same words days before. Stealing the car. Getting to sit in the passenger seat in dire circumstances. Circumstances… The last word Natasha said before everything went to hell.

Clint noticed her slight change in countenance, and backtracked. "We don't have to, if you don't want to. It was just an idea..."

"I don't want to." Maggie stated firmly, meeting Clint's eyes with her tired ones. The archer nodded in understanding.

An awkward silence - not a comfortable one, like Clint usually experienced when in Maggie's company - fell between them, until Clint's phone buzzed in his pocket, nearly sending Maggie flying up into the ceiling from the sudden noise. After briefly reassuring her, he read the text, which was asking for him and Maggie to return to the medical wing. After texting back that they got the message, he conveyed it to Maggie, and they began making their way down.

Clint offered a hand for Maggie to hold, but she ignored it. He pulled the appendage back down to his side with a barely suppressed sigh of remorse.

* * *

It turned out they were called back because Bruce wanted to move Natasha back to the tower, now that she was recovering. That seemed to ease Maggie's worries the slightest bit, for which everyone was grateful. They also hoped Tony and Pepper's added presence might have a positive effect on easing Maggie back into their old life (some of Alexei's men had been hanging around the tower, thinking Maggie and Natasha might run there, while Pepper was still there, so Tony had put it on lock down and stayed with her in New York for the rest of the awful time).

"How are you doing today, Maggie?" Bruce spoke carefully, very aware of her extra sensitivity.

"Fine." Maggie answered dully, not taking her eyes off of bedridden Natasha through the hospital room window. Steve swore Maggie had never looked more like Natasha until that moment. She held herself with her mother's straight, determined posture, while holding a stoic, passive expression on her face. Normally, he loved figuring out the quirks and traits Maggie had inherited from him and Natasha, but this instance just scared him. She was just so _young. _

"What's on your mind, kid?" Clint asked a few moments later, hoping the redhead may disclose some of her feelings to the three Avengers.

Maggie first opened her mouth to say, "Nothing," but couldn't form the word on her lips. After a beat, she whipped around and faced her father and uncles with an accusing glare. "What took you so long?" Her voice was quiet, but laced with exhaustion and sorrow.

Considering the fact that the two men Maggie was closest two made up two-thirds of her question's current audience, Bruce decided to answer for everyone. Clint and Steve were probably dying with guilt - Steve, especially, who felt he could have prevented the whole thing if he had just not taken that damn mission - and Maggie's accusation wouldn't make things any better.

"We worked hard, Maggie." Bruce answered calmly. "It was tough at first. By the time your dad got home, all of the bad guys had left. He got your mom's secret message, but we still didn't know what to do, or where to start. All we could do was try to track down the bad guys, but that took us a few days. And even then, we didn't get all of them. We followed the last of them to your mom's secret house."

Maggie eyed each of them wearily. Bruce looked as calm as ever, Clint was fidgeting, and Steve had averted his eyes. She said nothing, finally resting her gaze on her father.

Steve met her eyes a few moments later, and she still said nothing. He approached her slowly, making sure she could see every move he made, and crouched down in front of her. She still didn't react. "I'm so sorry we couldn't come to you sooner, Maggie; I really am. All we can focus on now is the fact that Mama is still alive, and the bad guys are all gone." Bruce could tell that Steve was trying to convince both Maggie and himself.

"They aren't all gone." Maggie replied softly, glancing down both directions of the hall momentarily. That was a new habit she seemed to have picked up out of fear - constantly glancing around her surroundings, checking for bad guys. Great. "They come and hurt everyone in my dreams."

This could have been inferred from the overall exhaustion in Maggie's appearance and behavior. She was starting to sport faint dark circles under her eyes, and Clint had caught her starting to doze off more than once when they were sitting in Coulson's office earlier that day. Every time, she would shake herself awake, sometimes a bit dazed, and Clint just calmly sat next to her. Because she was so jumpy, though, he couldn't even tap her arm without her being startled.

"I know." Steve finally replied in the same quiet tone, his arms tensing the slightest as if he were not sure whether or not she would accept a hug, or any form of physical comfort, from him. "I'm sorry."

Maggie glanced back through the window at her sleeping mother before turning back to Steve. She didn't reply.

* * *

After Natasha woke up for the second time since her surgery, she and Maggie visited in private for a while. According to what everyone else had been telling her beforehand, Maggie was, figuratively, nowhere to be found. It was as if a doppelganger was currently acting in the six year old's place, apparently.

That being said, Maggie acted a bit more like herself while she was with Natasha, but that didn't mean Natasha still couldn't tell how bad things had become. There was a blank, emptiness to Maggie's eyes, now, and Natasha easily noticed the small girl's subtle shaking every once in a while.

Steve had also warned her beforehand that Maggie was running on little to no sleep because of frequent nightmares, and awful separation anxiety from Natasha. Luckily during their time together, Maggie managed to doze off while in bed with the spy, and Natasha assumed it was because her daughter felt safe nowhere else at that point in time. Natasha already felt horrible enough as it was about having to drag Maggie through an experience like that, but the results of it were just painful to comprehend.

As Natasha continued to hold Maggie as close to herself as physically possible, Steve slowly opened the door, obviously trying not to startle either redhead. Despite herself, Natasha jumped slightly, quickly looking up from Maggie's sleeping form to see who was there. She let out a small breath of relief.

"Hey. I didn't mean to startle you." Steve greeted quietly as he took a seat next to the bed.

On any other day, Natasha would have stubbornly denied any consideration that she had been _startled_. But, today was different. She shot Steve a tired look. "I know."

Steve leaned forward slightly, looking intently at the now peaceful Maggie. He smiled a little bit. "I'm glad she was able to get some sleep. It's been a rough few days…"

"Yeah, I got that." Natasha said with a subtle frown, looking back down at Maggie.

Steve let out a slow breath, not sure what to do or say next. The air was tense as the two Avengers could do nothing but watch their daughter's light sleep. They had a long road ahead of them, to say the least.

"I heard we're going to the Tower today." Natasha offered a few minutes later, trying to make an effort to be present for everyone. She knew she would have to be especially strong, now, because Maggie would need her.

Steve knew what she was up to. "Yeah. We all figured the sooner we get back into more of a routine, the better." He flicked his eyes down to Maggie as he was talking, but Natasha could already figure out what he really meant.

"I think so, too." Natasha agreed quietly. Before Steve could reply (or, rather, _think _of a reply - he and Natasha were just not in vocal sync that day), Maggie let out a small moan and curled up even tighter into Natasha's chest. Both the soldier and spy knew what was to follow.

Natasha tried to stop it before it could really get worse. "Hey, Maggie, it's okay, you're safe." She nudged the six year old lightly as Steve watched helplessly from the side; every time he had woken Maggie up from a nightmare, it was so bad that she couldn't recognize him at first. She seemed to be single-minded in her worst moments, and only found true assurance in Natasha.

Maggie let out a quiet, "No, Mama…" as she began to shake. Natasha and Steve made worried eye contact briefly before the former tried to wake the small girl again.

"Maggie, wake up." Natasha tried the tiniest bit louder that time.

Those words didn't help at all. "Mama, wake up…" Though it came out as a bit of a mumble, both Avengers were able to decipher its context and meaning. Steve lowered his head into his hands with a small, worried sigh. If they couldn't even ask her to wake up without setting off a bad memory, what were they supposed to do?

"Maggie. Maggie." Natasha ended up settling for just her name, because she didn't feel like risking another trigger word and/or phrase. She shook her lightly, hoping that wouldn't make things worse.

Steve continued to stay quiet; he and the others figured out that unexpected male voices could quickly set Maggie off. Because of that, they utilized Hill for waking Maggie up whenever they could during Natasha's recovery time. The deputy director was more than willing to help, and would sit with Maggie while she tried to sleep, though it wasn't much.

Maggie suddenly woke up, her blue eyes shooting open. Natasha noticed how much more emotion and liveliness was in them than what she had seen so far since she had woken up the previous day, but it was all negative; they were filled with fear, shock, and sorrow. Natasha could also swear they had taken on a more icy-blue shade than the normal, warm, baby blue that Maggie had inherited from Steve. She had never seen such a coldness to Maggie's eyes before, and it broke her heart.

"You're okay, you're safe." Natasha said slowly as Maggie's eyes quickly darted around the room, taking in her surroundings. She barely spared a glance to Steve at her side, and finally settled on Natasha's soft expression. "We're safe now, I promise."

Maggie blinked at her once, gradually comprehending what her mother was telling her. Steve fought back the strong urge to comfort his poor daughter, as he knew it would result in crossing a line that might make things much worse.

"Mama…"

"I'm okay." Natasha reassured her, bringing a hand up to Maggie's face and lightly brushing her cheek with her thumb. "You have nothing to be afraid of anymore, Лапушка."

Maggie closed her eyes for a moment, focusing solely on Natasha's comforting touch. Natasha could tell from her peripheral vision that Steve looked like a kid who was impatiently waiting to get on a ride, as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"Did you see who's here, Maggie?" Natasha prompted a moment later, causing her daughter to open her eyes again and turn her head, making eye contact with Steve. "Daddy came." Natasha tried to sound happy, but it came out a bit weak.

_Daddy came, but not in time_. Steve bit back the sharp remark as Maggie wordlessly stared at him. Finally, though, she showed a tiny sign of her old self, as she offered him a small, trusting smile.

* * *

Normally, Tony welcomed everyone into his tower with a huge "Welcome back!" exclamation, or throwing a surprise party with the rest of the current occupants (read: making an excuse for Pepper to bake for him). When everyone returned, though, he felt the same as what they appeared: like they had just traveled to hell and back.

Thor had surprised everyone by showing up immediately after they found out Natasha and Maggie left. Heimdall's all-seeing abilities had alerted him to the sudden event, and he had come racing to Earth as fast as he could. He was part of a separate party searching for the duo; otherwise, he would have burnt the Red Guardian to a crisp with Mjolnir. (Instead, Bucky gave the Russian a few extra punches for both redheads' sake with his metal arm.) Afterward, Thor flew back to the Tower, as Bruce advised everyone to not crowd Maggie. They tried to limit her contact with others, so only Bruce, Steve, Clint, and the occasional Hill or Coulson would really interact with her when Natasha was asleep.

Pepper, being the only non-Avenger and non-S.H.I.E.L.D. agent in the situation, felt the most helpless. She didn't know how to contribute in the slightest. Tony had assured her more than once that they had it handled, even when they didn't, but it didn't help at all. She struggled with the idea that one of her best friends and her goddaughter would be gone forever.

"You shouldn't be walking." Steve said for what sounded like the millionth time as they got into the elevator. It had been three days since the surgery.

Natasha tried her best to not kick him on the spot. She was tired as hell from everything that had happened, plus Maggie's sleepless nights that had started to interfere with her own sleeping schedule. Of course, she prioritized Maggie's needs above all else, but that didn't mean she had to put up with more than she should from everyone else.

"You're not the only one with a miracle drug running through their veins, Rogers." Natasha ended up offering in return, in lieu of incapacitating him. Fair enough.

Steve just rolled his eyes, and Clint snorted. Maggie said nothing as she held Natasha's hand tightly.

"Don't worry, Steve; we'll get her back in bed as soon as we get up there." Bruce assured the super soldier with an amused expression.

"Good." Steve replied shortly.

As the elevator doors opened, revealing an unusually quiet Tony Stark, the guys let Natasha and Maggie exit first. Neither seemed too keen on tight spaces lately. As the other three exited, Bruce murmured something about putting some medical supplies in Natasha and Steve's room for the rest of her downtime, and left the room.

Tony hesitated in how to greet his close friend and niece, opening and closing his mouth a few times as several different expressions passed over his face. He finally settled for, "Hey."

"Hi, Tony." Natasha replied simply, while Maggie was staring out the large windows of the penthouse. Tony had been warned that their youngest was incredibly spacey after what had happened, so he didn't comment.

"Maggie! Natasha!" Pepper exclaimed softly as she hurried into the room. Her voice was full of relief as she stopped in front of them. "Thank God you're both alright."

"Nice to see you, too, Pepper." Natasha couldn't help the wide grin that overcame her features as she pulled the CEO into a hug, temporarily letting go of Maggie's hand.

After their embrace, Pepper turned to Maggie and crouched down in front of her. "Hey, girly. How are you?"

Maggie met Pepper's eyes before answering. "Okay." She answered simply.

"I'm so happy you're safe." Pepper gently wrapped her arms around Maggie, who tensed at the contact at first, but then returned the hug.

Natasha shot a triumphant look towards Steve. This may be the start on the road to recovery, they figured. This was one of the few instances Maggie willingly showed affection to someone other than her mother.

While Pepper pulled back from the young redhead, they heard the loud, booming voice of Thor. Clint immediately cringed.

"Friends, you have returned home safe and sound!" He exclaimed, waltzing into the room happily.

As Clint had anticipated, Maggie jumped from the sudden noise, and immediately latched onto Pepper, who was still right in front of her, out of fearful instinct. Quickly connecting the dots, Pepper simply lifted Maggie into her arms, holding her tightly, protectively. Natasha was also quick to respond, as she stood by Pepper's side, rubbing Maggie's back slowly. Thor's smile faded as he saw the exhausted and stressed look on Tony, Clint, and Steve's faces.

"...Have I misspoken?"

"No, you just… You're really loud." Clint pointed out gently; all of them tended to be kinder with Thor, as the Asgardian could be discouraged and feel out of place easily in the unfamiliar 'Midgardian' environment. "And, after everything that's happened, some of us are a bit more… _Startled_, by loud noises." The archer was really hoping Thor got the message.

Apparently, he did, as he nodded in understanding. "Ah, yes, my apologies." Thor said remorsefully, looking over at the three girls.

* * *

The first thing the rest of the dysfunctional family immediately noticed was the intensified bond between Maggie and Natasha.

It hadn't surprised them, as they had figured Maggie would gravitate towards Natasha after everything. However, they had not been expecting Natasha to do the exact same to Maggie, as they all noticed the spy's equally attached tendencies, too.

Maggie's cold shoulder was the first of her new qualities to go. By their third night in the tower, she was almost as comfortable with Steve as she had been before (he got to join the co-sleeping redheads at night, finally), and didn't depend on Natasha _quite _as much (read: she actually went to the bathroom by herself without Natasha standing guard just outside the door). It had taken Steve a lot of patience - and some sweets - to coax Maggie out of her shell to him.

"I'm here for you when you need me, Maggie. You know that, right?" Steve had looked over at Maggie as she lied on the couch with a napping Natasha, who had pretty much become nocturnal. Maggie gazed back over at Steve, giving a small nod.

"I know." She answered simply, and Steve smiled in return.

"Good." He said warmly, leaning down and planting a soft kiss to her forehead. He immediately noticed how she didn't flinch, cringe, or even tense up at the simple gesture. They were making progress.

The day afterwards, Maggie initiated the physical contact, as she leaned against Steve while they sat on the couch and Bruce checked up on how Natasha was healing in the next room over. Though he was surprised, Steve knew if he pointed it out, it would probably discourage Maggie. So, he remained silent, and didn't comment, as they watched _Frozen. _

Then she spoke. "Daddy, can I ask you a question?" Maggie looked up at him curiously, and Steve tried to not let his surprise show.

"Of course." He was quick to reply, glancing back down at her questioning gaze. "What is it?"

"Is it my fault the bad guys came?" Her question and voice were so innocent, so genuinely curious, that it made Steve's heart clench in his chest with the endless number of emotions he was feeling in that moment. He could feel the initial anger and fear from finding out that his girls had been driven from their home, and the later guilt and despair at the thought of losing them because he wasn't there to protect them.

"No. No, it's not." Steve finally answered, his voice tight with emotion and slight anger directed at the entire situation and the Red Room for making his daughter blame herself. "It's the Red Room's - the bad guys' - fault that everything happened. Why do you think it's your fault?" His eyes were full of concern and worry for the guilty girl.

"Well, Mama said they came because she left them, but she also said they wanted to take me back to Russia and train me. Because I'm special, 'cause you and Mama are my parents." Maggie explained. This entire conversation alone was the most Steve had heard Maggie speak, honestly, in the past week. "If they wanted me, then isn't it my fault?"

_No! It's not your fault! Don't blame yourself! _Steve wanted to scream it to the heavens, to take Maggie's shoulders into his hands and firmly state it to her for her to fully comprehend and understand. He would be damned if he let Maggie inherit his and Natasha's ability to blame themselves for everything. But he couldn't always prevent that. "It's not your fault that they decided to do something. Those people made that decision to hurt you and Mama all by themselves, and you couldn't have changed their minds. They were just bullies."

Maggie wore a thoughtful expression on her face as she comprehended the information, and then nodded. "Okay. Then Mama can't blame herself, either." She stated firmly.

Steve knew Natasha well enough to expect just as much. "I agree. Next time she does blame herself, we'll have to remind her that she didn't do anything wrong." He offered. Steve could just picture Natasha rolling her eyes at him, with a sarcastic, witty comment thrown out as a defensive measure while she fortified the walls guarding her guilt-ridden heart.

"Do you blame yourself?" Maggie's curiosity at age six was so sharp that it caught Steve off guard sometimes.

The soldier inhaled and exhaled slowly, debating how to answer. Of course he felt at fault here; as a partner and father, it was his job to protect Natasha and Maggie, even when they (mostly Natasha) insisted they didn't need it. He was gone - returning from a mission of all things! - when everything had gone to hell, and he felt awful for being absent. Even if he couldn't have known that would happen, if he hadn't taken that assignment…

He mentally shook his head to clear his wandering thoughts. Maggie was still looking up at him expectantly, even though he had been focusing his gaze on the animated snowman occupying the TV screen for a few moments now. He decided to be honest; he and Natasha had agreed long ago to always be honest with their daughter, as trust was a crucial factor for relationships that could never be fully regained when lost. Steve thought he had really lost that shared quality with Maggie after the events of the past few weeks, but it seemed as if the trust just needed to be rekindled and revived - it wasn't completely gone.

"Yeah, actually, I kind of do. You and Mama were hurt while I was gone, and I was unable to protect you; I feel really bad about that. And I know that you've thought that about me, too." He shot her a knowing look, and she averted her gaze sheepishly. "And I'm so sorry that I wasn't there for you. I know that I won't always be able to be there for you physically… But, for now, I'm right here next to you, and you can depend on me. I'll always have your back, kiddo."

Maggie gave him a sappy, goofy smile as she leaned closer to him, taking in the warmth her father emitted that she had been so deprived of for weeks. She then crawled into his lap so she could properly wrap her arms around his torso, laying her head against his chest to hear his strong, steady heartbeat. "I love you, Daddy." She murmured.

He returned the embrace happily, wearing an equally silly expression, as he kissed the top of her head. "I love you too, Maggie. I love you so much." He held his head beside hers, marveling in the adorable way she always seemed to fit so well squished up against him (both father and daughter found it surprisingly comfortable), and how much he had yearned for her bright presence that still had yet to fully return. "I missed you so much, Mags."

"I missed you, too, Daddy."

* * *

**A/N: **Hope that worked out okay, peeps! Again, I wrote this back in like September or October or whenever I posted the Red Room chapter, so I believe my writing has probably changed (hopefully for the better?) since then, hence why this chapter may have been a bit rough. I did enjoy the Steve and Maggie scene at the end, though! I definitely don't write about their father-daughter relationship enough, so I'm glad I was able to focus this chapter on it.

I'm not sure if I'll be able to update next weekend, as I'll have some family members from out of town staying over for a few days. Also, from pretty much today until June, I'm busy during every weekend, so these next three months should be an adventure. I'll try to keep my updates consistent and somewhat constant, though!


	40. You and I'll Be Safe and Sound (Part 2)

**A/N:** Hello again. I decided I'd just try to dive right into this one and try to get it up and finished for you guys _before _my busy weekend... But, apparently, those plans just fell through, so I guess I'm free again? But I'm actually kinda bummed. :(

So, here's part two of angst-ville! Bonus points to who understands the song I've alluded to with the titles of these two chapters - together, they're a few lines from a song: "Come, morning light / You and I'll be safe, and sound." :P This chapter might be rough like the last one, since I'm kinda picking up the salvageable pieces of something I wrote 5ever ago... Fingers crossed, though!

This one takes a detour into the mind of Natasha for a bit because I was, like, on my post-angsty-actiony-chapter-high or something when I wrote this... Sheesh! Also, though this is minor, I'm putting up a **trigger warning **here for anyone who doesn't appreciate implied violence, or even the slightest mention of abortion (which comes later toward the end).

Thanks for the faves, follows, and reviews! HAPPY 40 CHAPTERS, GUYS! I hope you all had a nice February. :)

* * *

She ran through the Avengers Tower, frantically searching for any sign of her mother. Her hands were covered in a dark, red color, as were her clothes. She struggled to ignore an itch on her nose as she tried her best not to stain the walls and floor with the dripping liquid, but only partially succeeding.

"Mama, Mama! Where are you?" She called, looking high and low for her injured mother. Hearing a faint groan somewhere, she skidded to a stop, nearly slipping. She looked down the ominous hallway the sound had come from, straining her ears. "Mama! Are you over there?"

The sound of someone in pain traveled to her ears again, and she scrambled through the suspiciously dark hall, looking for a sign that she was getting closer. She stopped as she saw a similar shade of red as that on her hands and clothes on the floor, in the pattern of someone who was dripping in it walking into one of the nearby doorways. Trusting her instincts, she followed it, not once thinking of the dangers and risks she was taking by following the trail.

"Mama, are you still bleeding? Are you hurt?" She called as she wandered down the new hallway. Something was off. Something was definitely wrong. Nothing about this situation was right or even possible, her gut was telling her. But her racing heart's thunderous booming drowned out the voice of reason in her being as she continued down her path at a more frantic, brisk pace.

She heard his voice before she saw him. "Natalia, look. As I told you, your foolish daughter followed the trail to us. She is ours now." Alexei's voice immediately sent chills and shivers down her spine, and she shook lightly. She proceeded slowly, stopping as the two adult Russians came into view: Natasha, still bleeding, on the ground, struggling to stand up, and Alexei looming over her in all of his self-glory and devilish pride. Maggie froze.

"I won't let you take her and make her live the life that I did, Alexei." Natasha swore through gritted teeth, as she tried to push herself up again, but collapsed back onto the ground in a defeated heap. She let out a grunt of frustration, and Maggie was stuck between trying to help her mother and immediately running away. Just like that time when…

"Nonsense, Natalia. She was destined for this." Alexei argued calmly, examining Maggie from his spot. "She will make an excellent weapon."

Before she knew what was happening, the scenery and setting all changed; in her hand, Maggie saw a gun, and another hand trying to guide it. Looking up, she saw Alexei standing over her shoulder, with his arm extended, as he drew Maggie's armed hand up to fire. Maggie then whipped her head around to see what he was having her shoot, and realized it was the still struggling Natasha.

"Mama!" Maggie gasped, and Alexei guided her thumb in unclicking the safety. Eyes widening, Maggie had a vague idea of what exactly was going on.

"Your first assignment as an agent for us is to eliminate all your weaknesses. We shall start here with your mother." Alexei explained calmly, still holding Maggie's hand steady.

"What? No! Mama's not my weakness." Maggie protested, trying to pull away, but Alexei held her in place.

Natasha just stared up at her struggling daughter, her heart in her throat. This was not how things were supposed to be. She made brief eye contact with Alexei, who appeared more than thrilled at the prospect of getting Natasha back in such a painful, personal way.

Then, out of nowhere, things changed again. Natasha realized that it hadn't been Maggie holding the gun to her, but the other way around. Maggie stared up at her mother over the barrel with a sorrowful, but trusting look in her eyes.

"Mama, I'm not the bad guy!" Maggie protested from where she was on the ground, Alexei holding her down. "Mama!"

"She is a weakness, Natalia." Alexei's voice said coldly. "Hurry up and get rid of her. Come home."

Why was Natasha struggling with this? Obviously, the solution here was easy: shoot Alexei, grab Maggie, and run. But her arm wouldn't budge; the gun was still pointing at the six year old.

Natasha suddenly found herself much younger. She wasn't a child, but she was still well under the influence of the toxic Red Room. Love was weakness. She was compromised. She needed to get control of herself again.

It all became too much. She was both Natasha and Natalia, and it was all too confusing. The lines separating right and wrong blurred, and her mind was reeling. Without a second thought, her finger tightened around the trigger.

"Mama, wait!"

No, she was putting Maggie out of her misery. That's it. She was doing the right thing.

"Mama!"

_Pow!_

* * *

Natasha woke with a start, quickly sitting up in bed. Her heart and head were pounding, and her midsection screamed with the pain of rapidly pulling at her stitches. At first, she couldn't breathe, but as the seconds passed, oxygen resumed its task at entering her system.

Her quick movement had shifted the bed enough to immediately wake Steve, who turned on the bedside lamp. For whatever reason, Maggie managed to continue to sleep (though probably plagued by her own night terrors), and just the thought of her daughter put Natasha on edge as scenes from the nightmare played back through her mind.

"Natasha, are you okay?" Steve's blue eyes shone in concern and worry for her, as he reached out to place a hand on her arm. She tensed at the contact, still trying to get a hold of herself.

"F-Fine." Natasha spat out, feeling a mixed range of emotions. Fear, guilt, shame, anger, embarrassment, sorrow… Sometimes, she really hated being able to _feel. _

"Natasha…" He looked far from convinced, and it was just too much for Natasha. She didn't deserve someone to be concerned for her. Not after what she theoretically did in that dream.

"I said I'm _fine_, Steve." Natasha snapped, shooting him a cold look. Steve brought his hand back to himself, putting both appendages up in a manner to show he did not want to hurt her. But that gesture alone hurt Natasha all the same.

"I just… I need some fresh air." She hastily amended, standing up. Steve looked like he wanted to follow her for a moment, but as Maggie let out a small noise in her sleep, he knew where he was needed in that situation.

"Okay." He nodded slightly, turning back to Maggie. As he settled back in bed with her, careful not to make any sudden noises or movements that would scare her awake, Natasha exited the bedroom.

She made her way down the hall of the communal floor of the tower, hoping no one else was awake and in the area at that time - which was just past 3:00 AM, according to one of the digital clocks in the living room.

As she prepared a glass of water for herself in the kitchen, Natasha leaned against the counter and dropped her head into her hands with a stressful sigh. What exactly just happened in that dream? Where had that even come from? It was definitely one of the worst nightmares she had had of all time, and for sure the most awful nightmare to have been brought on by the attack.

She immediately thought back to the time lying in bed with Maggie in the safe house, explaining her past and what was happening. She remembered feeling the surprise and unexpectedness of Maggie just accepting her mother's past, and still loving and trusting her as if nothing had changed.

Part of Natasha associated it with the fact that Maggie was just six, still innocent and generally believing the world was good and that people were good, unless they do otherwise right in front of her own eyes. Were optimism and positivity just childish and unrealistic? Natasha used to think so, but Steve had convinced her otherwise long ago. Now, either his qualities had passed on to Maggie, or she really was as naive as the average six year old. The rest of Natasha associated Maggie's behavior with the former.

But killing Maggie? That had been a thought that truly shook Natasha to her core. Of course, from the start, she doubted her abilities as a mother, as she often associated her hands with hurting as opposed to nurturing. But that thought had never escalated to the point of actually killing her own daughter. No, all her fears stemmed from the thought of others harming her daughter, and her failure to protect her. She was bad, but she liked to believe she wasn't _so_ bad she would fear killing Maggie herself.

Natasha had no idea how she would be able to face Maggie the next day. Everyone assumed Maggie was gradually getting better, and that Natasha was more than capable of taking everything in stride and pushing it to the back of her mind. Compartmentalization. But, the truth of the matter was that while Maggie was getting better, Natasha was nowhere near as close. She had barely progressed, but was able to keep it hidden as she focused all of her time and attention on helping Maggie. Seeing and interacting with Maggie after having the mental image of shooting her was a concept Natasha wasn't too keen on trying out. She wasn't sure she would ever be able to see those innocent, warm blue eyes without seeing the surprised, confused ones she had witnessed in her dream. The spy could see in Maggie's expression that she still completely and fully trusted her mother, despite the positions they were in. It was just too much.

As she walked out onto the balcony overlooking the city, Natasha took a deep breath. She was still upset and thrown off after the events of the dream, but she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep without calming down first. That is, if she could even go back to sleep. She took a seat in one of the lawn chairs the Avengers had set out there, and watched the lights of the buildings below.

She wasn't sure how long she was out there, but she eventually started to feel herself drifting off. She silently cursed herself; she used to be so good at staying up for long nights. Now, she was so tired and dead on her feet, she was lucky if she could pull one all-nighter.

Thinking it was the end for sure as her mind started to quiet down with the tempting darkness of sleep, someone opened the door of the balcony. Her tendency to be startled had been just as badly messed with as Maggie's, as she practically fell out of her chair while trying to catch sight of the new person. Thankfully, it was just Steve, who was showing both of his hands to indicate he was completely unarmed and friendly - for the second time that night, she reluctantly noted.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." He said softly, slowly approaching. "I just came to see how you were doing."

"I told you, I'm fine." Natasha insisted, frowning when he sat down next to her. "We need to focus on Maggie. Where is she?"

"With Clint." Steve answered. Seeing her look of confusion, he elaborated. "She just woke up from a bad dream ten, fifteen minutes ago. Clint heard her cry out, so he came running in. I was trying to comfort her, but she was too upset. She wanted you, but I know you need your space after really bad nightmares." Natasha looked away guiltily at that. "Clint seemed to have an idea of what was going on and why you weren't there, so he offered to wait with her until we came back."

"And she accepted that?" Natasha asked, genuinely surprised. Maggie had barely spoken to Clint since they got to the tower, and the archer seemed to accept that she needed some time and space to heal a bit before opening up to anyone who wasn't her mother or father.

"Yeah, I was surprised, too." Steve nodded. "He promised a story as an apology, and that seemed to help. Maybe this means Maggie is starting to trust the others again."

Natasha cringed a bit at that, but raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Why is he apologizing?"

"You know why."

Steve's eyes temporarily reflected the guilt he, too, was feeling. Natasha shook her head.

"None of this was your guys' fault. You came just in time; you saved us both."

"Barely." Steve looked at her - _really _looked at her - and she realized this was the first moment they really had alone to talk about everything.

"I'm okay." Natasha argued, meeting his sad gaze.

"Physically, maybe. But emotionally? I don't think we're all ever going to get fully past this." Steve asserted.

Natasha looked away, back over at the Manhattan sky line. She tried to anchor herself to reality and away from all her fears by distracting her senses with the busy city, but her mind kept wandering. Not even Steve's reassuring presence beside her could keep her completely grounded.

"I've been compromised."

Steve almost laughed at that. "Nat, emotions aren't bad-"

"It's not that," Natasha turned her head to look at him again, "I just didn't realize how much it could hurt to love someone."

* * *

"We need to talk. And by 'we,' I mean 'me,' because I screwed up. Big time."

Maggie watched her godfather approach the large bed slowly. Steve had just left the room moments before, and the archer had taken a second to compose himself with a deep breath. Maggie just watched, for whatever reason, deciding that she would trust Clint again in that moment.

"I'm really sorry - no, wait, that doesn't sound genuine enough - so sorry - err, _super_ sorry…" Clint ran a hand down his face with a stressed sigh, stopping at the foot of the bed. "Look at me, I can't even talk to my favorite girl. Mags, what I'm trying to say is…"

"I love you." Maggie interjected calmly, quietly, Clint almost didn't hear it. He looked back up and over at her, watching as she rested her chin upon her drawn up knees. She look tired as hell; the nightmares really had done a number on her.

And, yet, here she was, after a week of saying almost nothing to Clint, Maggie took the initiative in speaking to him. He didn't have to drag anything out of her, or try to bribe her to talk about how she was feeling. It was almost as if she had full knowledge and awareness of the struggle Clint had been enduring from her distance, as she chose those three words to be some of the first she said to him.

_I love you_.

Then, he realized, she must have had insight to his feelings, because she must have been feeling the exact same way this entire time. Clint didn't really brag much about his extra special relationship with Maggie to the others (except to Stark, to irritate him), but he knew that the deep value he held for their bond was not one-sided. Natasha and Steve had told him on multiple occasions that Maggie valued their closeness just about as much as he did (of course, he would argue that Maggie could never really know how much he loved her).

In one swift motion, he sat down next to her on the bed, and wrapped his arms around her. She didn't protest or lash out, but he could feel her tense just the slightest bit. But he also knew she was fighting the fearful instincts, as she relaxed a moment later, and returned the warm embrace. Burying her face into his shoulder, Maggie felt at peace for one of the first times that week. Clint planted a kiss to her temple before resting his chin on top of her head.

"Yeah. I love you, too." He finally replied, slowly dragging his hands up and down her back as he felt her small frame tremble beneath his strong arms. He wasn't sure if it was out of fear, but it was answered a moment later as he heard a small whimper escape her mouth. He knew she needed to cry it out to someone else besides Natasha and Steve at some point, and he was more than happy to provide that resource.

"I'm sorry." Maggie sniffled into his arm a few minutes later, making it a bit hard to comprehend.

"No, Mags, you have nothing to apologize for. You didn't do anything wrong." Clint spoke softly into her ear, still rubbing her back.

"But I was so mean to you and Daddy and everyone…"

"Which is normal for someone who's been hurt as badly as you."

She pulled away just enough to meet his eyes. She looked confused. "I didn't get hurt; Mama was hurt."

Clint shook his head. "You may not have been hurt like her, but you're still sad, and in pain. Your feelings got hurt." Really, it was much, _much _more than that, but she was a six year old, after all. "You're scared and upset and don't know who to trust right now. And that's okay. We're all here for you to help you feel better."

Nodding, Maggie laid her head back against Clint's chest. She felt safe in his embrace, a sharp contrast from her behavior around him just one day prior. "Did Mama tell you what happened?"

Clint inhaled and exhaled slowly at that. He had gotten the story from the spy in bits and pieces; they had yet to have a time when the team could properly gather and de-brief about what happened in full detail, as Maggie was Steve and Natasha's top priority - and rightfully so. No one dared argue against that, nor did anyone actually oppose them on it.

"Yeah, I got the jist of it." He answered vaguely. He wondered what Maggie would do with that answer.

Apparently, she was feeling chatty that night. "When the bad guys came... Mama made me hide under the bed, and then she locked the door so no one could get in. But, then, the baddest guy came in through the window, and he was talking to himself. It was scary." She continued to stare at the wall across the room, the left side of her head pressed up against Clint's chest.

"He talked to himself?" Clint couldn't help but inquire.

"Yeah. In Russian. I understood some of what he was saying, since Mama speaks to me in it sometimes, but he said some weird things." She tightened her grip around Clint's torso, and he returned the gesture.

"Did you know who the baddest guy was?" Of course Clint knew who it was, but he was curious who Maggie perceived him to be.

"His name was Alexei, or something. I heard Mama say it once." Maggie said the name with the slightest hint of venom and contempt in her voice. Clint silently despaired for the loss of some of Maggie's innocence.

He also tensed up at the name, knowing all too well just who the character was. He was immediately jealous that Bucky got to be the one to take him out. Damn.

"After he saw me, he grabbed me, and took me out to the living room. Then the bad guy that Mama was fighting pushed her down on the ground, and didn't let her get up..." Maggie's voice trailed off, and she sat up straight, wearing a pensive expression on her face.

"Maggie? It's okay, you don't have to keep going." Clint didn't ask for this explanation, nor would he in a million years. But if it somehow helped her cope, then she was free to continue as she pleased.

"I don't really remember what happened next." Maggie admitted, looking up at him in confusion.

"That happens to people sometimes after they go through a scary experience." Clint explained.

Maggie didn't indicate any sign that she had actually heard Clint, but he knew she did, as she turned her gaze away from him. "All I remember after that is Mama getting hurt by the gun. Twice." She shuddered at the memory. "And then we jumped out a window and the house blew up. Then Mama..."

This was the most painful part, Clint knew, as it was the scariest. He pulled her tighter against him as her eyes momentarily took on the distant, blank look.

"You can stop now, Mags."

She looked at Clint with wide eyes. "Mama wouldn't stop bleeding. I tried to help her."

"Maggie, it's okay-"

"There was so much blood! And I... I couldn't stop it..."

"Mags, your mom is perfectly fine now; you helped save her life."

"And then Alexei came back, and he tried to take me."

"But he didn't, and that's what matters now." Clint asserted, laying his head on hers. "It's over now."

Maggie nodded against his head, and leaned more against him. "I just wish they didn't scare me when I sleep." She replied sadly.

"I wish they would stop that, too." Clint murmured, rubbing her arm. "But that's where me, your mom, your dad, and everyone else come in. We're always ready to help you feel better if you get scared by a really bad dream."

Maggie gave a small smile. "Okay."

A few seconds passed, before Maggie innocently asked, "Does this mean we can be best friends again? I don't like it when we're not."

Clint lifted his head, and met her eyes with a puzzled expression. "When did we stop being best friends?" He raised an eyebrow.

"I thought we did because we stopped talking." Maggie answered as if it were common sense.

"Maggie, I promise you, just because we stop talking, doesn't mean we aren't best friends. Sometimes, friends just need a break from each other, or they don't feel good and need to take some time to themselves. That doesn't mean they don't love each other anymore." Clint explained. "You just needed some time to get back in the swing of things, as did the rest of us. Nothing's changed."

Well, that was a bit of a stretch. _Everything _had changed. But that didn't have to include Maggie and Clint's relationship being completely discarded.

Maggie seemed to accept that answer. "So, we're good?"

"We're good." Clint agreed with a hopeful smile on his face. Things were starting to turn up.

* * *

The next morning - well, _afternoon, _technically, because of all their late night troubles - was different. Instead of Natasha and Maggie sticking together for every waking moment, Maggie actually spent some time with Clint, and even Pepper, getting some quality godparent bonding time in, while Natasha relaxed alone for most of the day. This was the result of both Maggie and Clint's talk the previous night, and Natasha being too traumatized by her nightmare to even come close to properly functioning. Steve just observed both females from the sidelines, noting how the tables seemed to have turned.

"You just try to get some sleep now, Mags. I've got you." Clint had promised after Maggie propped a pillow up against his lap and lied down with a huge yawn. This was far from the first time he had been used as a cushion for someone (read: a certain redheaded child), so he didn't find it uncomfortable.

"Sweet dreams, Maggie." Pepper had murmured as she placed a gentle kiss to Maggie's forehead. The redhead had been out like a light in less than a few minutes.

Now, Pepper was watching the sight of the seemingly peaceful slumber from the other couch with a sappy grin on her face. "You guys look really cute."

Clint just rolled his eyes, but he was wearing an equally content and silly expression. "Yeah, yeah, blackmail material and all that. Whatever. I'm just glad someone thinks I'm comfortable enough to use as a pillow."

Pepper just chuckled, leaning back and relaxing. As Maggie shifted in her sleep, Pepper saw a long strand of the wavy red hair she always associated with Natasha poke out from under the blanket and hang off the side of the couch. Pepper's face grew more serious and worried as she thought of their mutual best friend. "How's Natasha doing today?"

Clint's jaw tightened, and he slowly sat up straighter, ever mindful of the sleeping child lying against him. "I'm not exactly sure, to be honest… I haven't talked to her much besides when we all finally went to bed late last night. She had an awful nightmare, though; it must have been really bad if it discouraged her from hanging out with us all together, especially with Maggie out here."

Pepper nodded, comprehending the information. "That, unfortunately, would make sense. I've barely seen her all day, except right after you guys all got up."

Before the two godparents could continue, Steve walked into the room. This wasn't unusual; he had been hovering between his two girls all day, clearly worried about both of them for acting so unconventionally all of a sudden.

"Hey, Cap. We got her down." Clint announced softly, gesturing down to Maggie's head half in his lap.

"Hopefully this nap won't result with her staying up all night." Pepper commented.

"Well, if she does, at least we know she'll have your boyfriend to party with. Mr. Insomnia." Clint joked. Pepper glared.

Steve stopped by the side of the couch Clint and Maggie were occupying. "Thanks, guys. I really appreciate it."

Clint nodded. "No problem-o." He glanced back down at Maggie momentarily.

"How's Natasha?" Pepper inquired. "I've barely spoken to her all day; I'm surprised Maggie isn't with her."

"She's… Coping." Steve settled on. "I think both she and Maggie just needed some time, separately, to recover."

"Understandable." Pepper nodded.

"How bad was Tasha's dream last night?" Clint tilted his head to one side. "It took you a while to coax her into coming back into the bedroom."

Steve thought for a moment. Years before, none of them would share any details about their demons, fears, and nightmares with each other. But as they all grew closer and started operating as a family, the heroes began reaching out to each other and opening up more and more. Now, it wasn't as big of a deal to discuss these types of things, but Natasha's case was a special one. Her dreams had always been bad, but never _this _bad. "It shook her up pretty badly." He said vaguely.

"We got that part." Clint pushed. "How is she _really?" _

To be honest, Steve didn't really know. Natasha still refused to tell him what happened in her nightmare.

Both Clint and Pepper were able to pick up on this from his expression.

"I imagine this has something to do with how nervous Maggie seemed to make her last night when you guys came back." Clint observed.

Pepper was immediately confused by that statement. "What?"

"When they came back last night, Tasha was still really on edge. Not even seeing Maggie calmed her down like we would all think it would. In fact, Maggie seemed to have the opposite effect on her." Clint explained.

Steve sighed. "I have no idea what she dreamed last night; she won't open up to me about it. I know about just as much as you do."

Maggie let out a small noise in her sleep as she shifted again. Clint hesitated in draping an arm around her; would the contact trigger another traumatic memory? Hell if he knew.

Pepper observed the subtle exchange with a concerned expression. "Well, we might need Natasha back soon…"

* * *

"I want Mama."

"I know you do. I promise, we're going there now." Steve murmured as he held a shaking Maggie in his arms. As they had all expected, she woke up from a nightmare, and immediately requested her mother. He walked them out of the communal room, leaving a pair of worried godparents behind.

"I haven't seen her all day, Daddy! Is she okay?" Maggie sounded extremely concerned, as she seemed to have pick up on Natasha's weird behavior as well. Sometimes she was just too perceptive for her own age, Steve silently swore.

How should he explain this? Perhaps a bit of honesty wouldn't hurt… "She had a really bad dream last night, like the ones you've been having. She's just been resting all day." He didn't want to say Natasha was sad or anything, as it might make Maggie feel guilty for not being there for her.

As they entered the bedroom, Steve noticed Natasha dozing. He tried to enter quietly, but she was still a spy, of course. Her eyes immediately snapped open and she sat up in a defensive position.

"Whoa, it's just us, Nat." Steve slowly approached the bed. "Didn't mean to wake you."

It took a moment, but Natasha then realized who was there, and relaxed. When Maggie made eye contact with her, though, the spy purposely averted her own gaze. Steve noticed this immediately. "I was just resting my eyes." Natasha insisted lamely.

"Mama, Daddy said you had a bad dream." Maggie spoke up as Steve set her down on the bed, next to her mother. "Are you okay?"

Natasha hesitated, trying to steel herself, as she made brief eye contact with Maggie's innocent, concerned gaze. "Yeah, I'm fine…"

"Did the bad guys hurt you in your dream? They always hurt you in mine." Maggie deflated sadly, probably thinking of her most recent nightmare. Steve decided to just watch the two interact from a distance, so it may give him some insight on to what was going on with Natasha.

Natasha froze up at the question, and she paused. She couldn't lie to Maggie; yet, at the same time, she was definitely _not _going to tell the exact truth. "Not exactly."

Maggie tilted her head to one side curiously. "What did you dream about?"

"Um…" Natasha struggled to find the right words. Steve could tell how uncomfortable she was; he silently decided he would intervene if tensions rose too high.

"In my dream," Natasha finally found her voice, though she was still looking down at her awful, awful hands, "the bad guys took you away."

Well, it wasn't a _lie_, but it definitely was not the truth, either.

"Oh. Well, I'm right here! I promise!" Maggie sounded somewhat enthusiastic, surprising both Avengers in the room, as she crawled into Natasha's lap for a hug.

Natasha tensed up at the contact, reminding Steve of how Maggie had been for the longest time.

"I'm safe now." Maggie was probably just copying the comforting words Natasha had spoken to her on many occasions, but her voice was still full of reassurance and comfort.

"I know…" Natasha murmured, stiffly wrapping her arms around Maggie and staring off into the distance. She was there, but not really _there_. It frightened Steve.

* * *

Later that night, long after Steve and Maggie had both passed out, Natasha found herself restless and just staring at Maggie's content, sleeping expression. It appeared she might be having a pretty decent night, but Natasha didn't want to jinx her daughter's luck.

But one question lingered on the spy's mind, and she found herself whispering the words out loud. "How are you able to trust me so much?"

That had been a question occupying Natasha's mind for a long, _long _time, and the events of a few weeks ago had just amplified it.

If Natasha were being honest with herself, she realized, her dream actually hadn't been the most farfetched thing yet. In that moment, she remembered the original thoughts she had buried long ago: back when she first found out she was pregnant.

In the time between seeing the positive pregnancy tests and actually visiting a doctor, Natasha had considered abortion. She had mentioned it briefly to Steve, and left the matter up in the air with no definite answer for a short period of time. After her appointment confirmed she was pregnant, she had assured Steve that she wouldn't abort the baby.

But, even then, the temptation had remained in her mind. How easily she could have gone in without him knowing and have it done, then try and pass it off as a miscarriage to him. She could have done it.

But she didn't. And, if she were being even more honest with herself, she had no idea why.

It wasn't that she regretted her decision - never would she regret having Maggie. No, it was something different. Somewhere in that period of her pregnancy, before she started to actually feel somewhat _excited _at the thought of it, something changed. But what?

Was it the elation on Steve's face every time he brought up the topic of being parents? Or the fact that she was proving what the Red Room had told her to be all wrong? Had Maggie somehow managed to play mind games with her - like she does sometimes now, which is both annoying and amusing - from _inside _the womb? Or had Natasha unconsciously decided at some point that she could actually do this whole parenting thing?

Whatever it was, it didn't change the fact that there was an already existing guilt in Natasha before the Red Room attacked. She had been feeling guilty of being a bad mother all along, now that she had gotten to know and love Maggie.

Thus brought Natasha back to her original question. How exactly _was _Maggie able to trust her so much all the time? Especially after revealing her true past, Maggie had every right to cut Natasha out of her life. But she didn't.

"Mama..." Maggie's sleep-filled voice pulled Natasha out of her thoughts, as the six year old shifted closer to the spy. Was this girl freaking psychic or something?

Natasha just placed a gentle hand on Maggie's cheek, and softly caressed it with her thumb. The soft gesture caused Maggie's expression to relax, and even form the slightest hint of a smile. It caused Natasha to smile in return.

"I'm right here, Любимая моя. I'm right here." She whispered, as she leaned over and placed a tender kiss to Maggie's forehead.

Said action caused Natasha to be trapped, as Maggie immediately caught her mother in her arms, wrapping them around the spy's neck. Maggie leaned her head against Natasha's chest with a content sigh.

The gesture caught Natasha off guard, but provided some comfort nonetheless. Maybe it didn't matter what she thought; maybe she just needed to turn her fast-paced brain off for a while, and let Maggie remain in control.

Maggie needed her mother. Any and all self-loathing feelings inside Natasha aside, that was what really mattered in the end, and especially in the present moment of recovery. Maggie needed Natasha, just as Natasha needed Maggie. Even if one felt as if they had failed the other, the strong bond formed between mother and daughter could not be destroyed over something so far off in the past. Not only would that be a complete waste, but it would only hurt each redhead more.

With that in mind, Natasha finally drifted off to sleep, hopeful for their future ahead.

* * *

**A/N: **Awkward ending is awkward... Sorry, guys, this one just got away from me a bit, haha. The last bit with Natasha was rough, because at first it sounded like some long-winded pro-life spiel, which I'm sure would have annoyed all of you guys as it did me when I dug this chapter up. I must have been in a big baby mood when I was writing this way back when! Anyway, don't think that I'm trying to bag on peeps who've had abortions and whatnot before; I just thought with Natasha's character, feeling guilty for considering it wouldn't be too far of a stretch for her character.

Also, the Russian term Natasha uses at the end... I don't _actually _remember what it means? I believe it meant something like "my love," or something of the sort. According to Google Translate, it means "my favorite," which I find kind of really hilarious. XD


	41. Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own

**A/N: **Well, as if you guys needed more Natasha and Maggie angsty fluff, here's more, oops.

I didn't mean to make this entire fic a mother-daughter centric one, I swear! Eep! Steve will get some love soon enough.

I've been sitting on this one for a while now, having originally written it under the influence of the soundtrack from _The Fault in Our Stars. _I just really love that thing, gosh dang.

As usual, thanks for all the faves, follows, and reviews! If I could, I'd give you all a slice of my sister's birthday cake, but, alas, cake can't travel digitally. :0

* * *

One thing the Avengers all had to adapt to upon the arrival of a child was improving their mental health.

They were all traumatized, and they all suffered from awful nightmares and panic attacks triggered by bad missions or experiences. As a result, just about everyone had spent time sobbing in everyone's arms countless times.

Steve comforted Tony, Clint comforted Thor, Bruce comforted Clint, Tony comforted Natasha, Natasha comforted Thor, Thor comforted Steve - it just got to the point where everyone got so close to each other individually, that the boundaries between them as a group faded.

Coulson had called it team bonding, while Hill had predicted an armageddon type-day where one Avenger would fall and ultimately bring the rest down with them. Where one went, the other five followed.

So, when they all returned home from a mission, and Natasha locked herself away behind closed doors immediately upon their arrival - an old habit that still had yet to be completely broken - ten year old Maggie found herself loyally sitting outside her mother's door the entire time, waiting for her to come out.

"I'm sorry, Maggie. You can't go in there," Steve had apologized to her softly when everyone returned home and Natasha isolated herself, "Mama doesn't feel well after the mission."

"Is she sick?" Maggie didn't understand. When Natasha was injured before, sure, Maggie would have to keep her distance for an hour or two while her mother was patched up in the medical wing, but then she would get to see her. So, if Maggie couldn't see her at all this time, that must have meant Natasha wasn't physically hurt, but sick and contagious, perhaps.

But Steve shook his head, disproving Maggie's idea. "No, no, she isn't sick. She just feels really bad."

Maggie still looked unsure, so Steve racked his brain for a way to explain the concept of post traumatic stress disorder and depression and self-deprecation and _holy shit, how do you explain so much guilt to a ten year old? _

"Do you know how sometimes you get scared of fires again because of that time when you were six?"

He really hated bringing that time up. He really did. But he saw no other way of how to explain it to her.

As expected, Maggie visibly tensed at the mention, as she nodded silently with wide eyes.

"It's like that, except when Mama gets scared like that, she wants to be alone." Steve quickly resumed his explanation before either of them had to think about the Red Room again.

"But, Daddy, I thought you said when I feel bad, I should talk to someone about my feelings." Maggie questioned him suspiciously, wearing a very Natasha-like expression of doubt. On a normal day, Steve would have laughed.

"You should. But Mama's different. She doesn't know how to do that yet. Not like you do." Steve poked her side, eliciting a small giggle from her. "She's still learning how to talk to people about her feelings."

"But she's an adult!"

"Adults are still learning just like you are, Maggie. Believe me."

Steve spoke from experience, that was for sure.

After that conversation, Maggie waited outside Natasha's door, expecting her mother to only take half an hour or so. Or, at least, not much longer than she would if she were in the infirmary getting stitches or big band-aids.

"Mama? Are you still in there?" Maggie finally asked after an hour had passed by. She bent down on her hands and knees, trying to see through the crack between the door and the floor.

She didn't know where her dad was, but he had said she would be okay alone for a while. What Maggie didn't know was that was because the rest of the Avengers were all stalking a live feed of the normally unoccupied bedroom, and that Clint was in the air vents keeping watch himself.

Natasha didn't reply, so Maggie just huffed and resumed her spot on the opposite wall, sitting there and watching the door intently. She thought maybe if she stared hard enough, Natasha, who had claimed to have a sixth sense and eyes in the back of her head, would emerge.

But nothing happened.

* * *

At first, Steve was going to intervene when Maggie started to up her activity and volume level, playing loud music and singing along while dancing crazily. Maggie argued that Natasha would just have to come out and fix her improper dancing form herself.

But, after further thought, Steve let Maggie be. For one, she was just as stubborn and hellbent with just about everything she did, just like Natasha, so he knew it would be an uphill battle for him. (Though, Natasha had argued that Maggie's stubbornness was from Steve, which he actively denied.)

As for his other reasoning, he thought Maggie's insistence may help draw Natasha out of the room. Natasha had a bad panic attack on the mission after they found some children who had been caught in the crossfire. Images from her past haunted her, many of which included having children as targets.

Then, of course, there was was the aforementioned Red Room incident with Maggie, which only made things much, much worse. Maggie bounced back fairly quickly from the event compared to Natasha, who really was never the same again afterward. No matter how tough of a front she presented, everyone else could tell she was permanently scarred from the experience.

Natasha had stuck close with Steve on the way home after the mission, but after realizing Maggie was most definitely going to be there to tackle her to the ground upon arrival, she panicked again. After feeling like she had failed to protect innocent children, she couldn't bear being around Maggie when there were other parents out there grieving the loss of their children, whom Natasha had failed to save.

Everyone else had argued against her feelings, reminding her it wasn't her fault, that Maggie would always think of Natasha as a hero, that there was nothing different they could've done. But the spy just shrugged them off and sneaked off to a vacant bedroom when no one was looking.

* * *

Hearing Maggie outside was both unsettling and comforting at the same time for Natasha. She had heard the entire conversation between the girl and the super soldier, explaining why Natasha couldn't come play yet, and had fully expected Maggie to be disappointed.

Instead, the kid just made sure it was impossible to _not _know of her presence. With the loud music and the pounding of her feet against the floor from poor dancing and questionable singing, also accompanied by the occasional notes and drawings passed through the space under the door, Maggie made sure Natasha knew that she was definitely there.

Even after hours passed, and she had heard the different voices of other Avengers as they had walked by to check in with Maggie, who had declared to each of them that she was on guard duty because, "Mama protects me, so now _I'm _protecting her!"

(Natasha was definitely not emotional by her daughter's words, no, of course not, that's ridiculous.)

They accepted her reasoning and encouraged her to continue, going on about how they entrusted her with the very important task, and constantly brought along snacks for her and more things to distract Natasha with.

She figured after five hours that the others had thought this would help her recover quicker, and she had to admit that they were definitely right. Maggie was making her feel a little bit better, which she considered to be progress.

* * *

"Mama, this is just like when we used to play _Frozen_! When I would be Anna, and you would be Elsa. Or sometimes I would be Elsa, and you would be Anna." Maggie spoke nostalgically through the door, placing her hands against it with a sigh of contentment. "I actually always liked being Elsa more, even though I like Anna more, because I like it when you sing to me."

Memories of Natasha lulling her to sleep with songs and lullabies and comforting words instantly made Maggie feel better. She wondered if doing the same for Natasha for the past few hours helped in the same way.

She voiced her sentiment. "I'm not as good at singing as you, but I hope my singing made you feel better. Just thinking of you singing makes _me _feel better."

Maggie had surprised everyone, especially her notoriously emotionless mother and compassionate father, by her empathy. From the time she was little, she sometimes mirrored the others' emotions without anyone, including herself, understanding why she would suddenly feel upset or sad. It was strange, and the others worried it would lead to her, in her young age, developing the mature, complex emotions the adults all experienced way too often for their own health and sanity.

So, it made sense why Maggie was feeling really sad the entire day, while sitting just outside Natasha's door.

* * *

Around 10:00 PM that night, Maggie started to quiet down. Natasha figured that Steve would probably take her back to their room for some father-daughter cuddling before bed, but instead, she heard Steve stop in his tracks next to Maggie and make a different call.

"Ready for bed?"

When Maggie looked up at her approaching father through her droopy eyes, she saw he was holding a huge pile of blankets and pillows. She tilted her head in confusion as he set the large cluster down beside her.

"Are we sleeping here?" She yawned.

"Yep. I figured you wouldn't want to leave Mama alone, and I don't want to leave Mama alone, either." He explained as he laid out a few of the blankets, trying to make the hard floor as soft as possible. Maggie nodded sleepily.

"When I'm scared, I don't like being alone. Do we still have to stay outside?"

"It's probably best. Mama will let us in when she's ready." Steve answered as he helped her to her feet "Ready to change into your jammies?"

With a yawn and a nod, she sauntered off to the bathroom just down the hall to take care of her nightly hygienic routine, trusting Steve to take over guard duty for a few minutes.

As he finished setting things up on the floor, he leaned in close to the door. "Hey, Nat, I'm assuming you're not asleep yet, but just so you know, we're sleeping right out here. So if you need anything, just let us know."

There was no reply, but on the other side of the door, Natasha found herself nodding silently, even though she knew Steve couldn't see.

Things always got worse as the feelings were amplified for her at night. She sighed as she lied back on the bed, knowing a restless night of bad memories and nightmares was waiting for her.

She would much prefer to be sandwiched by her way-too-cuddley daughter and the living human furnace that was Steve. But she wasn't ready to see Maggie, not yet. Just the thought of it made her feel sick to her stomach with anxiety.

When Maggie returned to Steve, she asked if there was any change. He told her no, but that he told Natasha to come get them if she needed anything. Maggie approved of her father's actions with sleepy praise.

JARVIS dimmed the lights for them in the hallway, but not all the way off. Steve made sure to put nightlights in all the power outlets, and left the bathroom light on. Natasha also made sure to keep some form of light on coming from her room under the door. Maternal instinct.

"Daddy? Will you tell me a story?" Maggie yawned as she curled up next to her father, who wrapped his strong arms around her.

Steve smiled at her drowsiness. "Sure, kiddo. Any preferences or requests?"

"One about you and Mama, please." Maggie asked tiredly, yet politely, and Steve kissed her temple softly.

"Hm, alright." Steve thought for a few moments before thinking of a story. "One time, we went on this mission in California, because some HYDRA goons were hanging out around Disneyland."

Natasha, having moved away from the bed and now sitting against the door to listen to Steve's story, smirked. She knew what mission he was talking about, even though Disneyland was not involved at all. Just because the mission happened near Anaheim, California, apparently that meant Mickey Mouse was in jeopardy.

Maggie's audible gasp could be heard through the door, which amused Natasha even more. She sounded heartbroken by the idea that someone would try to take out her favorite characters.

* * *

Natasha had been right about the nightmares being bad. She tossed and turned for hours, not able to get more than what felt like thirty seconds of sleep at a time.

She got way less sleep while on the bed, so she eventually found herself on the floor with nothing but a blanket and pillow just next to the door, feeling safer now that she was near her family.

The restlessness still continued, however, and during one of her periods of consciousness, she heard some rustling outside and a faint voice talking in a whisper. Forcing herself up to a seated position, Natasha squinted at the door, disoriented from her less than satisfactory sleep, and strained her ears to hear what was going on.

She heard Maggie's voice, but as to what she was saying, she wasn't sure. Something about dreams, and how the floor was uncomfortable, and she was hungry, and she wanted Mama. Natasha silently chuckled to herself; Maggie could play the role of a demanding child pretty well from time to time.

So, Natasha heard Steve sigh and what sounded like some major repositioning and shifting, and figured Maggie would now be using Steve as a pillow if she hadn't been already. He murmured something about another story next, and Maggie sounded more pleased and promised she would go back to sleep.

Natasha shook her head in amusement as she decided she would try doing the same as Maggie. Her eyes fluttered closed as her head hit the pillow again.

* * *

Steve woke up to it still being dark outside, and he sighed. He just wanted the morning to come, because he figured Natasha may emerge from the room as the sun emerged from the horizon.

But, he realized what had woken him up wasn't Maggie; it was someone adding to their little dog pile.

He quickly closed his eyes again to pretend he was sleeping, as he felt the blankets lift up momentarily before coming back down. With it came a hand bringing a soft touch, the owner of the appendage wrapping her arm around both his and Maggie's torsos.

Maggie was still asleep, but he noticed how she instinctively shifted away just the slightest bit when the newcomer settled. He figured even in her sleep, Maggie craved physical contact with Natasha. It would make sense, considering the two redheads' long history of co-sleeping.

Steve heard Natasha give an audible sigh of relief as she finally settled, one hand resting on his side and the other he assumed tangled up somewhere between them. Probably carding through Maggie's hair, or something of the like.

He started drifting off again, unable to hide the sappy smile from his face. Natasha was reaching out; she took a huge step. He knew it wouldn't be long now until her habit of locking herself up after bad missions would be gone for good.

His last thought before sleep took over was a bit off-topic:

Just how sore would they all be for sleeping in the middle of the hallway practically on top of each other all night?

* * *

When Maggie woke up, she found herself trapped by a tangle of limbs. She was able to free one hand to rub at her exhausted eyes, and looked between her two parents.

It took her a minute, but when she realized that Natasha was with them, she was overjoyed. She fought her way through her parents' arms and sat up quickly, ignoring how sore her neck and back were. It wasn't like she had anything to do that day, anyway, so she could just lie down on the couch all day to recover.

Her movement jostled both Avengers, who woke up moments after Maggie broke free from their hold. Maggie immediately crawled on top of Natasha, sitting on her mother's torso with her face in Natasha's. "Mama, do you feel better?"

Natasha couldn't help but smile at Maggie's optimistic voice, despite the ungodly hour it must have been. At least there was sunlight streaming in through the windows, she observed, so it couldn't be _too _early.

"Yes, Лапушка, I do." She confirmed warmly with a small yawn, then meeting the bright eyes of her daughter. "Thank you."

Maggie straightened up, backing out of Natasha's face, but still sitting on top of her midsection. "I'm glad you're okay now; Daddy said you were really sad yesterday, so I was sad, too." She explained.

"I'm sorry I made you sad, Maggie." Natasha murmured softly as looked at her apologetically.

"That's okay, everyone feels sad sometimes." Maggie shrugged nonchalantly, still holding a light expression.

Steve had decided to watch and observe the interaction quietly; he knew Natasha would need this closure to fully get past the events of the day before. So, he sat patiently on the sidelines, waiting and watching.

Natasha poked Maggie's sides a few times, knowing just the right spots to tickle her. Maggie jerked at the action, trying to escape as she giggled. "Can I get up now?"

"Okay, okay, stop tickling me!" Maggie laughed, scooting off of Natasha to allow her to sit up.

Finally able to stretch out her sore limbs, Natasha sat up with a content sigh. Maggie now sat on the floor beside her, looking up at her mother expectantly.

"Why were you sad, Mama?"

Natasha didn't really know how to answer, as she brought her arms back down to her sides. She pursed her lips for a moment, trying to come up with some sort of kid-friendly explanation. "The mission made me think of something sad that happened to me a long time ago. That's all."

But it only made Maggie more curious. Tilting her head to the side, she inquired further. "What happened?"

"Maggie…" Steve's voice took on a warning tone as he intervened before Natasha could become upset again.

"What?" Maggie turned to look back at him, her expression challenging his.

"It's okay." Natasha interjected softly, prompting both pairs of soft blue eyes to look back up at her. "I feel better now."

Steve looked unsure, but didn't say anything. Maggie crawled onto Natasha's lap as her mother gestured for her to come. The spy hugged the ten year old tightly before explaining a little bit.

"You know I used to be a bad guy, Лапушка. Well, while we were on our mission yesterday, some people got really hurt and it made me think of all the bad things I did a long time ago, so I felt really sad." The explanation was maybe too simple, but it was both guarded and vulnerable enough that Maggie would take away the truth behind it, at least.

And she did. "Oh. Well, you're a good guy, now, and you save a lot of people. You don't have to be sad anymore."

"You're right, Maggie." Natasha murmured softly, running a hand through Maggie's long hair. "You're absolutely right."

As Maggie snuggled into Natasha's torso, Steve scooted closer and pressed a light kiss to Natasha's forehead. Natasha had taken a major step out of her comfort zone, and he was proud of her.

She expressed the same pride in the small smile she gave him in return.

* * *

**A/N: **Hope this one went well! I'm being rushed out of my house right now, so I couldn't completely finish proofreading. Hope you all enjoyed! :)


	42. Guardian Angel

**A/N: **So, this is a Steve and Maggie centric one. Haven't had one of those in a while. I wasn't sure when I would post this, but, omfg I have to post this one now.

Long story short, I got into a car crash today. I am perfectly fine, aside from a sore back as I type this, but my car might be totaled for good. The reason why this is relevant because I recited the prayer that is the main plot device in this chapter while I was driving, because I'm horrible with directions and was driving up to my best friend's house for the first time alone. My air bags didn't go off and I closed my eyes and braced myself - but I opened them to find myself perfectly fine.

This oneshot is also important to me, because said best friend (who also prompted the licking oneshot last month) was really there for me today. I was super close to her house when it happened, so while my parents drove up (we live kinda far away), they called my best friend's mom, so they came and waited with me and helped me go through the police officer part. Looking back on it now, I lightweight feel like I was on an episode of _Criminal Minds_, so that's kinda cool!

Anyway, my best friend beta'd this for me (cuz she's been begging and begging to beta for me), so this one is pretty special and sentimental to me now! Hope you guys don't mind the religious theme in it, but I kept it as real and on the downlow as possible. Enjoy, and, as always, thanks for the faves, and follows, and reviews, oh my!

* * *

"Can we go to the park? Pleeeaaase?"

Steve groaned as Maggie jumped onto his lap with an excited expression. She placed both hands on his shoulders as she steadied herself to stand on his thighs, only a few inches away from his face.

"I'll be good, I swear!"

Despite the discomfort, Steve let out a small laugh at her promise. He wrapped his hands around her waist so she didn't fall over. "Since you asked nicely, we can go. Thank you very much for being so polite."

Maggie beamed in response, and he lifted her up as he transitioned from a sitting position to standing. Setting the three year old on his hip, he walked her to her room get ready.

Getting dressed and ready to tackle the day with a toddler was tedious for Steve. Natasha had gotten pretty good at keeping Maggie on task, but with Steve, Maggie enjoyed stopping between each short step of the process to play or run around. Ever since she could run, he couldn't keep track of the number of instances a barely-clothed Maggie would prematurely dart out of the room under his watch.

For once, it took them only half an hour before Maggie was dressed and had shoes on. Steve packed a small backpack with snacks and water, which Maggie immediately decided she wanted to carry.

"I'm 'spons'ble!" She declared as Steve guided her arms through the straps.

He silently wondered how long she would last before complaining about the weight and dumping the bag on his shoulders. "Yes, you are. I'm proud of you for being such a big girl."

Maggie nodded, determined. "I _am _a big girl, Daddy!"

Even at age three, Maggie had such a driven personality that occasionally intimidated Steve. Coulson had admitted to having the same concerns, and had implied she may be a sociopath, based on her mischievous endeavors around the Triskelion. Tony just thought she was the spawn of Satan himself, which Natasha usually replied to with a glare and threat, if not some sort of actual physical harm.

With that memory lingering in his mind as Maggie reached up to grab the (thankfully child-proofed) doorknob, Steve quickly stopped her. "Wait, don't you remember what we do before we go play outside?"

Maggie looked back at him, puzzled for a moment, as he crouched down to her height, but then her face lit up with realization. "We hafta pray! Right?"

"Right." Steve nodded. "Do you remember the words?"

"Can you help me say it?" Maggie asked instead of answering directly. "I like to say it with you."

Steve couldn't resist her innocent eyes boring into his, pleading for his assistance. He complied with a warm expression. "Alright.

"In the name of the Father," He gently guided her right hand to her forehead, "And of the Son," Maggie remembered this part, but held onto Steve's hand as she brought hers back down to her chest, "And of the Holy Spirit." This was the hardest part, often leaving Maggie confused, so Steve again guided her hand, this time from her left shoulder to her right.

He crossed his arms over his chest, and waited for Maggie to do the same. "Angel of God," He prompted her softly.

"Angel of God, my Guardian Dear," Maggie recited slowly with Steve, though it came out as more of a jumble from her mouth compared to Steve's, "To whom God's love entrusts me here. Ever this day, be at my side, to light, to guard, to rule, and to guide. Amen."

After helping her with the Sign of the Cross once more, Steve kissed Maggie's temple with a proud smile. He hadn't planned on raising Maggie as Catholic since he himself had fallen out of practice, and considering Natasha wasn't really religious at all, but after enduring too many life-or-death situations to count, Steve found the idea of reaching out to a guardian angel quite comforting.

So, he got in the habit of murmuring the short and simple prayer to himself before missions. And before he knew it, he got Maggie into the habit of reciting it with him before going out to play, too.

Though he had never talked to Natasha about it, he knew that she probably knew since, well, she was Natasha. And he also figured she probably wouldn't mind, anyway.

"Can we go now?" Maggie looked up at him expectantly as he stood back up.

Grabbing his keys and opening the door for her, he let her walk out before him, ever the gentleman. "Yes, Ma'am."

* * *

"Angel of God, my Guardian Dear…"

Steve smiled nostalgically as Maggie, now eight years old, prayed their short, traditional prayer before walking away from Steve's side for her first day of third grade. This experience was, by no means, anything new for the duo, but Natasha was absent due to a midnight call into S.H.I.E.L.D. the night before.

Natasha played a big role in assuring Maggie the new, upcoming school year would be fine and great, and that she had nothing to worry about. She had a calming presence with everyone, really, that left Maggie feeling a bit more anxious in her absence.

"Amen." Maggie looked up at Steve, appearing slightly relaxed and less anxious. "Do you think she'll be with me today?"

Steve raised an eyebrow, confused by the sudden, unprompted inquiry. "Who? Mama?"

"No, my guardian angel! Duh!" Maggie answered playfully, as if it were obvious.

"She's always with you, Mags." Steve replied earnestly, giving the hand he was holding a gentle squeeze. He wasn't sure when Maggie had assigned an identity, with a gender, to the spirit she had come to believe to be by her side over the years through their prayer, but he didn't press her on it. The idea of a constant spirit watching over him reassured Steve on a daily basis, so if the same concept brought comfort to Maggie, he wasn't going to jeopardize it by inquiring too deeply about it.

"She has a name." Maggie informed him confidently, and he blinked in surprise.

"Really?"

"Yep! But it's a secret, so I can't tell you." Her eyes shone with a glint of mischief. "And I bet you're never gonna guess it."

_Typical_, Steve thought with a smirk as he bent down to give her a hug and kiss, murmuring against her hair how proud he was of her, and that she would be the best third grader the school had ever seen.

With that, Maggie felt much better and turned around with a wave of farewell, dashing off to the open classroom door a few yards away.

* * *

"Angel of God, my Guardian Dear, to whom God's love entrusts me here…"

Maggie wasn't religious, or really a big believer in God. It was simple, and it was final. After seeing so much by the age of twenty-one, she couldn't confidently put faith in a supposed omnipotent being who was supposed to be watching over everyone with love and kindness.

But, upon seeing Steve lying in a hospital bed in the medical wing of the Triskelion after a bad ending to a bad mission, Maggie found herself feeling desperate and alone. He was going to be just fine after he woke up, but it still always scared the hell out of her when her father, the super soldier, wasn't able to walk himself off the scene.

She moved from the uncomfortable plastic chair onto his bed, taking a cautious seat by his feet. Holding one of his limp hands in hers, she found herself reciting the prayer he had taught her all those years ago.

And that's what Steve woke up to: the now matured and deepened voice of his adult daughter. Her voice proved to be very similar to Natasha's, almost to the point where Steve sometimes had moments where he had to do a double-take on who exactly was talking to or near him.

He couldn't help the small smile that appeared on his face as he began to comprehend what Maggie was saying. He immediately recognized it as the prayer. _Their _prayer.

"Maggie." His voice was hoarse from lack of use and his dry throat, but he beamed at her as she paused mid-prayer to turn to him. She was immediately relieved to see him awake and relatively alert.

Standing and bringing a glass of water to his lips for him, Maggie gave a smug smile. "'Morning, Captain Reckless. By the way, Mama told me to tell you she's going to come back later and kill you after you've woken up." She informed him, and he rolled his eyes at the greeting. He was used to receiving threats from his family moments after waking up from a bad injury.

"Not surprised." He shrugged in reply as she returned the glass to the table beside him. Steve then looked at her with a more curious expression. "Were you praying just now?"

Maggie didn't respond at first, feeling like a small child who had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. She had gradually stopped praying with Steve as she got older and thought very little about God, anyway, and they only seemed to have more pressing matters as time passed. Steve never pressured her about it, for which Maggie was thankful.

"I don't like seeing you all beat up in a hospital bed. I felt like I needed some nostalgia." She finally settled for, and Steve gave a slight nod, accepting her answer.

"Understandable."

They paused for a few moments after that. Giving his hand a squeeze, Maggie smiled.

"Maybe we should say it together, again, for old times' sake." She suggested warmly.

Underneath the cuts and bruises littered across his face, Steve also gave a bright smile. "Do you want to lead?"

She shook her head. "I like it when you do."

But the roles were reversed this time around. Steve's arms were weak from his injuries and exhausted muscles, so Maggie found herself pushing his right arm through the motions of the Sign of the Cross for him, just as he had done for her as a child.

Crossing their arms over their chests, they recited the plea for guidance and assistance from their guardian angels. When they finished seconds later, Maggie watched Steve try to perform the Sign of the Cross himself with his stiff muscles, and resisted the urge to laugh at how silly he looked.

Lying back in the bed beside him, Maggie smirked proudly. "I bet you still can't guess what the name of my guardian angel is."

"This again?" Steve sighed. "Since when did guardian angels have names?"

"Since always. Mama told me so." Maggie answered casually.

That surprised Steve. Natasha had always rejected Steve's idea of God, because she couldn't believe that someone so loving would just let humanity destroy itself like it seemed to do every day. It was a sound argument, and Steve knew what it was like to lose faith, but he found he was never able to give up on God altogether.

"Really? What did she say?" Steve inquired, genuinely curious.

"She told me that when I prayed to my guardian angel, the first name that came to my mind would be the name of my guardian angel." Maggie explained.

"Where'd she hear that from?" Steve didn't _not _believe in it, but he really had no idea why Natasha would just have that information ready to offer from her mind.

"I dunno, I was little, so I didn't ask." Maggie shrugged.

Steve made a mental note to bring it up with the spy later. "Can I ask about the name of your guardian angel now, then?"

Maggie pressed her lips together for a few moments, not sure how to answer without turning the lighthearted moment dark. She saw no way to say it besides, well, saying it.

"Peggy." She answered quietly, and Steve quickly turned to face her and ask for more details.

Which turned out to be a bad decision, as he strained his wounded body. Groaning in discomfort, Steve shifted again until he was comfortable, while Maggie stared up at the ceiling, uncharacteristically not reacting to Steve's pain. Normally, she would have lectured him about taking it easy or just laugh at him, but, instead, she lied beside him in quiet thought.

"You're gonna ask why, I just know it. Father-daughter telepathy." Maggie spoke before he could, still gazing at the dull ceiling tiles above them. "It was right after you took me to her grave. I told you there that she was like our guardian angel, so, yeah. My eight year old brain was obsessed with her."

Steve was silent, not sure what to say to Maggie's revelation. He had reached the point where he could think of Peggy Carter and talk about her without feeling the hot sting of tears in his eyes or even the slightest lump in his throat long ago, but Maggie's comment suddenly revived his grief-stricken feelings.

"That's a good name for your guardian angel." He finally replied, his voice quiet to mask the emotions he was suddenly feeling.

"Yeah, well, I like to think that that's 'cause I have the _real deal_ watching over me." Maggie gave a very Natasha-like half-smirk as she cast her eyes back down to meet her father's. "I _do _think Peggy-freaking-Carter is watching over us."

Despite himself, Steve gave a genuine smile - not a sad or regretful one. "I'm sure she is."

He felt lighter, and was now also convinced that 'Peggy-freaking-Carter' was watching over him, too. And Natasha. And the rest of their dysfunctional family.

Maggie looked back at the top of the room again, as if said American legend was hovering there, watching over them, right then. "Like I told you after writing that term paper on her - Peggy Carter is the type of person who's so awesome, like, if she punched me in the face, I would thank her." Her expression was completely earnest, and her voice was wishful.

Now, Steve was having problems keeping his bruised ribs in tact with all his laughing.

* * *

**A/N: **Kinda cheesy, but too cute an idea to pass up! Also, I'm still obsessed with _Agent Carter _to a certain degree so yeah, lol.


	43. The Joke is on You

**A/N: **Happy April Fools' Day, everybody! Though this one shot is very much real, it's definitely all over the place and unusually light. I'm not that good at writing lighthearted fluff/humor without some underlying angst in it, but I figured given the fun nature of the occasion, why not let my writing go completely off the 'serious' or 'realistic' track?

I'll warn you now that I borrowed hella characters from _Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. _here. It seems like most of you follow the show (or at least know the characters) judging by the other times I've included some of the characters for cameo purposes, so this shouldn't be too out there. In the case that you don't know these characters, all you basically need to know is that they're all agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (hence the name of the show). :]

Thanks for all the faves, follows, and reviews! Happy Spring, everyone! (Unless you're in the Southern Hemisphere; then, happy autumn/fall!)

* * *

Phil Coulson frowned as he watched a cautious Bobbi Morse peer around the corner of the hall ahead of him. She looked deeply troubled and worried, as she quickly retracted her head before tiptoeing into full view, turning down the hall toward him slowly and carefully.

"Agent Morse, what exactly are you up to?" Phil questioned her, his expression as light and nonchalant as ever.

The blonde agent looked at him as if he had missed something important. "Do you not know what day it is, Agent Coulson?"

"Uhh, Tuesday?" Phil halfheartedly shrugged in reply.

Bobbi rolled her eyes, straightening up her body to cross her arms over her chest in an exasperated manner. "This is how people _die, _Phil: Ignorance."

Phil opened his arms, as if ready to accept any answer. "Then enlighten me, Bobbi."

Breathing a heavy sigh, Bobbi glanced around them worriedly, before leaning closer and whispering, "It's April first. Also known as, April Fools' Day."

It took a moment, but then realization struck Phil. He, too, then grew cautious, peering around the hall anxiously. "No, it can't be, my calendar said it was March 31st! Do you think they changed it?"

The duo backed up to the wall together, looking around for any signs of foul play or pranks. "Probably. It wouldn't be the first time; they did that to Fitz last year. Poor guy, we almost lost him to them," Bobbi recalled darkly.

Phil cursed under his breath. "My office is as good as dead then. I'm sure if I go in there, I'll be the lost one this year. Have you seen any of them?"

She shook her head, blonde strands of hair from her ponytail swinging with the quick motion. "No. That's why I'm walking carefully… They always know exactly where their targets are and will be at all times during the day; you can't be too careful. Remember how they got Nat last year?"

"Yeah… They got her so bad, she couldn't even ground Maggie afterward," Phil nodded at the memory. "We need to get out of here."

"What's the safest place? I feel like Fury's office is ideal, but he could have let them set up their home base in there, too. Remember three years ago?"

"I remember all of it. Let's try Rogers' office; I don't think he's there right now, so there is no point in leaving a trap in there."

The duo of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents slowly made their way down the corridor, into the elevator, where they quickly requested the office of Captain Steve Rogers. At first, it seemed as if they were free.

Then, the elevator stopped out of nowhere.

"_Welcome, welcome, welcome… To the elevator of death!" _

Yeah, they were trapped.

Phil cursed under his breath. "Skye, let us out."

"_I don't feel like it." _

"That's not a good enough reason," Bobbi remarked.

"_Well, that's not a good enough plea for me to release you!" _

"What have you done with the others?" Phil asked, and the holographic screen beside the doors of the elevator suddenly lit up.

The two agents saw a very irate Maria Hill sitting at her desk, with pen marks all over her face. Upon closer inspection, they realized her face had been signed by four people.

"They got Hill," Bobbi whispered, horrified, to Phil.

"They did," Phil echoed, just as frightened as Bobbi.

"_Agents Coulson and Morse… I'm afraid I've already been compromised." _

Maggie suddenly came into view in the video, as she also pulled an equally annoyed Tony Stark into the frame. She held up their hands, which were linked together by one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s strongest sets of handcuffs.

"_Someone, please, anyone, _help me_!" _Tony's yowl was desperate and pained, causing Maria to roll her eyes and hit him over the head with her freed hand.

"_I'm not going to eat you, Stark," _She said dryly.

"_I don't trust you S.H.I.E.L.D. ruffians; we've established this already!" _

As the two bickered, Maggie beamed at Phil and Bobbi through the screen. _"Look what I did, Uncle Phil! Isn't it great? Bobbi, Uncle Clint says 'hi,' and that he's gonna get you next!" _

"I see, very nice," Phil commented, defeated.

"Hi, Maggie," Bobbi sighed in reply. "Tell your Uncle Clint to please knock it off with all the pranks. And let us go!"

Maggie's eyes darted to the side, implying she was looking up at said archer outside of the frame, who overheard the conversation. _"Never! You know I can't stop pranking once I start." _

"I know; that's what I'm always afraid of with you two," Bobbi groaned. "And what of Skye and May? Where are they? Are they the ones behind this elevator stunt?"

"_Yes, that one can be traced back to me." _Skye's voice filled the small metal room again.

"I'm afraid of where May could have gotten already," Phil admitted. "For all we know, Fury himself may be compromised at this point."

"_Not quite yet, AC, but we're getting there," _Skye practically purred.

Suddenly, the elevator jerked upward, and opened a few moments later. Phil was immediately knocked back by a pair of frantic scientists running from something.

"Damn you, Skye, damn you! I showed you _Paranormal Activity_ years ago! Why are you getting me back for it _now_?!" Fitz squealed as he clung to Phil for dear life.

"Oh, Bobbi, thank God!" Simmons gave Bobbi a tight embrace as she, too, inched away from the elevator doors.

Looking over the two trembling scientists, Bobbi and Phil saw the corridor they had come from was lowly lit, with two figures sauntering toward the elevator.

One was wearing a white sheet over most of her body, with two holes cut out for eyes, waving her arms up and down slowly. Beside her was a smaller person, wrapped in... Toilet paper?

"Are you kidding me? _That's_ what happened to all the toilet paper this morning?!" Bobbi huffed as she pat Simmons' back comfortingly. "You guys took it to turn Maggie into a _mummy_? I needed that, you know!"

"I-I-I'm no-o-ot Ma-a-a-aggie," The figure dragged out, making her vowels long and song-like. "I'm the gho-o-o-ost of Christmas pa-a-a-ast!"

Sharing unamused looks, Phil and Bobbi chorused, "It's April."

"It's not like the ghost of Christmas past doesn't exist outside of the month of December! He must exist for the rest of the year, too," Maggie protested, breaking character as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Simmons straightened up, turning back to look at Maggie and the 'ghost.' "See, Fitz? It's just Maggie, and one of the others. They aren't really spirits."

Fitz gestured to the screen on the side which still displayed Maggie with the handcuffed Maria and Toby. "But, how can Maggie be in two places at once, Jemma?!"

Suddenly, the elevator doors slammed shut, and the four agents felt it resume its normal pace upward.

Meanwhile, Maggie, frowning, looked back at the ghostly figure, who turned the lights in the hall back up with a small remote. The twelve year old pulled the strands of toilet paper off of her face with a sigh. "They made me break character! I'm sorry, May."

Said agent pulled the large sheet over her head, shaking her messy hair out in an attempt to air it out. She smiled as she dropped the sheet to the floor. "It's fine, Maggie. Now, they can just try to figure out how you've master the ability of bi-location."

Maggie grinned and nodded, shaking off the remaining pieces of paper to prepare for the next step of their day of pranks.

* * *

"Damn, it looks like they've already been here," Phil sighed as he led Bobbi and FitzSimmons into Steve's empty office.

Covering the walls were countless printed pictures of Steve Rogers, flustered, standing awkwardly with a pair of American flag-patterned swim trunks on. Phil remembered the pool party at Avengers Tower years prior that led to the event of said picture, and how embarrassed Steve had been by Natasha's choice in swimwear for him.

"Nice pictures of Cap, I must say," Bobbi smirked, looking around.

"I feel bad for the poor guy. He looks so embarrassed!" Simmons commented sympathetically.

A sudden voice caught them off guard. "A-ha! Freeze!"

Following the outburst came Natasha Romanoff, who, literally, descended from the ceiling. She immediately pelted the group in Nerf gun bullets without stopping to identify them.

"I knew the Black Widow would join their side eventually! I just knew it!" Fitz cried out as he tried to shield himself from the wave of foam bullets.

"I don't think anywhere or anyone is safe anymore, Fitz!" Simmons yelled in agreement.

"Stand down, Agent Romanoff! We come in peace!" Phil yelled as the onslaught ceased.

"Huh? You guys aren't the fearsome four. More like the fear_ful _four," Natasha raised an eyebrow as she lowered her guns and chuckled at her own pun. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"We could be asking the same of you, Nat!" Bobbi replied sharply. "Why are you hiding in a place they already hit? Are you siding with them?"

Natasha rolled her eyes. "Obviously not, since I referred to them as 'the fearsome four' and shot you four, thinking you were them. I was trying to get _them_.

"Maggie wouldn't pass up messing with Steve, as I've taught her well," Natasha gloated with a proud smirk. "So, I figured she and the others would come by today. Naturally, I decided to set up a prank in here before them, so that when they came in, I could take them off guard and shower them in bullets. Foam ones, of course."

"This doesn't surprise me at all," Phil sighed, sounding stressed.

"We just ran into Maggie and one of the others," Simmons offered up. "She was dressed as a mummy, and the other was a ghost. They chased Fitz and I out of the lab and into the elevator, where Bobbi and Coulson were hiding."

"We weren't hiding; we were trying to come here, to Cap's office," Bobbi explained. "_Then_ we were gonna hide, and figure out a more proper defensive plan."

"Well, now that you all have come in here, I doubt they will," Natasha sighed, laying her toy arms down on Steve's empty desk. "Count me in on whatever you're doing next, I guess."

"They've gotten Stark and Hill for sure," Fitz thought aloud as he paced. "Which leaves any other Avengers and poor agents here today vulnerable, too."

"Agent Romanoff, do you know of Director Fury's whereabouts?" Simmons asked the redhead spy. "If his office has yet to be raided…"

"...Then we can hide there," Natasha nodded as she finished Simmons' statement. "I'm not sure what Fury's status is, but we have to act quickly if that's where we go next. Maggie will be able to compromise him immediately, so the chances of him being normal are decreasing with each passing second."

"So, we should head there next," Phil confirmed.

"That sounds tactical," Bobbi commented, approving of the plan. "And if he is already compromised?"

"Every agent for herself. Just try to get out of the building at that point," Natasha advised, then sighed. "I know I still have a long battle ahead of me at my own house, and Avengers Tower."

* * *

The group of refugee agents piled onto the elevator cautiously, peering around every corner and possible opening for any signs of trouble. They had been concerned with taking the elevator again, because of Skye's hacking the previous time, but Natasha posed it as the better option in a choice between the lesser of two evils.

"Last time I checked out the staircase, there were banana peels everywhere. Old school, but still effectively dangerous. Therefore, we'll have to use Skye's 'elevator of death,'" Natasha had said, but still looked upset there was no third option for them to take, as they boarded. "Director Fury's office."

As the AI registered everyone's identities and Natasha's command, Skye's voice took over once again.

"_Well, well, well, look who's come crawling back! I knew you guys wouldn't be able to resist me." _

"We didn't make this decision lightly, Agent Skye," Phil grumbled. "It seemed to be the safer one, according to Agent Romanoff."

"_Ah, I take it someone discovered the banana peels." _

"Skye, you could really hurt someone by putting those on the staircase!" Simmons protested. "You really should think of all the other people who work here."

Skye scoffed. _"Please, Jemma, you know that we don't mess with the innocent NPCs. At least, not to the extent that we do with our main crew of morons. We warned them ahead of time that there would be traps everywhere." _

During Maggie, Skye, Clint, and May's major prank hijinks, they referred to everyone outside of their familial group as 'NPCs,' an acronym for 'non-playable characters.' Similar to side characters in video games who were only there to interact with and get in the way, the four of them viewed the others who worked in the Triskelion the same way when pulling pranks.

"At least you're nice to _some_one." Fitz muttered darkly under his breath.

Suddenly, the lights in the elevator flickered off, leaving the group only with light from outside the glass panels.

_"You are the passengers on a most uncommon elevator about to ascend into your very own episode of… The Twilight Zone."_

Natasha immediately recognized the audio Skye was playing, as her head snapped up at the voice. "No way. They're trying to recreate the Hollywood Tower of Terror!"

"See, _this _is why you're not supposed to let Tony Stark take Maggie to Disneyland so much, Natasha. I warned you," Bobbi frowned disapprovingly.

"Why the Twilight Zone, though? Of all places?" Fitz asked fearfully.

"It's an oldie, but a goodie," Natasha shrugged.

"_One stormy night long ago, five people stepped through the door of an elevator and into a nightmare."_

Fitz gasped, looking around at the group. "There are five of _us, _too!"

"_That door is opening once again, and this time it's opening for you."_

The elevator itself also jerked to a stop, causing the agents to stumble into each other.

"Ouch! Morse, get your ass off of me," Natasha roughly pushed Bobbi away.

"Ow, sorry," Bobbi rolled her eyes as she bumped into Phil, who was trying to steady himself against the railing.

He looked up toward the speaker as he held Bobbi's body away from his at an arm's length. "Skye, knock it off!"

Despite the direct address, Skye didn't respond; rather, the audio clip from the infamous California Adventure thrill ride continued.

_"You are about to discover what lies beyond the fifth dimension… Beyond the deepest, darkest corner of the imagination… In the Tower of Terror."_

Natasha shot everyone looks of warning. "Everyone, grab onto the railing, and don't let go! We're about to drop!"

Obeying quickly, the five all grabbed hold of the railing, as the elevator suddenly descended at what seemed to be an unstoppable speed.

There was screaming and frantic pleas for Skye to stop, that it wasn't funny anymore, that they were going to die for sure.

Skye made sure she was recording the whole thing for later blackmail purposes.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the elevator suddenly stopped, vibrating slightly for a few moments. The group barely managed to stand afterward, their bodies still shaken from the sudden movement and stopping.

"I quit, that's it, I'm so done!" Fitz yelled as he tried to catch the breath he had been holding. "Let me off of this crazy carousel of death, Skye!"

There was a light chuckle through the speaker. _"Sure thing, Fitz." _

The doors opened, and Fitz all but launched himself outside. Simmons bolted after him, concerned. "Fitz, wait! There could be another trap out here!"

Natasha, Bobbi, and Phil silently watched as the two scientists fell through the floor, in a pitfall trap.

"They were so young, so naive," Bobbi grieved remorsefully.

"They were brave, that's for sure," Natasha nodded her agreement.

"We must continue to fight in their name," Phil said, determined, as the elevator doors closed again.

Meanwhile, Skye and Maggie fist-bumped from their classified location where they oversaw the operation. Tony and Maria, still chained together, watched in horror.

"They really stepped it up this year," Maria observed.

"Yeah, really! That was awesome, you two!" Tony grinned, grabbing Skye and Maggie's attention. "I want in on this next year."

"You just want to be off our hit list," Skye pointed out with a skeptical expression.

"He's trying to trick us," Maggie agreed with the brunette.

Tony sighed, leaning his head against Maria's shoulder. "I really hate both of you, you know that, right?"

Maria roughly shrugged him off. "Get off of me, Stark."

"You could never hate me, Uncle Tony!" Maggie protested confidently. "I'm your favorite niece."

Tony just scowled.

* * *

"So, we've managed to hit Coulson, Hill, Stark, Morse, FitzSimmons, and Romanoff," Clint read off to May. "Is that everyone?"

May nodded. "Everyone who's actually here today, at least. I figured you and Maggie will be taking care of everyone at Avengers Tower later."

Clint grinned. "That's correct. Excluding Banner, of course; and keeping everyone's different triggers in mind. So, are we going after the big guy next?"

"Big guy next," May confirmed, pulling a walkie-talkie out of her pocket. "Agent Rogers and Agent Skye, we're ready to move on to phase three. Over."

Clint looked at her, confused. "We had 'phases' set up? Since when?"

May rolled her eyes. "Since always. You should listen more clearly during our planning meetings. Phase one was the initial pranks, with the first elevator incident, chaining Hill and Stark together, and FitzSimmons' encounter with supernatural beings in the lab.

"Phase two was when Tasha joined them on the elevator, and Skye turned it into the Tower of Terror. That was then followed by FitzSimmons falling into a pitfall trap."

"Wow. We really are hitting them hard this year," Clint commented, awestruck. "This will be a tough act to top next year."

"I'm sure we'll find a way to improve," May smirked. "We always do."

* * *

"Uncle Nick, may we please hide out in your office?"

Skye resisted the urge to snicker as she, May, and Clint all watched the interaction from the air vents above Fury's office. Maggie had gone full-begging mode now, with her best pleading eyes and pitiful look. She perfectly captured both the naivety of Steve Rogers people would want to protect, and the persuasive nature of Natasha Romanoff. It was definitely lethal.

Fury sighed, looking the prankster up and down before answering. "Are you going to prank me?"

Maggie shook her head. "Not if you let me and my people hide here," She answered diplomatically.

"Your people?" Fury echoed, amused. "You sound like a leader already, Miss Maggie."

"That's because I am one," Maggie insisted. "If you don't let us hide here, we _will_ prank you!"

Fury was silent for a moment before giving his answer. "Alright, alright; you four can hang out here," He looked up at the ceiling expectantly.

After removing the metal plate, Skye slowly poked her head out of the vents. She regarded Fury cautiously. "Is something gonna happen when I touch the ground?"

"No, there's nothing set up in my office; you're safe," Fury assured her.

Within a few minutes, the four pranksters had set up their 'base' within the large office. Maggie had soon taken over Fury's desk, sitting in his large chair with a dangerous expression, as her comrades prepared for 'phase three.'

"Some day, I'm gonna take over the world," She announced.

"It wouldn't surprise me," May shrugged from across the room.

"I'm down for that, as long as I get to be, like, your second-in-command," Skye bargained as she set her laptop down on the desk.

"Deal!" Maggie beamed, shaking hands with the hacker.

Clint frowned from where he hung out of the air vents. "Hey! What about me?"

"You can keep watch in one of the turrets, and shoot your arrows from there," Skye decided, acting out her proposal with her hands.

"Or I think the role of a court jester would fit him well," May commented as she gathered buckets of water balloons. "He's got the idiotic abilities for it."

"Hey!" Clint protested, but was ignored.

"Uncle Clint may be an idiot, but he's not stupid," Maggie pointed out. "So, he can also be the leader of our royal guard."

"Wouldn't that be my job?" Fury raised an eyebrow from his spot against the wall, watching them prepare from the sidelines.

"Ah, that's true," Maggie amended. "Then maybe Uncle Clint can be one of the best guard dudes."

"Hold it, hold it, hold it," Clint stopped them with a wide hand gesture. "First of all, I'm not_ that _dumb! I'm smart enough to be a relatively successful S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and Avenger."

"Emphasis on the 'relatively,'" Skye whispered to Maggie, who tried to suppress her resulting giggles with her hands.

Clint ignored their exchange. "Secondly, where did the whole medieval theme come from? Why are we assuming that if Maggie took over the world, we would return to a medieval society?"

"Who knows? I'll decide after I take over the world!" Maggie exclaimed happily as she kicked off of Fury's desk, spinning his chair at a quick speed.

"Man, what does the seventh grade teach kids these days?" Fury sighed to May as Clint, Maggie, and Skye continued to bicker.

"Beats me, sir. I think Maggie may have just picked all this up from home," May guessed, as she could imagine Natasha saying some of the same things.

* * *

"We must do this for FitzSimmons," Bobbi swore as she unboarded the elevator with Phil and Natasha on Fury's floor. "We must make it to the office, our only hope."

Phil nodded his agreement. "If we don't, they will have perished in vain."

"They were valiant agents, those two. Brave to the very end," Natasha murmured.

The trio silently and carefully snuck down the hall to the glass doors separating the rest of the floor from Fury's large office. Looking inside, they saw Fury leaning against the front of his desk, flipping through pages of numerous S.H.I.E.L.D. files casually.

Shooting each other final looks of encouragement, they threw the doors opened, and all but launched themselves inside of the room.

Fury simply exhaled loudly through his nose as he turned a page. "You know, there's a com on that door for a reason."

"There's no time, sir. We're all targets today," Bobbi offered as an apology. "We needed a safe house."

"You're our safe house today, Nick, congrats," Natasha chuckled as they walked up to him.

"How have you managed to escape them all day, sir?" Phil couldn't help but look upon his mentor, awestruck.

"Well, to be frank with you, Agent Coulson," Fury finally looked over his papers and at the three agents standing before him, "I haven't."

Suddenly, Natasha, Phil, and Bobbi were pelted with water balloons from one side, and sprays from a water gun on the other. Following shortly was flour poured down upon them from a snickering Clint Barton hanging out of the air vents above them.

"We're making a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent cake!" He laughed loudly.

"Our secret ingredients include one Black Widow, one Mockingbird, and one Jesus Christ knock-off!" Skye chimed in as she poked her head out from behind a nearby couch.

Phil turned to her, spitting out pieces of solid-turned specks of the flour and water mixture. "'Jesus Christ knock-off'?" He echoed disapprovingly.

Skye shrugged. "Hey, it's not my fault! Ask the Big Guy, standing right in front of you. And you also didn't have a cool code name like your comrades."

Natasha and Bobbi glared accusingly at Fury. "You knew they were here, didn't you?" Natasha asked sharply.

Fury, after setting his files down upon his desk, threw his hands up in a defensive manner. "Don't look at me - your daughter was the one who did all the negotiating for this crew."

As he said that, the chair behind the desk turned, revealing a giggling Maggie Rogers. She looked upon her latest prey dangerously, folding her hands together in an evil manner.

"What does it feel like to be a cake?" She asked innocently.

"Disgusting," Bobbi ground out. "Not to mention, we're more at the gross batter stage right now."

The three were a dripping mess of flour and water, which had formed very little dough on their bodies. The four pranksters looked amused and pleased all the same, though.

"I have to hand it to Maggie - she's a creative one," May commented with a grin as she emerged from her hiding spot behind a filing cabinet.

"Should any more baby Black Widows and/or Captain Americas grace our presence in the near or distant future, I definitely call dibs on them for planning pranks," Skye raised her hand for emphasis.

"No way, they're _mine_," Clint frowned.

"They're _my _siblings, so _I _should have a say in this," Maggie argued.

"They're _nonexistent, _so this conversation is getting nowhere," Natasha groaned as she scraped her now messy hair off her face and pushed it aside. "Can we _please _be done with all the pranking now?"

"Are you surrendering, Mama?" Maggie asked excitedly.

"Unfortunately, yes," Natasha sighed. "Since I know what lies ahead for me outside of the Triskelion, anyway."

"Bobbi? AC? What of you two?" Skye rested her head over her arms on the head of the couch, looking at the drenched agents patiently.

"It wouldn't matter if I had thrown in the towel years ago; you people still drag me into this mess every year," Phil sighed, his exhaustion evident.

"I'll take that as a 'yes,' then. Bobbi?"

Bobbi looked around the room's occupants for a moment before answering. "I guess I have no choice, huh? If I continue to fight, I'll probably just end up in an oven next to see if this actually worked."

"Probably," Maggie confirmed.

"Though, it doesn't matter, Bobbi, 'cause you're already smokin' hot," Clint grinned stupidly, causing everyone to groan.

"Please don't," Bobbi grimaced.

"That's kinda creepy," Maggie commented disapprovingly.

"You don't need flour and water to be sweet, babe; you already are," He continued mischievously.

"That doesn't even make sense." Natasha muttered under her breath.

"Bobbi makes everything in my life make sense!" Clint exclaimed, almost falling out of the vents.

"Alright, that's it, everyone get Barton," May directed, glaring up at the romantic archer.

His grin fell completely and quickly as he stared at everyone's irritated and exasperated expressions fearfully. "Uh oh."

As he retreated into the air vents, soon pursued by a group of angry female agents, Phil hung back with Fury, picking specks of wet flour face "Sure does add some life around here, huh?"

Fury laughed lowly. "I guess you can call it that."


	44. Texting the Avengers, by Maggie Rogers

**A/N: **Hey there! This was an impulsive chapter written last week after reading the "Twitter" chapter independentalto's story "All of the Reasons Why." Ever wonder what you'd find within Maggie Rogers' text messages in her phone? Well, today, we're going into Maggie's phone to find out!

This is _kiiiinda _like first person POV 'cause it's from Maggie's phone, so anything she does/says will come from "You." And she has some pretty interesting nicknames for her family...

That being said, I'll have a key of the nicknames down below the end of the chapter with some explanations on how I figured Maggie would use those silly names. This chapter also kinda covers a broad span of time, showing just snippets of Maggie's texting within that time. I was thinking from the spring of her junior year through the fall of her senior year for the time frame. Beware of underlying angst in some parts (I'M SORRY) and weird talks about... Her period?

On a side note, THIS MONTH IS A TIME FOR CELEBRATION!

The first year anniversary of this fic is April 16th. Man oh man, guys, I _definitely _didn't think this fun collection of oneshots would reach that point! Not to mention all of the faves, follows, and reviews - WOW!

And two days after that, April 18th, is Maggie's birthday! I haven't decided what I'm going to do to celebrate these two dates, so I was hoping you all would help me out. Send me hella prompts, guys! Maybe how Maggie received the 'birds and the bees' talk? Or how one of her birthdays went completely out of control? Some of her initial misadventures when she begins working at S.H.I.E.L.D.?!

Some of you have sent me prompts before, and I haven't answered them yet because I either 1.) am planning on doing something similar in the future as a part of something else, or 2.) haven't decided how I want to tackle said prompt. That's where you guys come in! Give me anything for the rest of this month, maybe just a topic you want me to address or something super specific, and I'll try my best to respond to them!

Alright, that's enough of me babbling for now; enjoy this crazy chapter! Remember, it all takes place on Maggie's phone, so it's going to be kind of text-conversation formatted the entire time. It was a blast writing this, and I'm definitely planning on doing something similar in the future!

Thanks for all the faves, follows, and reviews! YOU GUYS MAKE MY DAY EVERY DAY!

* * *

_**You **__named the conversation "Old people"._

**BIRTHGIVER (Mama): **Really, Лапушка?

**You: **Whoa, Mama, how did you even type that?

**BIRTHGIVER (Mama): **Russian keyboard, obviously.

**FOSSIL (Daddy): **What?

**You: **What?

**BIRTHGIVER (Mama):** What?

**FOSSIL (Daddy): **Why does my phone say "Old people" at the top of the screen…?

**BIRTHGIVER (Mama): **Ask your daughter

**You: **I just couldn't resist! It's so tru tho!

**FOSSIL (Daddy): **I still don't understand.

**BIRTHGIVER (Mama): **Just don't worry about it.

* * *

_**You **__named the conversation "Other caregivers"._

**The Rich One (Uncle Tony): **Wow rly feelin the luv squirt

**You: **I just wanted to be able to find my different text conversations quicker!

**Salt (Aunt Pepper): **I guess that works, then…

**Sagittarius (Uncle Clint): **It's better than the one she has for her parents, at least. They're in her phone as "Old people"

**The Rich One (Uncle Tony): **wow I feel cooler now

**JESUS CHRIST (Uncle Thor): **WHAT IS THIS

**Green Beans (Uncle Brucie): **It's a cell phone, Thor. You've had one for almost twenty years now.

**You: **And this is a group chat, which means everything you say right now can be seen by me, Uncle Clint, Uncle Tony, Aunt Pepper, and Uncle Brucie.

**JESUS CHRIST (Uncle Thor): **I DON'T UNDERSTAND. WHY DON'T WE JUST VERBALLY COMMUNICATE?

**The Rich One (Uncle Tony): **this is faster and more convenient when we're far away from each other

**Sagittarius (Uncle Clint): **And it separates the fast typers from the slow ones!

**You: **AKA, I can spam all of you whenever I feel like it. :)

**You: **Poop.

**You: **Poop.

**You: **Poop.

**You: **Poop.

**You: **POOP

**You: **POOP

**Sagittarius (Uncle Clint): **MAGGIE NO

**You: **POOP

**You: **POOP

**You: **POPO

**You: **POOP

**The Rich One (Uncle Tony): **POOP

**The Rich One (Uncle Tony): **POOP

**You: **POOP

**You: **OPOP

**The Rich One (Uncle Tony): **POOp

**Salt (Aunt Pepper): **TONY NOT YOU TOO

**Green Beans (Uncle Brucie): **And this is how you misuse group messaging, Thor.

**JESUS CHRIST (Uncle Thor): **EXCREMENT

**You: **POOP

**You: **:D

**The Rich One (Uncle Tony): **yus we got thor on r side

**You: **POOOOOOP

**The Rich One (Uncle Tony): **POOP

**JESUS CHRIST (Uncle Thor): **EXCREMENT

_**Salt (Aunt Pepper) **__has left the conversation._

**You: **Oh

**Sagittarius (Uncle Clint): **NO PEPPER COME BACK DON'T LEAVE ME HERE WITH THESE PEOPLE

**The Rich One (Uncle Tony): **aw come on pep don't b lik dat

**Green Beans (Uncle Brucie): **Pepper is very wise to do that…

**JESUS CHRIST (Uncle Thor): **EXCREMENT

**You: **POOP

* * *

**BIRTHGIVER (Mama): **What should we have for dinner?

**You: **POOOOOP

**You: **Oh shoot wrong group chat

**BIRTHGIVER (Mama): **?

**You: **Sry

**FOSSIL (Daddy): **I think I'll pass on dinner if that's what we're having.

**You: **Ignore that text pls

**You: **I want real food tho

* * *

**Green Beans (Uncle Brucie): **Hey, Clint and I are going to the store. Does anyone want anything?

_**Sagittarius (Uncle Clint) **__named the conversation "GROCERIES ASSEMBLE"._

**Salt (Aunt Pepper): **Clint, really?

**BIRTHGIVER (Mama): **And on today's episode of "stupid things Clint does"...

**Sagittarius (Uncle Clint): **HEY, I THOUGHT IT WAS FUNNY

**You: **It's kinda cute, I'll give Uncle Clint that

**Green Beans (Uncle Brucie): **GROCERIES, PEOPLE. FOCUS.

**FOSSIL (Daddy): **Some more stuff for breakfast, like eggs, bacon, and pancake mix. Also some fruits and veggies. Maggie and Nat haven't been eating very healthily lately.

**BIRTHGIVER (Mama): **I take offense to that, Rogers. :/

**You: **Are you calling us fat? :(

**FOSSIL (Daddy): **No :(

**The Rich One (Uncle Tony): **oh shit capsicle's gonna get it now

**Salt (Aunt Pepper): **Language, Tony, language.

**You: **Hey, I'm 16, I can handle Uncle Tony's language!

**FOSSIL (Daddy): **I just think we should eat healthier!

**BIRTHGIVER (Mama): **why would I do that when I don't need to?

**You: **Yah if I already have the serum why would I need to eat like a normal healthy person

**FOSSIL (Daddy): **There's nothing wrong with eating healthy!

**The Rich One (Uncle Tony): **Cap is def callin them fat

**BIRTHGIVER (Mama): **Don't talk like you don't eat junk food, Steve. I totally saw you eating from our chocolate stash yesterday.

**You: **WAIT WAHT

**You: **THAT'S WHERE ALL THE CHOCOLATE WENT?!

**You: **I NEED THAT

**The Rich One (Uncle Tony): **wtf do u need all dat chocolate for

**You: **it's that time of the month…

**You: **OH THAT'S SOMETHING WE NEED

**You: **GUYS GET HELLA PADS

**Sagittarius (Uncle Clint): **oh my god

**Green Beans (Uncle Brucie): **Ok, how many is 'hella'?

**You: **ALL OF THEIR STOCK

**You: **who knew that super soldiers would bleed like hella?! No wonder they chose Daddy and not a girl to be Captain America...

**Salt (Aunt Pepper): **Ouch, sorry to hear about that, Maggie. Any cramps?

**The Rich One (Uncle Tony): **omfg we r still talking about this?!

**You: **Not this time; I've been lucky. I just want chocolate and hugs

**BIRTHGIVER (Mama): **Come up to the penthouse and we'll cuddle

**You: **Kk, be there in 5

**The Rich One (Uncle Tony): **wat I want cuddles from natashalie!

**Green Beans (Uncle Brucie): **Do you want tampons, too?

**You: **Hell no, that stuff's evil

**FOSSIL (Daddy): **Sorry, Stark, but she's mine. :-)

**Salt (Aunt Pepper): **Tampons aren't evil, they're just uncomfortable until you get used to them

**You: **"TAMPONS AREN'T EVIL, THEY'RE JUST MISUNDERSTOOD"

**BIRTHGIVER (Mama): **Yes, exactly

**You: **I don't like how they feel tho like is that what you-know-what feels like?!

_**The Rich One (Uncle Tony) **__has left the conversation._

_**Sagittarius (Uncle Clint) **__has left the conversation._

**FOSSIL (Daddy): **I don't think that's something we should be discussing in a group text conversation, Maggie.

**You: **What?! Why does it matter like I'd ask you in person too anyway

**BIRTHGIVER (Mama): **Just let it go and come cuddle with me

**Salt (Aunt Pepper): **Can I come join the cuddle pile after I leave my office?

**You: **YES

**BIRTHGIVER (Mama): **obviously

**Salt (Aunt Pepper): **Kk, be home soon :)

**JESUS CHRIST (Uncle Thor): **EXCREMENT

**BIRTHGIVER (Mama): **…

**Green Beans (Uncle Brucie): **Sorry, Thor, I don't think they sell that at the store.

* * *

**The Rich One (Uncle Tony): **guys I'm rly bored

**FOSSIL (Daddy): **Hey, stop texting while we're in a meeting! That's rude.

**Sagittarius (Uncle Clint): **Rumor has it Fury confiscates phones if he catches people texting during debriefings.

**Sagittarius (Uncle Clint): **I even heard he has a phone bucket like that teacher lady in high school musical

**The Rich One (Uncle Tony): **oh shit what if Fury directed us in a musical

**Sagittarius (Uncle Clint): **omfg I would literally break my leg so I could get out of it

**BIRTHGIVER (Mama): **Will you losers take your texting somewhere else? Maggie's in this group chat too, and she's in school right now.

**BIRTHGIVER (Mama): **If her phone goes off in class, she'll get detention.

**The Rich One (Uncle Tony): **she should hav it on silent tho

**You: **Too late, Mama… Too late. :T

**You: **Omw to principal's office now

**You: **I HAVE TO TELL THEM THE FRICKIN AVENGERS WOULDN'T STOP TEXTING ME

**You: **NO ONE IS GOING TO BELIEVE THAT

**BIRTHGIVER (Mama): **Sorry, love. :( I'll go steal your uncles' phones now.

**You: **wait doesn't that sound so amazing tho?

**You: **"the avengers won't stop texting me"

**Sagittarius (Uncle Clint): **sorry kid

**Sagittarius (Uncle Clint): **WAIT TASHA NO I LIKE MY PHONE

**You: **I'm so cool and popular now

**You: **thx mama

**BIRTHGIVER (Mama): **Least I can do to make up for their inconsideration.

**You: **detention confirmed :(

_**The Rich One (Uncle Tony) **__has named the conversation "The Breakfast Club". _

**You: **goDDAMNIT UNCLE TONY

**BIRTHGIVER (Mama): **Tony, I'm giving you 5 seconds to run.

**BIRTHGIVER (Mama): **Starting 5 seconds ago.

**You: **RUN, FORREST, RUN!

**You: **Bastard -.-

**Salt (Aunt Pepper): **Language.

* * *

_**You **__named the conversation "PARTY BUS WOO". _

**FLOWER POWER (Skye): **YO I'LL TELL YOU WHAT I WANT WHAT I REALLY REALLY WANT

**You: **SO TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT WHAT YOU REALLY REALLY WANT

**FLOWER POWER (Skye): **I'LL TELL YOU WHAT I WANT WHAT I REALLY REALLY WANT

**You: **SO TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT WHAT YOU REALLY REALLY WANT

**FLOWER POWER (Skye): **I WANNA I WANNA I WANNA I WANNA

**You: **I WANNA REALLY REALLY REALLY WANNA ZIGAZIG HA

**AC/DC (Uncle Phil): **Is there a reason I am included in this message exchange?

**FLOWER POWER (Skye): **IF YOU WANNA BE MY LOVER

**You: **YOU GOTTA GET WITH MY FRIENDS

**FLOWER POWER (Skye): **(GOTTA GET WITH MY FRIENDS)

**You: **MAKE IT LAST FOREVER

**FLOWER POWER (Skye): **FRIENDSHIP NEVER ENDS

_**AC/DC (Uncle Phil) **__has left the conversation. _

**You: **IF YOU WANNA BE MY LOVER

**FLOWER POWER (Skye): **YOU HAVE GOT TO GIVE

**You: **TAKING IS TOO EASY

**FLOWER POWER (Skye): **BUT THAT'S THE WAY IT IS

**FA MULAN (May): **Skye. Maggie. Office. Now.

_**FA MULAN (May) **__has left the conversation. _

**FLOWER POWER (Skye): **oh shit

**You: **One more song before we die?

**You: **IF I LAY HERE

**FLOWER POWER (Skye): **IF I JUST LAY HERE

**You: **WOULD YOU LIE WITH ME AND

**FLOWER POWER (Skye): **JUST FORGET THE WORLD?

**BOB THE BUILDER (Bobbi): **You guys better go talk to May. She looks pissed. :O

**You: **Oops

**FLOWER POWER (Skye): **Let's just blame it on Hunter. Works every time

* * *

**Salt (Aunt Pepper): **I heard someone screaming. What's going on?

**BIRTHGIVER (Mama): **Nightmare

**Sagittarius (Uncle Clint): **Maggie?

**BIRTHGIVER (Mama): **yep

**The Rich One (Uncle Tony): **is she ok?

**FOSSIL (Daddy): **She's fine now. Back to sleep.

**Green Beans (Uncle Brucie): **What was it about?

**BIRTHGIVER (Mama): **red room

**The Rich One (Uncle Tony): **it's not ur fault natashalie

**Sagittarius (Uncle Clint): **Yea, all that matters now is she's still here

**Salt (Aunt Pepper): **You protected her, so she's safe :)

**JESUS CHRIST (Uncle Thor): **AYE, DOTH LADY MARGARET REQUIRE PHYSICAL INTIMACY?

**The Rich One (Uncle Tony): **creepy

**Sagittarius (Uncle Clint): **so that just ruined the mood

**FOSSIL (Daddy): **She's good now. Thanks, guys.

**The Rich One (Uncle Tony): **ok nighty now

**The Rich One (Uncle Tony): **zzzzz

* * *

**You: **YO I'LL TELL YOU WHAT I WANT WHAT I REALLY REALLY WANT

**FROZONE (Uncle Nick): **Ms. Rogers, I believe you have the wrong number.

**You: **oh frick nvm

**You: **I take it back

**You: **PLEASE DON'T MURDER ME OR DEACTIVATE MY PHONE

**FROZONE (Uncle Nick): **:P

**You: **oh my god nick fury just stuck his tongue out at me over text

**You: ***screenshots*

**You: **definitely sending to Skye and Aunt Darcy

* * *

**FLOWER POWER (Skye): **Help, help, I'm being assaulted by undefeatable boredom

**Pride and Prejudice (Aunt Darcy): **same

**Pride and Prejudice (Aunt Darcy): **someone wake me up if the eyepatch man with a plan says something important

**You: **I feel like you should be listening to your meeting, Aunt Darcy

**Pride and Prejudice (Aunt Darcy): **nah I can just wing it whatever it is we're talking about

**FLOWER POWER (Skye): **what if the world is ending at the hands of these super complex villains, and only you, Darcy, can stop them

**FLOWER POWER (Skye): **and the process to stopping them requires you to recite an ancient Asgardian spell that's so complicated and hard not even Thor or Sif knows it

**FLOWER POWER (Skye): **and at the same time you have to perform an equally intricate dance routine with Bobbi's batons

**You: **On fire

**FLOWER POWER (Skye): **yes, Bobbi's batons are on fire

**You: **And then you have to be able to do trade negotiations with the aliens in their own language

**Pride and Prejudice (Aunt Darcy): **jfc guys why are you signing *me* up for this job?

**You: **It'll probably fall to you if all the Avengers fall first

**You: **Or the aliens like you the most and choose you as the Earth representative

**FLOWER POWER (Skye): **yes you never know what those aliens might make you do

**FLOWER POWER (Skye): **they might choose you thinking you'll perfectly pull it off, since you're always so chill and confident

**Pride and Prejudice (Aunt Darcy): **OH GOD I AM SUPER CHILL AND CONFIDENT AREN'T I

**You: **I'm afraid so

**Pride and Prejudice (Aunt Darcy): **SHIT WE NEED HELP

_**Pride and Prejudice (Aunt Darcy) **__added __**BIRTHGIVER (Mama) **__to the conversation. _

**BIRTHGIVER (Mama): **oh boy, what am I walking into right now?

**Pride and Prejudice (Aunt Darcy): **HeLP

**BIRTHGIVER (Mama): **Darcy, you are literally sitting a few feet away from me. I will kick you under the table

**Pride and Prejudice (Aunt Darcy): **no don't do that

**Pride and Prejudice (Aunt Darcy): **ow god damn nat was that necessary

**You: **How is Uncle Nick not onto you two yet

**BIRTHGIVER (Mama): **the last time he busted me for using my phone during a meeting was when I was texting you that one time about your period and my own history with periods and then it turned into that weird group chat with Pepper

**You: **wait the one where everyone else was in it and got freaked out and left?

**BIRTHGIVER (Mama): **no the other time

**BIRTHGIVER (Mama): **anyway I think it freaked him out so he just leaves me alone now

**FLOWER POWER (Skye): **wait real talk tho who's on their period rn

**Pride and Prejudice (Aunt Darcy): **I'm just finishing

**You: **I start any day now

**BIRTHGIVER (Mama): **I don't even know

**FLOWER POWER (Skye): **OMG GUYS WE R SYNCING

**You: **OMG YAAAS

**BIRTHGIVER (Mama): **I don't know whether to be terrified or amused

**Pride and Prejudice (Aunt Darcy): **wat about pepper? is she on hers too?

**You: **idk maybe

**Pride and Prejudice (Aunt Darcy): **guys we r totes syncing

**FLOWER POWER (Skye): **who's down for freaking out all the guys with me? :p

**You: **ME ME ME

**Pride and Prejudice (Aunt Darcy): **me too WAIT

**Pride and Prejudice (Aunt Darcy): **WE MUST GET BACK ON TOPIC

**FLOWER POWER (Skye): **OH YAH THAT'S RIGHT

**You: **To catch you up, Mama, Aunt Darcy will have to defeat hella aliens in Earth's name

**BIRTHGIVER (Mama): **Ok… Why?

**FLOWER POWER (Skye): **BECAUSE OF THE PROPHECY

**You: **IT WAS PROPHESIED

**Pride and Prejudice (Aunt Darcy): **I HAVE TO LEARN AN ASGARDIAN PRAYER AND A DANCE AND FIRE BATON TWIRLING AND A FOREIGN ALIEN LANGUAGE

**Pride and Prejudice (Aunt Darcy): **NAT I NEED YOUR HELP

**Pride and Prejudice (Aunt Darcy): **OW STOP KICKING ME UNDER THE GODDAMN TABLE

**BIRTHGIVER (Mama): **then stop saying foolish things

**FLOWER POWER (Skye): **OH

**FLOWER POWER (Skye): **SHADE HAS BEEN THROWN

**FLOWER POWER (Skye): **B)

**Pride and Prejudice (Aunt Darcy): **shit jack sparrow is onto us

_**Pride and Prejudice (Aunt Darcy) **__has left the conversation. _

**You: **What does that mean? Uncle Nick?

**BIRTHGIVER (Mama): **Yup. She's getting busted by him rn

**FLOWER POWER (Skye): **Oh video it for us pls

**BIRTHGIVER (Mama): **I will

**You: **lmao

* * *

**You: **Mama? Daddy?

**You: **I know you won't answer these texts because you're on a mission… But Uncle Nick said you guys are missing and I'm scared

**You: **Please come home soon

**You: **I really really miss you

**You: **I don't remember what the last verbal thing I said to you was

**You: **Please don't make my last memorable words to you have to be over text…

* * *

**Salt (Aunt Pepper): **How was your first day of senior year, Maggie? :)

**You: **It was fun! :D I think this school year will be pretty good and exciting!

**Sagittarius (Uncle Clint): **And then S.H.I.E.L.D. academy next year? Jesus, kid, you're growing up so fast

**You: **You're telling me?! I miss the simple days :/

**The Rich One (Uncle Tony): **ah I see ppl are actually usin the group chat hello hello

**The Rich One (Uncle Tony): **the party has arrived

_**Salt (Aunt Pepper) **__has left the conversation. _

_**Sagittarius (Uncle Clint) **__has left the conversation. _

**The Rich One (Uncle Tony): **aww come on guys don't leave me hanging

**The Rich One (Uncle Tony): **u still luv me, right kid?

**You: **gtg bye

* * *

**You: **Mama? Daddy?

**BIRTHGIVER (Mama): **Yes, Лапушка?

**You: **Oh, ok, good. Just wanted to make sure you were still ok

**FOSSIL (Daddy): **Are you okay?

**You: **I had a nightmare while I was napping :/

**BIRTHGIVER (Mama): **I'm sorry, sweetheart. :(

**FOSSIL (Daddy): **We're still in one piece. We're actually on our way back right now, so we'll see you in a few hours. :-)

**You: **Yay!

**You: **bring food :D

**FOSSIL (Daddy): **Of course. What's a Rogers family reunion without food? :-)

**BIRTHGIVER (Mama): **I'm not sure what you're talking about, Steve, but wherever this "Rogers family reunion" food is, I want some

**You: **same :U

**FOSSIL (Daddy): **You two are always hungry, aren't you?

**BIRTHGIVER (Mama): **Touche, super soldier.

**You: **The way to a girl's heart is through her stomach. ;)

**BIRTHGIVER (Mama): **That too.

**FOSSIL (Steve): **I swear, if Tony didn't buy the food we eat half the time, we'd be so broke from grocery store purchases…

**You: **SUPERHEROES NEED TO EAT WELL-BALANCED MEALS

**You: **and yes I do count as a superhero ;D

**You: **also pls pick up more meds from Uncle Brucie for me, if you see him

**BIRTHGIVER (Mama): **Sure. Are these ones working?

**You: **sorta

**You: **or I'm just having a good run rn

**BIRTHGIVER (Mama): **Either way, that's good! :)

**You: **Knock on wood. Lol

**BIRTHGIVER (Mama): **GTG now, "Jack Sparrow" awaits. See you soon xoxo

**You: **Bye-bye!

**You: **Tell him I said hi ;p

**FOSSIL (Daddy): **...Who is Jack Sparrow?

* * *

**A/N: **I figured Bruce might offer some anxiety-type medication for Maggie, and that he himself would have a good knowledge of such medicine possibly based on personal experience. AND I WARNED YOU ABOUT THE RANSOM ANGST! The songs Skye and Maggie 'sang' were "Wannabe" by The Spice Girls and "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol.

As for the names...

BIRTHGIVER - Natasha, and she's Maggie's mom, so, pretty self-explanatory.

FOSSIL - Steve, and this name was probably influenced by Natasha.

The Rich One - Tony, and I figured if Maggie were asked to describe her family/uncles to someone, she'd probably just lazily describe Tony as 'the rich one' when going through the list.

Salt - Pepper, and it's punny. Puns are up Maggie's alley.

Sagittarius - Clint, and this zodiac sign is the dude with the bow and arrow! I figured Maggie might want a more unique nickname than 'Legolas' or 'Katniss.'

JESUS CHRIST - Thor, and I figured since he was a demi-god, Maggie would address him as such in her phone. (Not that Jesus Christ is a demi-god - more so, she was going for something 'divine' or 'heavenly.')

Green Beans - Bruce, and he turns green, and he's a doctor! This name is a shoutout to his green and healthy habits.

FLOWER POWER - Skye, and this one is a bit tricky. If you don't watch AOS or haven't seen much of season 2 (SPOILER ALERT), her birthname is revealed: Daisy Johnson. Skye still goes by Skye in the show, so I figured Maggie would still address her as such, but wouldn't hesitate to use her original name for puns.

AC/DC - Coulson, and another reference to AOS. Skye called Coulson "AC" (Agent Coulson) last season, and when the season ended with Fury entrusting the role of director of S.H.I.E.L.D. to Coulson, someone online suggested Skye should call him AC/DC (Agent Coulson/Director Coulson)! The idea was too cute for me to not utilize in some way!

FA MULAN - Agent Melinda May, and this is kind of breaking the fourth wall. Her actress, Ming-Na Wen, did the voice of Mulan in Disney's animated film! (One of my faves!)

BOB THE BUILDER - Bobbi, and I figured Maggie would just jokingly use the masculine name of 'Bob' for her in random ways. (And 'Bob the Builder' is an old kids' show, in case the reference is lost on anyone.)

FROZONE - Fury, another fourth wall breaking moment: Samuel L. Jackson did the voice of Frozone in _The Incredibles. _Another one of my faves!

Pride and Prejudice - Darcy, because Darcy is one of the main characters in the novel, which Maggie probably would've read by now for school.

There are some other characters who I want to include in this texting mania at some point, so there will definitely be another oneshot like this in the future!

If you've made it this far in reading my ramblings, you rock! Love ya, and I'll see ya next time!

P.S. - HAPPY (almost) ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY! :D Couldn't have done it without you!


	45. Same Love

**A/N: **Fight me.

* * *

Whenever Maggie came home from school with a melancholy air around her, Steve would just sigh and brace himself.

Getting information out of Maggie was basically the equivalent of pulling teeth sometimes, which Steve assumed was genetic - he and Natasha were pretty much the same way, after all.

Maggie looked especially stressed one day when she came home, and Natasha had left earlier that day for a mission. So, it was up to Steve to get to the bottom of what was happening.

As expected, she didn't take kindly to his inquiries.

"Nothing's wrong, Daddy," She insisted half-heartedly when he asked.

"That doesn't sound like 'nothing,'" He replied, leaning against the frame of her doorway as she sat on her bed, avoiding eye contact. "You know you can tell me anything."

But Maggie shook her head, looking almost… Embarrassed? Her cheeks also appeared a little extra rosy. "Not this."

Steve crossed his arms over his chest. "So, there _is _something."

The eleven year old frowned, staring down at her hands in her lap as she fumbled with the hem of her uniform skirt. "Sort of."

He decided to take a step forward, closer to her and inside of her space. She didn't react.

"Is it something I'll be mad about?" Steve inquired gently, knowing Maggie tended to be stressed out when she believed she was possibly in the wrong with her parents. She was a bit of a perfectionist, and hated being scolded by those she looked up to and loved.

"I..." She hesitated, and sighed. "I don't know. Maybe."

"Maggie," He was practically pleading now, as he took another step closer, "If something's bothering you, please, just tell me."

The fifth grader bit her lip, then chanced a glance up at Steve. Her hesitant gaze met his for a moment, and she looked back down at her lap once more. "So… There's this girl in my class."

Steve didn't react, as he thought it was too early to do so, allowing Maggie the complete freedom to continue her explanation in any way she wanted.

After a few moments, she did. "She's really pretty, and really nice… And I really like her."

Steve was confused by what the big deal was. Maggie appeared distressed by the last part, as she grew tense, readying herself for some sort of verbal rejection from her father.

It was by this reaction Steve was able to determine what Maggie was trying to tell him.

Oh.

"You like her, like, _like_-like her?" He questioned curiously, sitting down at the foot of her bed.

His voice held no judgment, or any emotion either way - he wanted to see what exactly Maggie meant before he jumped to conclusions.

Maggie nodded nervously after a moment, blushing as she pulled her knees up to her chest and buried her face, ashamed. Steve observed her body language sadly.

What Maggie needed was assurance that this was normal. Steve himself experienced attraction to more than one gender, so he had a feeling of the kind of confusion Maggie was having.

He decided a casual, natural approach that normalized same-sex attraction and romance was the healthiest way to go. "Well, are you going to tell her?"

It took Maggie a moment, but her head quickly snapped up at Steve's response. She blinked, staring at him in shock. "You're not… Mad?"

Now it was his turn to look at her like she was crazy. "Why would I be? You can have a crush on anyone you like, Maggie, regardless of their gender."

Her expression crumpled slightly. "That's what I thought, too. Agent Skye said that Agent Simmons used to have a crush on Bobbi, and that it was okay for girls to like girls, and boys to like boys."

Whether or not Skye's story about Jemma Simmons and Bobbi Morse was true, Steve didn't bother trying to decipher. Rather, he decided to focus on Skye's lesson, and how Maggie had somehow come to not believe in it anymore. "Skye's right, Maggie; it's okay for anyone to like anyone. Why don't you think so anymore?"

"_I_ think it should be fine," Maggie protested bitterly, before looking sad again. "But everyone at school said it's not okay."

Steve grew nervous - had Maggie come out in school once before, only to be met by bullying and teasing? His heart ached with the mental image of Maggie being ganged up on for defying the norm.

"People always use 'gay' as a mean word. Like, it means 'stupid,'" Maggie continued, breaking Steve from his thoughts. "And, then, one of the boys in my class said he had an older brother who was gay, and had a boyfriend. But, when their parents found out, they kicked him out, and don't talk to him anymore."

Bingo. Maggie had learned the truth of the unjust society they lived in, where people were discriminated against for who they were, and who they loved. Therefore, she was scared away from what she had already been taught through Skye's story, and any other portrayal of non-straight relationships in shows or movies.

Steve himself had never really come out formally - rather, it just slipped out casually, or someone guessed and was correct. Then again, his social circle was small, so it wasn't a big deal, since he didn't come out to the press or media. The Avengers knew. Sam had figured it out during their first meeting, later accusing Steve of hitting on him. Bucky seemed to have had some sort of idea for a long time, especially after he was reunited with Steve, as he liked to jokingly tease the super soldier about it.

After he continually rejected each girl Natasha set him up with, she went out on a whim and set him up with a man. Seeing she was not met with some sort of protest about the gender match from Steve, Natasha had figured it out. When she and Steve got together after the seemingly countless blind dates she sent him on, she assured Steve that he didn't have to suddenly conform to a straight identity just because he was dating a girl. He was really grateful for her support afterward.

"Maggie," Steve said firmly, looking at her with a no-nonsense gaze he usually reserved for missions. "I want you to understand this: those parents are wrong. There's nothing wrong with liking someone from the same gender as you. As you know now, there are people out there who _do _think it's wrong to do that, so they'll be mean to people who like someone from the same gender. That's not okay."

He paused, weighing how he wanted to proceed. Finally, he asked softly, "Do you want to know a secret?"

She nodded curiously, having hung onto every word he had just said.

"I like boys, even though I'm a boy. Like, _like_-like boys," He amended in her simple language. "I like boys _and _girls; I've had crushes on people from both genders."

Maggie gaped at him, completely shocked. "Really?"

He nodded with a proud smile. "Yeah. See? It's normal."

She looked thoughtful for a few moments. "I think I still like boys, too."

"And that's perfectly fine," Steve brought the conversation full circle. "Though, Maggie, I trust you to keep my secret safe."

Tilting her head to one side, she looked at him curiously. "Why is it a secret?"

"I don't feel comfortable with other people knowing, unless I tell them myself," Steve explained casually.

He figured kids hearing about Captain America being bisexual would lead to some nasty comments from the media, which he didn't care about, but didn't want to have to deal with every time he had to appear publicly. Perhaps when Maggie was older, and less at risk of being affected by Steve's public image, Steve would come out to the world, but for now, he kept it secret.

"Oh. So, I don't have to tell everyone if I like girls, too, either, then?"

"Not until you want to. Your secret is safe with me, too."

Maggie looked relieved. "I was afraid of all the kids at school making fun of me."

"Well, then, that'll bring us back to what we were originally talking about," Steve recalled. "Tell me about this girl you like."

It was really adorable, watching Maggie's cheeks flush and her eyes take on a dreamy look as she told Steve all about her friend Dawn. She was kind and sweet and brave, all qualities Maggie really enjoyed in people. Steve could remember a few boys over the years Maggie had had crushes on, but this was the most mature one yet.

"Do you know if she likes girls, too?" Steve finally asked the hardest question at the end.

Maggie shrugged. "I don't know. She said Dylan's - the boy whose parents kicked his gay brother out - parents were mean, so she probably isn't mean about it like they are."

Steve knew the odds here were not good; heteronormativity had a pretty firm hold until kids grew older and began to discover the world outside of what their parents had told them.

"Are you gonna tell her you have a crush on her?" He asked thoughtfully.

"Now that we talked about it, I want to," Maggie admitted. "But I don't know."

"It's up to you," Steve assured her. "Do what you feel most comfortable with."

Maggie nodded, and then crawled over to give him a hug. "Thank you, Daddy."

He kissed the top of her head through her hair, wrapping an accepting arm around her torso. "No, Maggie, thank _you _for telling me, and for being so brave."

* * *

It was a week later when the news of Maggie's heartbreak reached home.

Maggie had at least told Steve the day it happened, but didn't want to share anything with anyone else (read: Natasha) about the incident for a few days afterward. She was too embarrassed, and Steve almost felt as if their talk had never happened.

Natasha just watched the duo with eyebrows raised, but no questions asked. Steve had told her privately that it was nothing she had to worry about, but not his information to share. She hadn't taken that very well initially, but realized it was better at the moment for Maggie's sake. So, she let it go.

It turned out, as Steve had been fearfully expecting, Dawn didn't like girls. She only liked boys, and had turned Maggie down immediately, confused by the redhead's feelings. Though Dawn had been nice about it, rumors had already started, and Maggie was the center of all of them.

Steve was convinced he was as heartbroken as she was. He hated that he couldn't save her from the bullying and teasing at school.

"It's okay," Maggie had insisted when he confessed to feeling helpless. "It's nice to know that I have at least one person who doesn't think I'm weird."

Even then, not all of Maggie's friends had turned on her, either. Her best friend since second grade, Callie, had been the most supportive, saying she had relatives who dated and married people from the same gender, so she didn't think it was a big deal.

That was one nice thing about this time period for Steve - people of other sexual orientations and genders were gradually becoming acknowledged and free to pursue happiness in the otherwise intolerant culture of society. So, Steve knew he could always depend on a small number of people in any given group to not be completely intolerant, unlike when he had lived in the previous century.

Steve advised Maggie to tell Natasha some time soon, because she wouldn't be mad. Maggie seemed hesitant at first, but within a day or two, had started the conversation, with Steve by her side for reassurance.

"Mama, there was a girl at school who I had a crush on," Maggie explained shortly, averting her gaze to the ground nervously. "She doesn't like girls, though, and now some other kids are making fun of me for being gay."

Steve had a hand on her shoulder for encouragement, and Maggie glanced up at him appreciatively after she spoke.

Natasha just smiled knowingly at Steve. He could practically hear her voice saying something along the lines of, _So, the apple didn't fall far from the tree after all. _

She simply leaned over and hugged her daughter in reply. "I'm sorry your crush didn't work out, Maggie. That girl really is missing out."

Her voice was light and warm, while still sympathetic and apologetic. Maggie was surprised, and watched Natasha pull away, awestruck. "You're not mad?"

The spy shook her head. "I don't have any reason to be mad. You can like whoever you want, Maggie, be it a girl or boy."

"I think I like both," Maggie decided to confess, testing the waters further.

"And that's okay, too," Natasha assured her. "I will support you with whoever you like. Unless you like a bad guy; then, I probably won't let you be with them."

Maggie laughed, and it was music to Steve's ears. He sent Natasha a silent expression of gratitude, which she rolled her eyes in reply to. _She's my kid, too, Rogers. What the hell are you thanking me for? _

* * *

The sexual orientation of Maggie Rogers remained a family secret for years after that incident, as it simply never came up again.

Then, in the second semester of her sophomore year, after her relationship with Jack, Maggie had her eyes on a new potential love interest.

And this time it was a girl - for the first time in five years.

Things were different now, too. The girl who Maggie began crushing on had come out as pansexual, attracted to any of the genders, a few months before.

Maggie had slowly begun spending more and more time with this girl, Christina. She was in the same grade as Maggie, and shared several classes with her. They hung out in the same friend group both in and outside of school, and eventually started making plans for just the two of them.

One day, when Maggie came home from her house, she was giggly and cheery and practically bouncing off the walls.

"Uh oh, looks like someone's happy," Natasha commented at the sight from where she sat on the couch in the living room, a pile of S.H.I.E.L.D. files sitting on the table in front of her. "Better watch out for any possible prank traps set up around the house."

But Maggie shook her head. "Nope! You've been spared today, Mama. You too, Daddy." She added at the end, as Steve walked into the room, having heard his daughter return home.

"Spared from what?" He inquired as he stopped in the doorway, leaning against the frame.

"Pranks," Maggie answered, but then waved her hands with an irritated expression. "You guys are getting me off topic! I actually have something really, really exciting to tell you! Daddy, come sit."

"Then, out with it, already," Natasha rolled her eyes playfully as Steve complied quickly.

Standing in front of her two parents on the couch, looking up at her curiously, Maggie put her hands to her hips and took a deep breath. "As we all remember, I experienced heartbreak in the fifth grade when what's-her-face didn't like me back."

"Dawn," Natasha supplied instantaneously, but Maggie brushed her off with her hand.

"Her name is irrelevant," Maggie continued, causing Natasha to shoot Steve an amused look. "Anyway, as we all know from that, I like girls _and _boys. At least, so far, that's what I've figured out.

"So, that's the first news of the day: Hi, my name is Maggie Rogers, I like chocolate and superheroes, and I'm bisexual," Maggie recited, as if she were introducing herself to someone. "A-K-A, I am enjoying the cozy feeling of an official label!"

Steve applauded her immediately. "Welcome to the team, Mags; I'm glad you feel comfortable with the term," He beamed.

Natasha also looked happy. "I know how nice it is to find a place where you feel you belong. So, congratulations," She offered warmly.

"Thank you, thank you," Maggie bowed for them as if she were closing an onstage performance. "I guess we can say that was my 'official' coming out."

"Then this occasion should be accompanied with a hug," Natasha insisted in a mock disappointed tone, which she immediately regretted as Maggie practically crushed her a moment later.

Maggie squeezed her mother probably a bit too strongly - thanks to the serum - but was too happy to care. Natasha meekly managed to pat her back in reply, and utter a plea to be released due to the inability to breathe.

Steve embraced Maggie next, and their hug was a mutual power struggle of trying not to squeeze the other to death. Even though he had known Maggie wasn't straight for a few years, Steve was happy to know she felt comfortable to officially come out as bisexual.

"This is all thanks to you, Daddy," Maggie recalled softly in his ear. "I never would have been able to get here if you hadn't helped me out in fifth grade."

He gave a light laugh, rubbing her back affectionately. "It's nice knowing I'm not alone, either."

They hugged for a few more moments, before Maggie pulled back, beaming. She sat on the edge of the coffee table, despite the countless times both of her parents had told her not to.

And neither felt up to kicking her off the furniture at that moment, given the occasion.

Natasha poked her daughter with her foot. "So, then, what's the second part of your news and overenthusiastic personality today?"

Maggie perked up at the reminder. "Oh! That's right!" She cleared her throat, pausing for dramatic effect.

"I officially have a date, with - wait for it - a _girl_!"

Both Avengers shared similar expressions of shock and surprise and excitement all at once. Steve was congratulating her once more while Natasha was pouting and complaining about Maggie not telling her about having a new crush.

"I'm assuming it's Christina, since you just came from her place," Natasha guessed after getting over her 'betrayed' feelings, which Maggie had just rolled her eyes at.

Maggie nodded excitedly. "Yup! We've been spending more and more time together lately… I actually came out to her a few weeks ago; I'm surprised we didn't ask each other out until today."

"Maybe it was better this way, to take it slow," Steve guessed thoughtfully. "Either way, this is great! I'm so happy for you, Mags."

The teen looked at them with an expression comprised of both joy and gratitude. "Our first date is set for next weekend, so… Please don't try to be gone on a mission?"

"Definitely. For the record, I approve of this choice," Natasha declared. "I do enjoy Christina's presence and personality, and she seems to have pure intentions. She'd better be good to you, though."

"I second that," Steve hastily added, causing Maggie to laugh.

"Alright… I'll go text her it's on for next Saturday, then!"

* * *

**A/N: **Alright, here's a real author's note! I didn't want to mess with the chapter by putting too much of a caveat in the beginning there, and also wanted to establish that I will stand by this chapter and defend it should I need to.

First off, as always, thanks for the faves, follows, and reviews! Y'all are awesome-sauce!

Now, a quick explanation. I believe that representation of other sexual orientations and genders is very very important these days, as it's such a hot topic of controversy all the time. I would like to dedicate this chapter to all of those who have felt ostracized because of their sexual/romantic attractions that don't abide by the heteronormativity of our culture.

I also didn't talk a lot about the different gender identities outside of male and female/boy and girl these days, as I wasn't quite sure how to fit it in, since most of the chapter is 11 year old Maggie dealing with liking males and females. Maybe someday I'll get a chance to touch upon outside of those two. I myself am not bisexual either, so I'm just going with the description of attraction to more than one (but not necessarily all) genders. I've also not had the experience of coming out to parents, so I just played that part by ear. I figured Steve and Natasha would be super accepting, anyway.

Is Steve canonically bisexual? I don't believe so. But, I do know that a number of people, including myself, have come to headcanon that he is, especially after _Winter Soldier _last year (that opening scene with Sam... I can't even!). A lot of other characters have been guessed to be something other than straight this year, too, especially with certain events in _Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. _and _Agent Carter_, regarding FitzSimmons and Peggy herself. Though, like I said, the MCU canon is probably dubbing everyone as straight for right now.

If Maggie being bisexual bothers you, then I really am sorry you can't enjoy this chapter (and the inevitable follow-ups to come, like coming out to the rest of the Avengers in creative and hilarious ways). I can understand why the direction I've taken with Steve's character can be taken negatively, as it deviates from canon, but I wanted to establish that being together with someone from the opposite gender in the typical 'straight standard' (like how Steve and Nat are together, and Maggie had a relationship with a boy before this) doesn't automatically make someone not-bisexual; that's just inaccurate and mean.

So, in the end, this is my way of saying, 'welcome to year 2 of fanfic, where I want to tackle more mature domestic themes,' as the lowest points of this story so far have generally been caused by Steve and Nat's lifestyle as Avengers. This year, I hope to make things a little bit easier to relate to and sympathize with!

The one year anniversary of this fic is on Thursday (4/16), and I've already got a looong oneshot up and ready for you peeps then. :) Unfortunately, things are going to be hectic around here on my end for this week, including on Maggie's birthday on Saturday (4/18), so the next one is going to be for both occasions (though it doesn't celebrate her birthday)!

Maybe next week I'll try to whip something up for her actual birthday. We'll see! Until then, farewell! :D


	46. This is Home

**A/N: **Happy one year, guys! This one's super long and angsty. (Sorry not sorry!) HOPE YOU ALL ENJOY AND THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH FOR SUPPORTING THIS STORY I NEVER WOULD BE HEAR WITHOUT YOU that sounds super cliche but OH WELL

HERE WE GO. ENTER S.H.I.E.L.D. AGENT MAGGIE ROGERS.

**possible trigger warnings: **blood/gore, violence-ish, self-harm-ish like not in the context of depression/mental health self-harm but mention of a character purposefully hurting herself to accomplish something... YOU ALL WILL UNDERSTAND AT THE END

* * *

Maggie had only known the secret S.H.I.E.L.D. base referred to as the "Playground" through stories from Coulson and his team, detailing the initial days of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s revival.

The first time she actually visited the base was after HYDRA chased her there. More specifically, the evil organization had chased herself, Skye, Bobbi, and Natasha there, after a mission went south.

"FitzSimmons will be here soon," Skye had assured the small group as she led Maggie and Bobbi down one of the nostalgically familiar halls.

Oh, and Natasha was there, sort of. She got to be carried in by Maggie and Bobbi as she bled out.

Yeah, as could be imagined, Maggie was freaking out.

"They're on their way back from their site now," Skye continued, trying her best not to rush ahead too far of the trio, though she knew that Bobbi knew where the small medical area within the lab was.

It had been a simple mission: distract HYDRA at one location while FitzSimmons investigated another area. They would regroup no more than three hours later, and S.H.I.E.L.D. would pick them up.

The first problem was HYDRA had had an idea that someone would be coming. The second problem was they had predicted who, among the 'someone's that S.H.I.E.L.D. would send, would come. The third problem involved specific plans they had for said person.

Together, these three problems led to the fourth and final problem that left Skye, Natasha, Maggie, and Bobbi screwed - HYDRA tried to isolate their single target, and had made extra accommodations for the situation in the form of about fifty more men than what the small S.H.I.E.L.D. team had been expecting to be there.

You're not supposed to move an injured body, they all knew that. But they couldn't clear the location for any proper medical to come. Plus the med team wouldn't come in time, anyway.

That left them with no other option than to fight solely for an escape opportunity, and then take that chance and move Natasha's bloodied body back to safety. Then, of course, try to get FitzSimmons on it as soon as possible.

Maggie's heart was still racing as she and Bobbi carefully placed the redhead spy on the dusty bed in the far back of the lab. Skye suppressed a shudder as she recognized the small area as where they had tried to put Coulson in Raina's memory machine long ago, and where she herself had been quarantined for days in the wake of their journey to the underground temple that had awakened her powers.

"They'll be here in fifteen, they said," Skye announced quietly as the three women took a moment to compose themselves as they stared down at Natasha's limp form. "What's the most critical wound right now?"

"Bullet to the gut," Bobbi replied immediately, her hands still on Natasha's stomach. She watched as Maggie quickly, but intently, eyed Natasha's body from head to toe, properly inspecting the damage. "Maggie?"

"Are there still medical supplies around here?" Maggie inquired, ripping her eyes away from her mother for a moment to look between Skye and Bobbi. "I'm not a doctor like Simmons, but I've learned some things about patching up Avengers over the years from my uncle."

She was talking about Bruce Banner.

Skye was already on it, looking through various drawers and shelves in the room. "There should be; this place is supposed to be stocked up with stuff like that, in case of things like this happening."

Within a minute, she had managed to locate a small first-aid kit, which was almost laughable in how much use it could provide. But Maggie opened it right away.

"We need to stitch up some of the knife wounds and gashes. And remove the bullets from the less pressing wounds," She reported, setting supplies out. "I'll leave the bad ones that may require surgery to Simmons when she gets here."

Skye was still scouring around for supplies, and Bobbi nodded. "I'll keep pressure on this one, then."

"Thanks," Maggie, for a moment, expressed a ghost of a smile, but it was gone before Bobbi could confirm it. "I'll get started on some of these other ones, then."

Within a few moments, Skye located more supplies, including a needle, some thread, and more gauze and medical tape.

Maggie was trying her best, Skye knew - but she was still shaking like a leaf. She did _not _have a steady hand.

And Maggie herself was aware of it, too, as she barely got past tearing away the remnants of leather around Natasha's wounds before she looked up at the two agents with a hesitant expression.

"Let's switch," Bobbi suggested softly, and Maggie was about to agree when she suddenly started remembering something.

Something she tried really, _really _hard not to think about.

"I'll do it," Skye quickly volunteered before Maggie's hesitation could be addressed, and she and Bobbi swiftly switched places. "Maggie should be supervising, and trying to keep Natasha awake, anyway."

Natasha was barely conscious, as her eyes were closed. But judging by the quiet and pained moan or sigh she would make every few seconds when someone brushed up close to one of her wounds, they knew she was still there, sort of.

Maggie sent Skye a grateful glance, as Bobbi stared between them curiously. Skye said nothing, but Maggie felt bad. "I'll tell you later, Bobbi."

It was too much - Natasha bleeding critically out of her abdomen? Maggie trying to suppress the bleeding? Forget the fact that the memory was almost twenty years old; that was just a panic attack and later nightmare waiting to happen.

"Alright. I'll get to work on this thigh one. Try to get a handle on her shoulder one, and talk to her," Bobbi snapped Maggie out of her thoughts. The young redhead nodded.

She made her way over beside Natasha's head, taking one of the towels Skye had found and a disinfectant wipe to try to clean some of the wound after it stopped bleeding as much. She silently thanked Bruce for teaching her basic medical knowledge over the years.

"Hey, Mama, are you still with us?" Maggie spoke quietly as she began firmly pressing on the bullet wound. "Can you open your eyes?"

Natasha exhaled painfully, her eyelids fluttering slightly. After a few more moments, she tried cracking the one closest to Maggie open. Her usual emerald rings were shaded with the pain and exhaustion from the fight, and she slowly managed to get her other eye open and focused on Maggie.

"Лапушка," She dragged out, her voice barely above a whisper, and thick with exhaustion. Maggie was focused solely on her mother, blocking out Skye and Bobbi's voices.

"I'm here, Mama," Maggie promised softly, watching Natasha's eyes begin to roll back again, as she fought off the tempting draw of sleep. "Please, hang on, FitzSimmons is coming soon."

"They'll fix me," Natasha exhaled, her words barely coherent. "You'll fix me."

"Yeah, we will, I promise," Maggie nodded. "I swear on Avenger's honor."

Natasha smiled faintly, but frowned again when she remembered what had brought them there. "HYDRA."

"They didn't track us. We're safe," _For now._ Maggie didn't want to add the realistic second half of the sentence. "You're safe."

Despite the different aches and wounds on her body, Natasha managed to subtly shake her head. "Fought Alexei."

Maggie swallowed the lump in her throat. All she could remember, aside from the constant stream of bullets and frantic shouting between herself and her teammates, trying desperately to make a new plan on the spot, was hearing Natasha's pained cry. Unsurprisingly, Natasha had ended up away from them - she slipped in and out of the picture a lot during huge firefights like the one they had just been in - and took down a good number of men by herself.

Unfortunately, it seemed HYDRA had wanted her specifically, as somehow they managed to take down the Black Widow with one single agent. Maggie didn't catch his face as Skye shot at him from a distance, distracting him enough for Bobbi and Maggie to take Natasha away.

But now it seemed the mystery of that person was solved, and Maggie felt herself tense up nervously. She frowned, and her breath caught in her throat. Despite her state, Natasha must have noticed, as her tired eyes met Maggie's, unwavering.

"Maggie."

The young agent shook her head, trying to reassure Natasha (and herself). "Skye shot him. He won't be coming after us any time soon."

Natasha looked just about as convinced as Maggie felt. "глу́пый."

Maggie didn't mind Natasha calling her silly and foolish. It helped lightened the mood, slightly. "Right back at you, деби́л," _Dumbass. _She smirked.

Natasha's eyes lazily darted to the ceiling and back to Maggie's, which Maggie took as an eye roll. She also could hear Natasha's voice insisting that Maggie be nicer to her mother. _I gave_ birth_ to you; you should appreciate me more!_

"FitzSimmons is here," Bobbi's voice suddenly snapped Maggie out of the brief light moment, as the redhead looked up to see two worried scientists rushing through the lab toward them.

"We came as quick as we could!" Simmons' distressed voice made Maggie feel almost relieved. "Is she…?"

"She's okay, I think, for now," Skye tried to assure her close friend to the best of her ability and medical knowledge. "But we need you."

Simmons nodded, knowing her job. Fitz gave her shoulder an encouraging squeeze before taking their equipment from the field and walking out of the room.

"Where do you need us, Jemma?" Bobbi asked as she placed the medical supplies she had been using back on the table beside them. "I was just stitching up a gash on her thigh."

"I'm trying to keep this bleeding under control, but I think you need to look at it," Skye explained, gesturing with her head to her bloodied hands. "We tried to find some medical supplies, but…"

Simmons approached quickly. "Alright. Bobbi, my old tools are in the drawer on the far wall behind me, third drawer on the right. Skye, let me in so I can see the wound more clearly."

As the agents did as they were told, Maggie watched Natasha's eyes flutter closed once more. "And, me, Jemma…?"

"Try to keep Agent Roman-" Simmons suddenly stopped, her eyes briefly flashing sorrow, as she softly amended her statement. "Keep supporting your mother. Try to keep her awake for a few more minutes as I check on this wound."

Maggie nodded as Bobbi quickly returned with the requested tools and supplies.

"I'll go help Fitz," Bobbi excused herself, knowing Simmons would want to clear out the room soon.

"Thank you, Bobbi," Simmons dismissed her with a polite smile, before gently moving Skye's hands to look at the wound. She frowned. "Judging by the location, I will probably need to go in and repair some things. Skye, can you set up-"

"An IV? Yeah, I've got you covered," Skye rushed away, pulling out the proper supplies from a cabinet behind the bed. "I'll just get everything."

"Mama, look at me," Maggie ordered gently, laying her less bloodied hand on Natasha's cheek. "Come on, I know you're stronger than this."

Maggie wasn't trying to be mean; she was trying to challenge her mother, as the spy could be quite competitive. She hoped it would work.

And it did, briefly. Natasha's eyes opened slightly, the dull green peeking out through narrow slits. "Tired."

That wasn't good. Natasha _never _admitted when she was fading away, or feeling weak.

"I know, I know, I'm sorry, but you need to stay awake for a little longer," Maggie begged her.

Natasha's eyes opened a little wider, enough to detect Skye and Simmons' quick movements around them, as they tried to prep for surgery. "Bad?"

_It's _so_ bad._ Maggie bit her lip sadly. "You'll be fine. Simmons is going to do some surgery and fix a few things, that's all."

Her voice was shaking, and her expression was falling. Natasha blinked slowly.

"You don't have to try and talk anymore. Just try to save your strength," Maggie advised quietly.

"Maggie," Simmons spoke softly, putting a gloved hand on Maggie's arm. "It's time."

Maggie wanted to fight the scientist, to stay with her mom and protect her. But she knew it would only make things worse.

"Okay," She said reluctantly, before turning back to Natasha. She leaned down slowly, placing a kiss to her mother's forehead, her long hair providing a brief screen of privacy separating them from the brunettes. "Keep fighting, Mama. I'll be back soon."

Natasha's eyes fluttered briefly. Though she looked like she had not heard Maggie's words, Maggie knew Natasha was somewhat aware of what was going on around her, and that most of her attention had been focused on her daughter.

"Good luck, Jemma," Maggie wished the scientist softly, beginning to slowly walk away from the bedside.

She stopped when she felt something pull her back. Looking behind her, she noticed she had been holding Natasha's hand.

When had that happened?

* * *

"Maggie," Skye's voice stopped Maggie, as the redhead was washing her hands in the bathroom sink, trying to get rid of all the red. All the damn red.

Had it ever really left her hands from that time twenty years ago?

She turned to look at Skye as she entered, first aid kit in hand. "Your arm."

It was then that Maggie looked down at her arm, the upper area where she generally had gotten shots as a kid at the doctor's office. She noticed it was bleeding.

"When did that get there?" She wondered aloud, eyebrows furrowed.

Despite the circumstances, Skye actually chuckled, shaking her head in exasperation. "Your entire family is insane. You know that, right? You never realize you're hurt until you're on the ground."

Skye's voice trailed off in an air of amusement, as she gestured for Maggie to sit up on the counter.

Maggie rolled her eyes. "Really? What am I, a child?"

"My rookie," Skye corrected her. "Therefore, I will provide medical assistance."

Maggie complied with an amused huff, sitting up on the counter, allowing Skye access to the bullet lodged in her arm.

The former hacker smirked. "You remind me of May, sometimes, too."

"Really?"

"Oh, yeah. She'd get, quote, 'little,' end quote, wounds like this, and never bat an eye," Skye recalled. "It took AC to get her back down to normal human level so he could patch her up."

Maggie's eyes twinkled in amusement. "Those two _so _belong together."

"That, they do," Skye agreed as she worked on the wound. Maggie flinched slightly as her S.O. pulled the bullet out with tweezers. "Seriously? No pain?"

"Irritation. Kind of like a reverse flu shot?" Maggie shrugged. "I don't know. I think the adrenaline's still going."

"Probably," Skye sighed as she grabbed a gauze patch. "You were still fighting when we came back here. Makes sense."

Maggie knew what Skye was referring to. She had to fight against the similar memories of Natasha bleeding out at her hands from her childhood.

"I still have to explain to Bobbi," Maggie murmured sadly.

"I think she'll understand if you don't want to," Skye tried to reassure her as she bandaged the wound. "I'm surprised she actually doesn't know, considering Clint. I thought he would've told her."

"Maybe she knows, but she didn't put two-and-two together," Maggie figured. "After all, I was surprised _you _figured it out, as I had barely managed to figure out my sudden hesitation when you did."

"I'm just that good," Skye said confidently, giving Maggie's arm a pat when she finished. "All good to go."

Maggie smiled gratefully as she lowered herself back down to the ground. "Thanks, Skye."

"Don't mention it, baby Avenger," Skye threw out the longtime nickname used for Maggie by many S.H.I.E.L.D. agents over the years, hoping to keep the mood light. "That's what I'm here for."

There was a brief pause as Skye washed her hands, and Maggie stared at the mirror thoughtfully.

Then, "What do we do now?"

Skye sighed, shutting off the water and reaching for a paper towel. "Now we wait. With so many HYDRA agents around, I doubt S.H.I.E.L.D.'s close enough to come get us. Not to mention Simmons has to finish up first, anyway."

"Damn," Maggie cursed quietly, her expression stressed.

"Might as well call in the Avengers; they'll be quicker," Skye joked as she wiped her hands, but Maggie stopped.

She looked at Skye for a moment. "That's actually not a bad idea."

"Really?" Skye questioned. "'Cause it'll probably get us fired."

"Aunt Ria won't let that happen, plus I'm sure my parents will vouch for you," Maggie rolled her eyes, temporarily forgetting Natasha's current occupation. "My dad's on a mission not too far away."

"How do you know that?"

"My mom tracks him. They all track each other. I think he's with my Uncle Clint and Uncle Brucie."

"Aw, no Thor? He'd be able to get here quickly."

"He's on Asgard with my Auntie Jane right now."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's contact them, then!"

* * *

While Skye and Fitz focused on trying to safely contact the three Avengers, Maggie sat in Coulson's old office with Bobbi.

Well, technically, Maggie wasn't the one sitting - Bobbi was. Maggie was pacing.

Bobbi had known the girl long enough to observe a wide spectrum of her nervous habits, and she knew pacing was up there with one of the more stressful ones. She watched Maggie walk back and forth.

"You're making me tired just by watching you," She finally commented, and Maggie paused to look over at her.

"Old habits die hard," She shrugged in reply before returning to her ritual.

Bobbi rolled her eyes, amused. Watching Maggie had always reminded her of Natasha, as she had known the agent for many years now.

There were obvious differences in personality - though, everyone had a feeling Maggie just exhibited the true personality of the spy that Natasha had always hid from everyone else - and behavior, but not so much in appearance. Looking at Maggie from the back, Bobbi could almost convince herself she was looking at Natasha.

Their faces were very similar, save for the blue eyes from Steve. Maggie also had a hint of freckles, which Steve blamed on his Irish origins. The hair was definitely the same as Natasha's, though Maggie's long red waves cascaded beautifully down her back. She had always preferred long hair, as opposed to Natasha's normal shoulder length curls.

Maggie showcased a wide variety of expressions, a lot of which could be traced back to either of her parents. Whether it was showing the same confusion Steve did when showed new and unfamiliar twenty-first century technology, or giving the same mischievous smirk that everyone had grown to fear when seen on Natasha's face, Maggie's face often quite said it all.

Despite the super soldier serum, Maggie was short and small, just like her mother, though not as petite. It frustrated the redhead quite often, as Steve made sure to over-offer help and assistance in reaching things on tops of shelves, since he knew it would annoy her.

"Bobbi? You're staring again."

Maggie's intrigued voice drew Bobbi from her thoughts, and the senior agent gave a light laugh. She could probably convince herself that Maggie had the exact same voice as Natasha, if she really wanted to.

"Sorry. I was just thinking."

Her pacing seemed to be done for now, as she took a seat beside the blonde agent on the couch instead. "About what?"

"You. Your mom. Your dad. Everything," Bobbi answered honestly. "You're a good mix of the two."

Maggie looked confused and taken off guard for a moment, before thanking her.

"Seriously, though, your mom will pull through. She always does," Bobbi tried to reassure the redhead.

Maggie smiled appreciatively. "Thanks. I think so, too."

They fell silent for a few minutes after that, neither agent having anything to say. It was a comfortable silence, similar to the ones they had shared years and years ago. After Maggie began trusting Bobbi dating Clint, the blonde agent had grown on the girl fairly quickly. Soon, Maggie was dragging her off to spend time with her, as opposed to Clint. And to Clint's exasperation, Bobbi had returned the same sentiment quite often, and the two females would ditch the poor archer on outings occasionally. But it had been fine, because Clint was just glad two of the most important girls in his life got along.

Some days, Maggie would just show up in Bobbi's office in the Triskelion, set her stuff down, and curl up in a chair with a book or her tablet while Bobbi read through files. It was peaceful and relaxing.

Despite Maggie's close relationships with different S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who were still actively working with the organization, such as Skye, Maria, and Bobbi herself, Maggie typically worked unaffected by her personal connections.

"Bobbi," Maggie suddenly began, "I should probably explain, uh, earlier…"

"I know now," Bobbi admitted apologetically. "Clint told me about it after it happened. I remember it, too - how your mom was out for a while afterward. Since I didn't know you very well at the time, I wasn't around to see what effect this all had on you. It must've been so scary."

Maggie nodded quietly, almost ashamed. "Yeah."

"You're brave, still wanting to do this job after seeing all of that," Bobbi reflected, looking up at the ceiling. Her eyes traveled the room, remembering the days when Coulson had occupied the room. "I admire you for that."

Maggie seemed to do a double take. "_You _admire _me_?" She echoed in disbelief.

Bobbi nodded, looking back at Maggie. Briefly, she saw not the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, but the young, innocent girl who wore a tight and serious expression when they first met after Bobbi began dating Clint. Then, Maggie had scrutinized Bobbi's every move, studying the agent closely to ensure her godfather's safety in dating her.

Bobbi smiled at the memory, noting how similar Maggie still looked, despite the age difference. "I do."

Before Maggie could argue, Skye and Fitz walked in, talking technological nonsense that neither Maggie nor Bobbi could follow very well. As soon as Skye saw Bobbi and Maggie, though, she gave them a 'thumb's up.' "The Avengers have been contacted. They said they'll be here in a couple of hours."

"Dr. Banner said he'll also check up on Agent Romanoff, and help Simmons with anything left to do by the time they come," Fitz announced.

"Good," Bobbi sighed in relief. "Is there any news?"

"Jemma is still working," Fitz answered, shooting Maggie a cautious glance. "No news is good news, though."

"I suppose," Maggie murmured reluctantly.

"Who even was that guy?" Skye wondered aloud, frustrated by the situation, as she leaned back against the desk, arms crossed over her chest. "I definitely don't think he went down when I shot him."

"He didn't," Maggie answered quietly, not making eye contact with anyone.

Bobbi looked between Skye and Maggie, focusing more on the latter. "Do you know who it was?"

Maggie didn't answer at first, her mind lost in memories. She shook her head to clear them. "I do. His name is Alexei Shostakov, also known as the Red Guardian."

"The Red Guardian?" Fitz echoed from across the room.

"That's the guy…" Skye's voice trailed off as she looked at Maggie sympathetically.

"The guy from the Red Room who attacked my mom and me all those years ago, yes," Maggie confirmed softly. "Which means…"

"The Red Room, or whatever's left of it, is with HYDRA," Bobbi finished, her voice trailing off with a sigh.

"Or, they're just in it to grab Romanoff," Fitz pointed out.

"Either way, disgusting," Skye commented.

Maggie thought for a moment before speaking again. "Alexei must've known I was there. That's why he shot my mom in the exact same place."

"Maybe," Bobbi murmured, unsure.

"Either way, this makes sense now," Skye said. "I overheard some men talking to each other, saying something about a widow."

"The Black Widow," Fitz realized aloud.

"They want Natasha back," Bobbi confirmed. "Or, at least, the Red Room and KGB want her back. I'm not sure if HYDRA is involved, or if it's all one in the same."

"Then we need to stay on the lookout," Skye decided, taking on the tone of a leader. "They're probably looking for us."

"Fitz, do you know how much longer Jemma will be working?" Bobbi asked.

The scientist shrugged. "Anywhere from another hour to a few."

"This is going to be a long night," Maggie sighed, defeated.

* * *

They took turns resting and keeping watch. Skye and Bobbi both made sure to leave Maggie with the last shift, as they wanted her to rest the longest.

But any sleep that Maggie got was plagued by nightmares and bad memories. She dreamed of the worst case scenarios she hadn't dreamed of in a while, the memories from the present merging with those from twenty years prior. It frustrated her when she couldn't separate them.

It was Skye who woke her from her worst one, which Maggie had emerged from on the verge of tears. Her supervising officer had just given her a hug and rubbed her back while Maggie tried to regain composure.

That was one benefit of already having a personal relationship with her 'S.O.'; Maggie had seen Skye at some of her low points over the years, still unsure of herself and her powers, and vice versa. They knew how to help each other already.

"It's time for your shift, Maggie, if you're up for it." Skye told her after her breathing returned to normal.

Maggie nodded. "I could use something to do."

"Sounds good," Skye stood up, handing Maggie her gun and a Walkie-Talkie. "I'll still be up and around, keeping a watch on the digital side of things. Just call if you need anything."

"Thanks," Maggie took the gun with a calm expression. "How is-"

"Still in surgery, but should be over soon. Last I saw, it looked like Simmons was getting ready to start stitching her up," Skye swiftly answered. "When she's done, Bobbi and I will take over guard dog duties."

Skye's expression and voice, though compassionate and warm, left no room for argument. Maggie just nodded, smiling gratefully.

* * *

"It's thanks to her enhancements and serums she was able to hang in there for so long," Simmons reported to Maggie about forty-five minutes later. "And, of course, her fighting spirit."

"I'm so relieved," Maggie sighed, placing a hand over her heart. "I'm pretty sure the stress has taken a few years off of my life."

"I'm sure you'll be fine, Maggie," Simmons assured the redhead playfully, patting her back gently. "You're the super soldier here."

"I guess that's true," Maggie shrugged. "Thank you so much, Jemma."

"Oh, Maggie, you know you're not supposed to thank me! I was just doing what I could and should," Simmons brushed her off with a wave of her hand. "Both as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, and your friend."

Maggie smiled warmly, peering behind Simmons and through the glass in which her mother lied in bed. She was hooked up to a few machines, and seemed to be sleeping peacefully and painlessly. "Can I see her?"

"Normally, I'd say 'no,' but I think you both need it," Simmons answered honestly. "Just don't wake her up."

Maggie nodded. "Yes, Dr. Simmons," She said with a mock-salute.

Simmons rolled her eyes. "Oh, just go in there already! I'll be out here cleaning up. Call me if you need anything, or something changes."

* * *

Maggie sat by Natasha's bed, impatiently waiting for her mother to wake up. Or for her father and uncles to arrive. Or, really, just both to happen simultaneously.

She was starting to get nervous again. She feared HYDRA may burst in at any moment, Alexei leading the troops, demanding their 'Natalia Romanova' be returned to them.

Natasha's condition didn't change, which Simmons had assured her was good. The main thing they'd have to worry about was transportation, but the scientist figured they could worry about that later.

Now, it was just waiting, waiting, waiting.

Maggie had even begun to doze off when, suddenly, a distant _thud _shook her out of her thoughts.

She began panicking. _No, it can't be… _

Another _thud_, this time closer and louder, and Maggie could even feel the slight shaking of the structure with it. She frowned. Maybe Skye had gotten startled and was shaking the place up?

She knew it wasn't Skye. The agent had learned how to control her powers _years _ago. There was no way she could lose it now.

But, as another, closer, _thud _sounded, the impossible started to sound a little more appealing to Maggie.

Simmons came in first, her face flustered and eyes wide. "HYDRA's here. They're trying to break in."

Maggie stood up from her chair, taking a deep breath to calm herself. "I'll go out there and fight."

But Simmons shook her head. "We need someone here to protect your mother; they're after her."

Suddenly, the Walkie-Talkie Maggie had pocketed hours before crackled to life.

"_Maggie? Maggie, are you there?" _

It was Skye. Maggie held down the button to speak. "I'm here, Skye. I'm with my mom and Simmons, in the lab."

"_Good. Stay there for now." _Skye ordered, just as Simmons had. _"Those sounds you were hearing are some grenades Fitz is throwing out. If they keep pushing, I'm going to let loose a little." _

"Remember to look out for Alexei," Maggie warned. "He'll probably come alone… Are my dad and uncles here yet?"

"_Not yet. They're supposed to be here soon, but…" _

Skye's voice trailed off, and Maggie could hear Bobbi yelling something, and Fitz answering with a yell. Simmons and Maggie shared uneasy expressions.

"_Looks like the main party's here now. Talk to you soon." _

"Skye!"

There was no answer. Maggie frowned, setting the device on the small bedside table. "Jemma, I'm really worried."

"As am I. If HYDRA brought all their forces from before, there's no way three people can hold them off," She sighed, sounding stressed.

"If they get past Skye, Bobbi, and Fitz, I'll go out," Maggie established.

Simmons looked ready to argue, but knew what Maggie had said was logical.

Then, a light moan from the bed quickly caused the scientist and redhead to turn their heads.

"Damn, this hurts…"

"Mama!" Maggie beamed, looking down at her mother happily. Natasha squinted against the harsh light, clearly fighting to keep her eyes open. "Are you okay? How are you feeling? Did you sleep well? Do you remember what happened?"

"Too many questions," Natasha muttered, closing her eyes with a groan. "Slow down."

Simmons, much calmer, approached the bed with a relieved expression. "Welcome back, Agent Romanoff. I take it you're feeling alright?"

"More or less," Natasha answered shortly, slowly opening her eyes again. "What…?"

"HYDRA," Maggie explained briefly, and Natasha furrowed her brow for a moment.

"No… Alexei."

"Well, we've discovered they're kind of together now," Maggie amended. "But that's beside the point."

"Wanted me," Natasha stared up at the ceiling, recalling her jumbled memories of the fight.

"Do you know why?" Simmons inquired softly.

"This was… Out of nowhere," Natasha managed after a moment, trying to convey the true surprise she had felt at Alexei's sudden appearance.

Simmons looked at Maggie. "Fitz told me what happened. I thought the Red Guardian was in S.H.I.E.L.D. custody after he attacked you?"

"So did I. I remember…" Maggie trailed off as the memories played vividly in her mind once more. "I remember Uncle Bucky fighting him when help came."

"Captured, then escaped," Natasha sighed, exhaustion ringing in her voice.

"_What_?" Maggie gaped at her mother, shocked.

"Didn't tell you, didn't want to scare you. Sorry," Natasha shrugged, almost nonchalantly. Maggie blamed her unconcerned countenance on the drugs.

"Well, _now_ I'm scared!" Maggie protested with an upset expression. "When did he escape?"

"Few years after. It was irrelevant," Natasha answered, throwing out a half-hearted reason for not telling Maggie.

Maggie just sighed, looking down at her hands, which were placed upon the side of the bed. "I guess I can't argue that, huh?"

Natasha hummed a little. "Mother… Knows best."

Though she was hardly singing, Maggie smirked. "Really? A _Tangled _reference, now?"

"Why not?" Natasha sighed, her eyes fluttering closed.

Simmons finally decided to re-enter the conversation. "Agent Romanoff, I advise you to go back to sleep now. You need the rest."

Natasha nodded slightly, but paused when the sound of gunfire reached their ears. Maggie frowned, walking to the glass panels of the room to glance around outside. She saw nothing, but knew their friends must be in trouble.

And the Walkie-Talkie beside her mother crackled to life, confirming the same thing.

Maggie and Simmons rushed to the device. They heard shuffling, and a grunt of pain. It was soon followed by snippets of Skye's voice, yelling at who they presumed to be one of the enemies. Something about letting go of the Walkie-Talkie?

Then, Alexei's voice traveled through the device, sounding much clearer. _"Bring me the Widow." _

It was short and to the point. Natasha stared at her daughter with a worried frown.

"_Bring me Natalia Romanova, or I will take the lives out here." _

Simmons and Maggie shared a nervous glance, knowing full well what he meant.

"_You have five minutes." _

Was he bluffing? God, if he had been anyone else, Maggie may have suspected that.

But judging by the look on Natasha's face, he was not.

Natasha was completely awake in an instant, and she moved her arms, trying to place her hands under her, to push herself up. Simmons and Maggie were quickly by her sides, holding her down.

"No, Mama, you can't go," Maggie protested, her eyes looking icier than ever.

"Yes, Agent Romanoff, you need to stay in bed. We will figure something out," Simmons added.

"Didn't you hear him?" Natasha argued, her words still jumbled and slurred from exhaustion. She weakly struggled against the two women keeping her down in the bed. "He's going to kill the others!"

"That doesn't mean we're going to throw you out there to be killed," Simmons pointed out.

_Or worse. _Maggie grimaced as her mind automatically imagined the _'or worse' _scenarios.

Natasha tried protesting some more, but Maggie's eyes drifted to the chair on the other side of the small glass room, on which Natasha's torn and ragged clothes were lying. The Widow's Bites were sitting on the seat of the chair, and on the table beside them, she saw scissors. She ran a hand through her long hair thoughtfully.

"_Four minutes." _

Time was running out. They needed to do something. _Immediately. _

"I don't care if you wheel me out there; just get me out there!" Natasha insisted hastily, her emerald eyes looking as anxious as ever. "If you don't…"

"Agent Romanoff, we aren't going to participate in a hostage exchange!" Simmons insisted, her own willpower rivaling Natasha's.

"No, actually," Maggie spoke up, letting go of her mother and walking to the tattered catsuit, "I think we will."

Simmons looked at her as if she was crazy. "Maggie, now is not the time for nonsense!"

Maggie grabbed the leather outfit, the hourglass belt, the Widow's Bites, and the scissors. After examining the items for a few moments, she turned back to Simmons with a determined expression. "It's not nonsense; it's to buy time."

Natasha was still out of it, so she wasn't sure what Maggie was implying, but Simmons knew. She stared at Maggie for a moment before speaking, her expression and voice dark. "Maggie… Are you sure?"

"I'll send the others back up here, assuming they aren't too banged up… When they come, just focus on trying to get out of here, somehow; I'll catch up." Maggie insisted, walking toward the door.

"_Three minutes." _

Simmons began tearing up, but blinked the tears away, nodding her approval. "Good luck."

With that, Maggie raced out of the room, leaving a distraught Natasha wondering what her daughter was doing, and whether she would see her again.

* * *

"Your time is almost up," Alexei spoke smugly, eying the three S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who were sitting on the floor, restrained.

Normally, Skye, Bobbi, and Fitz could break out of the restraints, but there were so many men surrounding them, it would be futile. And if they died out there, it would leave Maggie, Natasha, and Simmons unguarded.

Soon, shaky footsteps sounded in the hallway, and everyone turned toward it. The HYDRA men stared blankly, while Alexei looked pleased with himself.

The three captive S.H.I.E.L.D. agents managed to crane their necks to see, and weren't sure what to make of the sight. Skye was the most disturbed by the newcomer, however, as she had an idea as to what was happening.

A figure was slowly walking down the corridor, leaning heavily against the wall, her head down. Her face was hidden behind by a curtain of red curls that everyone associated with the Black Widow.

Her uniform tattered, and blood coming from different tears in the leather, the frail, shaking woman gradually made her way out of the hall and into the garage.

Alexei barked out a laugh, walking over to the defeated redhead, who was leaning against the wall, still looking down, and breathing heavily.

"Hello, Natalia. It's been a while," He spoke in natural, fluent Russian as he stopped in front of her. "I see you've managed to stand on your own now."

"My team… Started patching me up," She spoke lowly and shortly, also in Russian. She had yet to look up at the man.

If Alexei noticed the difference based on the Russian, he didn't show it. He grabbed hold of her arm, pulling her exhausted body close to his sturdy form. She grit her teeth, but didn't vocalize her pain. Instead, as she was facing away from him, she cracked a cautious eye open, making eye contact with Skye, Bobbi, and Fitz.

And as they stared into the small, but deep, deep abyss of baby blue, they held their breaths and nervously waited. Skye tried to contain the high magnitude quake she could feel bubbling up in her chest.

"You have me now, Alexei…" The redhead croaked painfully in Russian, her body gradually going limp against his. "Let my team go."

Alexei smirked, seeming to enjoy the way she was slowly collapsing in his arms. "You really _have _gone soft, Natalia. First the archer, then Captain America, and a daughter? Now you're giving yourself up for people you have no relations with."

"This… Is not their fight," She breathed out, exhaustion creeping up her voice. Her head was back to facing down, toward the ground, as she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of needing to lean her head against his shoulder. That would be a sign of weakness. "It's _our _fight."

Alexei thought for a moment. "Fine, then. Men, please."

The agents standing around the restrained trio forced the captives onto their feet roughly. Maggie dared to crack an eye open again, this time assessing them for injuries. It didn't look like anything major, just bruises and cuts from hand-to-hand combat.

"You may release them, now," Alexei finally commanded as Maggie closed her eyes again, slightly relieved, returning to her exhausted appearance.

But, the sudden, scared intake of breath by Fitz caught her off guard, as she quickly opened her eyes to her friends standing on the wrong end of a gun.

Well, more accurately, a few guns.

"Alexei, this was _not _the deal!" Maggie quickly protested, anxiety crawling up her voice and causing her Russian to waver.

Alexei scoffed. "Neither were _you._"

He roughly pushed her away, and she fell to the ground, her body still limp from the fight before. Or, at least, that's what Maggie was trying to portray.

"You are not the Black Widow,_ liar._"

Maggie refused to give up that easily. Still trying to act like her mother, her brave, strong mother, she carefully pushed herself up with her arms, stumbling as she slowly stood up.

"You can't even recognize your own wife anymore?" She ground out slowly, ignoring the disgusted feeling she had in her gut from the words.

That seemed to get on his nerves, as the next thing she knew, there was a fist inches from her face. Normally, Maggie would be able to fight back, but she knew that with the condition Alexei had left Natasha in, her mother would not have been able to.

And she fell back to the ground again, this time her face _actually _hurting. When she opened her eyes once more, she saw Alexei reaching for a gun, tucked in his belt.

But, suddenly, there was a loud sound from the far end of the garage, and a roar.

Hulk's roar.

The HYDRA agents broke rank as an arrow lodged itself into one of the agents in the back, and caused a minor explosion. Next came a round-shaped red, white, and blue blur that took out another group.

Maggie looked over and saw Fitz, Skye, and Bobbi breaking free from their restraints as they took out the men surrounding them.

But, as she turned, Alexei was looming over her, and grabbed her by the sparse remnants of the front side of Natasha's catsuit. She struggled against him.

"I told you I was her…" Maggie smirked, cracking her eyes open to narrow slits, enough that he would not be able to easily determine the color of her eyes. "And, it just so happens, she has friends."

He punched her again, and despite the chaos around them, it felt like Maggie was alone with him. This fight was personal, she realized.

"And how would Natalia feel if I killed all these _friends_?" Alexei sneered, practically in her now bruised face.

Lifting her head back up from the blow, Maggie glared at him with a gaze as cold as a Russian winter. "Pissed," She answered shortly in the same venomous tone in English, catching Alexei off guard with a right hook.

He released her from the shock of the blow, and Maggie stumbled backward on her feet for a few moments. However, he recovered before her, and charged.

"You are _not _Natalia," Alexei hissed, launching a fist at her, though he had figured it out minutes before.

She dodged easily, glad she actually wasn't as hurt as she was pretending to be, grabbing his arm with her strong grip. "Her name is _Natasha._"

With that, she twisted his arm and flipped him. Before she could take advantage of this, he jumped back up on his feet, and faced her with an unreadable expression. He looked mostly upset, but also somewhat surprised. And… Was that satisfaction in there?

Though not with the Red Room, Maggie had still been trained to fight - something Natasha had been vehemently against the last time Alexei had seen her. But S.H.I.E.L.D. training and Red Room training were different.

Her high school self-defense class had sucked (read: _Maggie _sucked at the self-defense class and could not actually fight to save her life), but with the S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy, and the combined efforts of her parents, Skye, Bobbi, and everyone else, she had gotten pretty decent at defending herself.

Despite this training from the 'good' side, Maggie was now filled with a dark desire to destroy - not just defeat. She tended to pride herself on not 'hating' anyone, but, if she was being honest with herself, she _loathed _Alexei Shostakov.

And now that she was presented with the opportunity to engage in combat with him, she found herself seeing red and seething in anger.

It was almost like a dance. She threw a punch, Alexei dodged; he threw a punch, Maggie dodged. They managed to actually hit each other every few moves or so, but Maggie was determined not to lose this fight.

With each punch or kick, she thought of her family, especially Natasha. _That _was who she was mainly fighting for, after all. Maybe Maggie couldn't reverse or make up for the decades of torture and guilt, but she knew she could avenge them.

At one point, he had her pinned, despite her struggling. Alexei had a hand around her throat, and another one coming down to punch her. She managed to block it, but her wrist trembled with the effort to keep his hand inches away from her face. Gravity was not in her favor.

"Give it up, child," Alexei insisted in Russian. "Your mother could never beat me, and neither can you."

As Natasha was mentioned once more, Maggie's anger grew, and she briefly wondered if _she _could Hulk out. But as she glanced at her wrist, right above her face, blocking Alexei's forearm, she remembered something crucial.

She was wearing the Widow's Bites.

_Shit, how do I turn these on? _Maggie wondered as she struggled. _Are they just always on, by default? Or is there some sort of switch somewhere…?_

On her unoccupied hand lying at her side, she twitched her fingers around a bit, until she heard the crackle of the electricity sparking to life. Unable to contain a proud (and slightly fangirling, as this had always been a life goal for her) smirk, she pushed her hand into Alexei's arm.

He fell back in shock, and Maggie rolled away from him. She was back on her feet in less than a second, and launched herself at Alexei once more.

Now that she had the advantage, she was able to land several good hits, pushing him closer and closer toward a wall, trapping him.

Maggie took a moment to breathe after forcefully pushing him away from her and into the wall, using the brief break to remember her last encounter with the Russian man. She had been young and frightened, trembling in the very presence of him as he loomed over her and Natasha. Maggie had begged him to help Natasha, but he had instead insisted Natasha was as good as dead.

One look at Alexei's face suggested he was recalling the same memory. He smiled darkly, blood from the various blows to his face dirtying his teeth. His appearance was still scary and intimidating to Maggie, but not as much as before; now, she could actually defend herself against him.

"You've grown stronger," He praised, using a tone of voice Maggie suspected was used on young girls he trained in the Red Room, as he slowly walked up closer to her. She kept her guard up. "Much stronger than the pitiful little girl who cried and cried for someone to save her."

"Well, judging by how that day turned out afterward, I'd say the crying worked," Maggie quipped.

Alexei looked almost remorseful for a moment. "What a waste of potential. If you had come with me that day, you would be so much stronger."

"If I had come with you that day, I'd probably be dead," Maggie's eyes narrowed skeptically. "Or worse."

The Russian nodded thoughtfully. "Or worse," He repeated, confirming her suspicions.

This conversation was just like their initial encounter - half Russian, half English. Even though Maggie could speak Russian now, she didn't care to give Alexei that satisfaction.

"Your first mission would have been to eliminate your father; he would be too weak to raise a hand against you," Alexei suddenly informed her. "Taking care of your mother would have been too nice for her; she wouldn't have to live with the pain of knowing what you had become."

Maggie took a deep breath to compose herself. She wasn't going to let this so-called 'Red Guardian' rile her up and throw her off.

"Well, you amazingly failed," Maggie replied in a bored tone.

"Though, sending you after Natalia was also quite tempting," He continued, as if she hadn't spoken. "The look on her face as you would kill her slowly and painfully - I can only imagine."

Maggie clenched her fists at her sides, satisfied as she heard the Widow's Bites obediently crackle to life once more. Forget getting riled up - now she was _definitely _only seeing red.

And maybe she could never wash Natasha's blood off - but she sure as hell could cover it with something else.

She charged the Russian with all her might, eying the metal door on the wall behind him. Remembering a story of how her father had once pushed a man through a door on a S.H.I.E.L.D. ship that had been taken hostage, she wondered if she could do the same.

Alexei didn't have a chance to protest or say any more, as Maggie barreled through the locked door with his body at full speed. It actually collapsed from the force without much resistance, and Maggie was dazed for a moment, having landed roughly on top of Alexei. She slowly pushed herself up enough to stare at his face, and determine he was out cold.

She raised a hand to strike him again, her mind only focused on one thing: _destroy. _

_Am I really any better than someone trained in the Red Room? _

Luckily, Skye's voice from the doorway stopped Maggie from going down that road and having to answer that question.

"Holy. Shit."

Maggie snapped out of her fighting craze, and relaxed the muscles in her raised hand. A moment later, she stood up from Alexei's battered and unconscious body, looking back at her mentor, who stood in the space where the door had once been on its hinges. Now it lie on the ground, underneath Alexei's limp form.

The young agent was breathing heavily, worn out from the fight with Alexei. She was numbly aware of the various injuries on her body as she stared at Skye for a few moments, quickly looking her mentor over for wounds. Skye was mostly unharmed, save for bruises and cuts just like before, as Maggie was sure most of them were sporting similar injuries.

With the assurance and relief that Skye was okay, Maggie finally spoke. "Well, this is awkward."

Skye looked on, exasperated. The former hacker took a moment to reply, too, as she was doing the same to Maggie - evaluating the extent of her injuries. "Okay, remind me to never, _ever _cross you, Jesus Christ…" The brunette finally walked in, holding a pair of S.H.I.E.L.D. restraints. "Would you like to do the honors? I think you would. You look like you would."

Maggie laughed lightly at Skye's nervous behavior as she took the metal restraints, and flipped Alexei's body over onto his stomach. She pulled his arms behind him, and restrained them with a confident smirk. She then took the night-night gun Skye was offering her and shot him in the back, three times for good measure, to ensure his unconscious state. _For Mama, Daddy, and myself._

She smiled a bit sadistically afterward. "There. Fuck you, Shostakov."

"Very nicely said," Skye commented, amused. "Love the new hairstyle, by the way."

Self-consciously, Maggie brought a bloodied hand up to her much shorter hair, combing her fingers through the tiny length. She shrugged. "I had three minutes to come up with something. What else was I going to do?"

Skye just shook her head, exasperated. "You and your mom are going to drive your dad insane for _sure _now. Poor guy"

Maggie actually laughed, genuinely smiling for the first time since the mission had all gone downhill. "You caught me. That was _at least _90% of the reason I did it - to mess with my dad. The other 10% was you, Bobbi, and Fitz."

Rolling her eyes, Skye threw an arm around the younger agent's shoulders. "We need to work on your priorities, kid. What _are _we going to do with you?"

Before Maggie could sass her S.O. back, Steve's voice could be heard from outside. "Maggie?"

He poked his head into the small room, eyes darting between Alexei's restrained form, and his battered, but standing, daughter.

Skye released her as Maggie's expression brightened like a sunny day at the sight of the soldier.

The redhead rushed up to her father in his uniform, with his shield on his arm and the cowl covering the upper half of his face. He wrapped his arms around her, kissing the top of her head affectionately.

The brunette hacker silently excused herself, letting father and daughter reunite alone.

"I was so worried, Maggie… We came as fast as we could after Skye called," He explained apologetically, meeting her bruised face with a guilty expression.

Maggie shook her head. "You came just in time. Alexei was onto me, and was about to kill Skye, Fitz, and Bobbi."

Steve smiled sadly, running a gentle hand through Maggie's red curls. "I heard about what you did. That was very brave of you."

"It was the only thing we _could _do at the time," Maggie shrugged. "I figured now might be the time to take advantage of mine and Mama's twinning tendencies."

"It was smart, I will say. But, next time, try not to throw yourself into the line of fire like that?" Steve suggested hopefully, his gaze pleading.

Maggie rolled her eyes playfully. "Sure, when you can promise me that you'll do the same thing, Captain America," She remarked, poking his chest for emphasis.

"Alright, alright, I get your point," He sighed, looking around her to see Alexei on the ground. "Now we gotta clear this place out."

"Yeah, you have fun with that; I'm tired," Maggie admitted, as she realized she had not truly slept since before the mission.

"You go back to where Mama is, and get patched up; you look like you've been through a lot," Steve ordered, embracing her once more. "I'll be there soon."

"Mmhmm," She hummed in agreement against his shoulder, closing her eyes to fully take in the moment.

* * *

"Margaret. Romanova. Rogers."

Maggie immediately froze at the voice of her mother as she walked through the doorway of the room. She saw Simmons had raised the back of the bed a little, so Natasha was sitting up more, now. Her enhancements must have been working quickly to heal her, as Natasha looked much better than before. Maggie also figured it was due to the excitement and adrenaline of the past… How long had she fought Alexei? She really had no idea, and the fact that her sense of time could be completely lost like that scared her.

But she was pulled out of thoughts by the expression on Natasha's face. Boy, did she look _pissed. _

So Maggie took a step back, holding her hands up to defend herself. "Hey, don't be mad that I look _just _as good as you in your outfit and style."

Natasha didn't look amused. Simmons wasn't there, either, so that must have meant she had run at the sight of the maternal beast within Natasha emerging.

_Simmons is wise to do that. _

"Get in here. Now," Natasha's voice was quiet, but dangerous.

Maggie hesitated, weighing her options. She might be able to get away now if she ran… But once Natasha was healthy again, she would chase her down for sure, and Maggie would be a dead woman then.

With a heavy heart and sigh, Maggie trudged into the room, avoiding eye contact with the spy. Natasha never took her eyes off of her sulking daughter.

Once Maggie reached her bedside a few painful moments later, Natasha gestured to the space on the bed beside her legs. "Sit."

Maggie sat, and finally looked up at her mother's outraged face. She took a deep breath. "Okay, _I can explain-_"

"Stop," Natasha held up a hand in front of Maggie's face for a moment, but then surprised the young adult as she opened up her arms. "Come here."

A hug? She could handle that. Yeah, yeah, Maggie had this under control. Hopefully.

She entered her mother's embrace, cautiously taking into consideration the different wounds she had seen and helped locate earlier.

Natasha had a hand against the back of Maggie's head, her fingers tangled in the uneven red curls. "деби́л."

Maggie smirked as Natasha flipped the insult back on her. She supposed what she had done today, while brave and tactical, _was_ pretty good _dumbass _material.

She voiced the sentiment. "Okay, you win, I won't insult you back. I definitely deserved that."

Natasha gave a low, throaty laugh, that made Maggie genuinely smile. It was for the moments like these that she had fought against Alexei; these feelings of love and enjoyment were what had driven her to, well, completely annihilate him.

Finally, the spy released her daughter, and examined her face. She frowned, and looked down at Maggie's bruised hands. Her expression grew darker once more as she saw the other lacerations on Maggie's body.

Maggie huffed, and then groaned. "Great. Now we're back to being mad again?"

"Oh, no, you need to hear this lecture," Natasha eyed her daughter sharply. "The hands and the face go together. You were in a fight, okay, makes sense. But I doubt the fight led to you bleeding in the exact same spots I was when _I _was actually wearing that suit."

She looked at her arms and legs, seeing the spots where she had had to do _something _to convince Alexei and HYDRA of her cover.

After she had cut her hair, she realized she couldn't just walk out without any cuts or scratches where Natasha had been slashed or shot. So, she closed her eyes and held her breath as she used the scissors for that part.

It didn't hurt _that _badly, and the cuts were already healing themselves, thanks to the serum. What more could she have done?

Natasha's expression softened as she was able to interpret everything from Maggie's expression. She reached for the first aid kit sitting on the table beside the bed from before, and opened it. "Show me your arms."

And thus Natasha silently began to work. She inspected each self-inflicted cut on Maggie's arms, wiping away the blood and patching up the deeper cuts (which were luckily few in number). She repeated the same process with Maggie's legs, wondering how Maggie had managed to painlessly walk all the way back to this room. Maggie just shrugged in reply.

Next, she moved onto Maggie's face, which was covered in cuts and bruises. Her eyes were not blackened, which was good, and all her teeth and nose were still in place. The bleeding was mainly from her lip and a couple of bad cuts on her skin, which Natasha gently tended to.

Finally, she carefully wrapped Maggie's bruised hands in gauze, after some serious convincing to get Maggie to finally take the Widow's Bites off. She was already in love with the weapons, and Natasha sighed, knowing she would end up having to fight her daughter for the gloves in the future.

The spy finished with a gentle kiss to Maggie's forehead. "There. Now everything is better."

Maggie smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Mama."

Natasha nodded, and grew more serious. "I only heard bits and pieces from Fitz about what happened, when he came to tell Simmons."

Her voice suddenly dropped off, like she wasn't able to reiterate what she had heard. Maggie felt a bit guilty about making her mother worry so much.

"I'm sorry," She apologized more formally. "There were only a few minutes left before Alexei was going to kill them. I didn't know what else we could do, without trying to maneuver you in a hospital bed down to the garage. Even then, I'm not sure that would've worked."

Natasha gave Maggie's hands a gentle squeeze, mindful of the bruises. "Start from the beginning."

Maggie did. She explained how she had done her best acting job, playing weak and broken. She recalled how she hid her face and spoke in low Russian, which worked long enough for Steve, Clint, and Bruce to arrive. She gave a vivid description of how she had fought Alexei, including pushing him through a metal door and using the Widow's Bites on him. When she reached that final part, Maggie dreamily recalled how amazing it felt to use her mother's infamous and personal weapon. Natasha actually laughed at that bit, and congratulated her daughter for a job well done.

A comfortable silence fell over them for a few moments, as Natasha pushed a short strand of Maggie's hair back behind her ear.

"Oh, Maggie," Natasha grieved, inspecting one of Maggie's curls in her hand, "Your hair."

"It'll grow back," Maggie shrugged. "It's fine. Just a little uneven, since I did it in a rush and I don't know how to cut hair. Though, for those same reasons, I am actually kind of proud of how it came out, and I lightweight feel like Mulan right now. Like, I _really _want to go fight some Huns, or something."

Natasha smiled, amused. "Well, I guess like Mulan, you did save us all. You look beautiful no matter what length it is. And, hey, there's nothing wrong with shoulder length."

"Skye suggested we use it to mess with Daddy. Have two Natasha Romanoffs running around the house," Maggie smirked. "Though, before we do that, I think I wanna actually get it fixed to be even."

The spy smirked at Maggie's mischief. "I can even your hair out now, if you want," She offered. "Go grab the scissors."

* * *

That was how Steve found his family: having an impromptu hairstyling appointment. He smiled as he leaned against the doorway, taking in the peaceful scene.

Natasha immediately called him out, never once taking her eyes off of the back of Maggie's head. "You're creepy, just standing over there. Come in already."

Steve gave a light laugh at that, setting his cowl and shield aside on the chair that had once held Natasha's tattered uniform. "I see we're already working on the hair situation."

"Oh, yeah, we've decided to just cut it all off," Maggie announced sarcastically.

Natasha rolled her eyes. "Always one for the dramatics. Just like your father."

It was Steve's turn to roll his eyes as he sat on the other side of the bed. "That's not true."

Maggie scoffed. "It _so _is. You think everything is life or death, like, even when we go to the grocery store, you think not buying something is going to end in, like, the apocalypse."

"When you live with six or seven other psychos, it _would _be like the apocalypse," Natasha pointed out combing her fingers through Maggie's hair and setting the scissors down on the bedside table. "Alright, you're free to move your head."

"_Finally_," Maggie huffed impatiently, turning to face both of her parents. "How do I look _now_?"

Both Avengers were silent for a moment, taking in the appearance of their daughter. She looked as casual and pleasant as ever, almost like she hadn't just fought for her life against the man of her lifelong nightmares only an hour before. Maggie looked as if she didn't have a care in the world, despite how easily things had fallen apart for her for throughout entire day up until this point.

It was then that Natasha and Steve realized they had succeeded. They _had _raised their daughter as they were hoping to, and managed to protect her optimism and upbeat personality, while still teaching her how to defend herself and others in this cruel world.

As Fury had told them years before, it was a mission accomplished.

"...Um? Can someone say something?" Maggie awkwardly asked a few moments later, looking between both of her parents. "Do I really not look good with short hair?"

Steve snapped out of it first, Natasha following a moment later. They both looked apologetic.

"No, it's not that. You're as beautiful as always, Mags," Steve assured her.

"You look better than me with that style, that's for sure," Natasha added. "We were just caught up in the moment and some memories, that's all."

"Oh. Well, try to live in the present! I swear, all people do these days is stare at me…" Maggie grumbled, recalling her encounter with Bobbi earlier.

"They're just jealous of how you're able to work both the long hair and short hair look," Natasha figured with a smirk.

"Probably," Maggie agreed, dramatically flipping her short curls over her shoulder for added effect. "It truly is hard to be beautiful."

"I'm sure," Steve shook his head in exasperation as Natasha just laughed.

They fell into a comfortable silence for a few moments, and Maggie's face grew more serious. "Hey… Is it over now?"

"What?" Both of her parents echoed curiously.

Maggie self-consciously rubbed her arm, darting her eyes to the side with a nervous expression. "The nightmares… You know, about _him_."

Neither Avenger needed a clarification as to who the 'him' was. It was a genuine question - would Alexei still haunt the dreams of their family?

Unfortunately, both Steve and Natasha knew what the answer was. They both wore sad expressions that answered the question for Maggie.

"I guess I just thought with what happened today, this new memory of him…" Her voice trailed off with a sigh as she sat back down at the foot of Natasha's bed.

Natasha blinked thoughtfully before speaking. "The nightmares won't stop completely. But, now, you know that should they ever start to come true, that if he ever enters our lives once more - God forbid - you can beat him. You don't have to lose to him anymore."

"Waking up will truly bring you relief now, as you will wake up in a world where you've already defeated the monster," Steve added. "And, for that, we are so proud of you."

Maggie nodded, casting her gaze downward as she rubbed her eye with a sore fist. Natasha and Steve watched patiently as Maggie's eyes continued to fill with tears, much to her frustration. "S-Sorry, I guess the weight of everything that happened today is starting to set in…"

"The adrenaline's wearing off," Steve explained softly, rubbing her arm comfortingly. "You'll be okay."

"You're a hero, Maggie," Natasha smiled, her expression a mixture of pride, exhaustion, and relief. "Thank you."

Steve noticed how tired both redheads looked. "I think you guys could both use some sleep."

"Probably," Maggie giggled lightly with a sniffle. "I want to sleep for a week."

"That can be arranged," Steve promised as he stood, allowing Natasha to move over slightly.

She patted the new space beside her in the bed. "Over here, Лапушка."

With a tired smile, Maggie slid under the thin sheet, and lied back beside Natasha. She cautiously snuggled into the spy's side, mindful of the injuries they both shared.

Natasha leaned her head closer, pressing a kiss to Maggie's temple."There. Just like old times."

"Yeah…" Maggie yawned in agreement.

"But, this time is a much happier ending," Steve reminded them, as he knew they were all comparing it to the time long ago.

"All thanks to Maggie," Natasha added.

The young redhead didn't reply, however, as she had already drifted off to sleep.

Steve and Natasha shared a proud and relieved expression.

The soldier leaned down, giving Natasha a happy kiss. She smiled against his lips.

"Glad to see you, too, Rogers," Natasha greeted more properly afterward.

"I'm glad to see you're okay," He admitted, staring into her expressive emerald eyes. "You had me worried."

"Well, I'm just hoping I'll be 'okay' enough to go home soon," She grumbled with a frown. "Abandoned S.H.I.E.L.D. base or not, medical wards are not my style. I just want to be back home."

"This is home," Steve corrected her. "Wherever the three of us are together, that's home."

* * *

**A/N: **Has it really been an _entire year_?! Apparently so! Again, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU to all who have been sooo supportive for the past year! And a special shoutout to my dear friend, independentalto, who has been amazing during all the rough patches (especially personal ones) and a great person to bounce plot bunnies/ideas off of! And, of course, my dear best friend in real life, who's randomly influenced this story at some points, or just been a great fangirl for a fandom she's not even in that much.

This story must be my greatest project, ever, so far in my life. So many hours have been put into this, as I confessed to said best friend earlier that I probably spend more time, on average, on each of my oneshots than my term paper. Priorities!

I love all of you even more after the last chapter! You all have been so amazing with my sudden left turn that even brought some people joy. THANK YOU!

You all are amazing. Happy first birthday, _But Uncle Tony!_, and here's to more. *blows out candles*

Also happy birthday to Maggie, at least, on the day after tomorrow (April 18th). *blows out more candles* AS THE AUTHOR OF THIS STORY, I DECREE THAT YOU ALL TREAT YOURSELVES AND SPLURGE HELLA ON SATURDAY IN CELEBRATION.

Stay awesome, and see you all next time! Love you! :D


	47. Small Mistake, Big Impact

**trigger warning(s):** blood/gore, car crash, alcohol abuse mention, general panic/anxiety

* * *

**Every 15 minutes, someone is killed or injured in an alcohol-related car accident. **

* * *

Shouting.

Frantic and panicked shouting.

That was all Maggie could register when she came to.

Opening her eyes was hard. Everything was blurry, and she was disoriented. Where was she? How had she gotten there?

After a few moments, she was aware of a dull ache in her head, pulsing and throbbing from the right side. Cracking her eyes open once more, this time toward her right, she barely managed to register cracked glass pressing against her temple, and coming down along the rest of her face.

It was a window, she figured out. And, as her eyes continued to blur, and clear, and blur once more, she realized red was mixed in with the cracked fragments that had somehow managed to remain standing.

Maggie had slammed her head into the window. That would explain the blood and the pain. But how had she gotten to that point? What had caused her to do such a thing?

The rest of the world became clearer after a few more painful moments. She now found her entire body sore, and she had no idea what on Earth she had been through.

Soon, she recognized an airbag in her lap, and the dashboard in front of her, and the passenger side door she was slumped against, and an arm resting in her lap, under the air bag.

That's right, she had gone out to a movie that night, and had been on her way home.

And the person driving her was…

Maggie's eyes shot over at a painful speed to the left, to the motionless and limp form of her godmother.

_No, no, no, no_… Maggie's mind was still fuzzy, but clear enough to recognize that Pepper was not okay.

There were sirens in the distance, and Maggie swallowed the growing lump in her throat. "Aunt Pepper?"

Her voice was weak and shaking, her eyes gradually filling with tears as realization slowly began to set in.

The driver's side window had completely shattered, explaining the seemingly endless amount of cuts across Pepper's face, which was the main source of the blood. Maggie, for a brief moment, wondered how bloodied she looked compared to the strawberry blonde.

Pepper was awkwardly slumped against her seat in Maggie's direction, her neck and head leaning toward the redhead. They must have been hit from Pepper's side of the car, Maggie realized. Pepper's right arm was in Maggie's lap, as she had suddenly reached out to hold the redhead back at the moment of the impact. The limb was now bent at a strange angle, probably because of the air bag.

And behind Pepper's unconscious form, Maggie's eyes registered the other car, and she remembered now: they had been going through an intersection, southbound, when a car had come roaring through, westbound, running their red light.

Said car was in no better shape than Maggie felt Pepper's car probably was. The driver's side was empty, and Maggie realized that had been the source of all the shouting.

The driver was a young girl, and she was pacing frantically. There was blood on her hands and face. She had a phone pressed to her ear, as she ran a trembling hand through her hair and struggled to contain each sob. Maggie blinked. How could such a nice looking person make such an awful, awful mistake?

Looking back to the other car, Maggie saw someone struggling in the back seat, yelling through the absent driver's side window at the girl. She was yelling horrible things, blaming the driver for the entire accident.

Maggie found herself agreeing with the girl in the backseat. This _was _all her fault! If she had only been paying attention when she was driving, Pepper would have been fine…

Turning her tired eyes to Pepper once more, Maggie forced her brain to reboot, and allow motion of her limbs. After a few awkward moments, she managed to reach her left arm out, around the airbag, and toward her godmother.

She placed her hand on Pepper's shoulder, lightly shaking her, mindful of the fact the woman's right arm was probably broken. "Auntie Pep? Aunt Pepper? Are you okay?"

It was a stupid question. Pepper was still (hopefully just) unconscious, and Maggie feared the woman may have suffered from injuries she couldn't actually see.

The sirens were coming closer now, and the other driver appeared to be done with her conversation over the phone. She had rushed back to her car, where the previous girl who had been yelling at her was still crying and shouting. And, Maggie realized, there was another person in the car, in the passenger seat, his body in an odd position, yelling something about his legs.

Panicking once more, Maggie pulled her hand back toward herself, struggling to locate her phone. It had been sitting in one of the cup holders between her and Pepper before the crash, and must have fallen to the ground.

Blindly, Maggie reached around and under Pepper's arm, hoping she wasn't jostling the limb too much, her fingers brushing against the floor beneath her seat. It was painful and tedious, and she wanted to stop, but she knew she couldn't; she needed to tell someone what had happened.

It took a few more moments, which seemed like an eternity, but she finally felt the cool metal surface. With a pained sigh of relief, Maggie grasped the phone, taking a few extra moments to carefully pull her arm back up.

She opened her phone, her vision still fuzzy. The screen was blurry, and it took her much longer than it normally would to locate the 'phone' icon.

It pulled up the 'recent calls' screen immediately, but Maggie was unable to read the words. It was all so unclear to her, and the sudden bright light only seemed to make her head hurt more.

Picking a random name, she managed to tap 'speaker' before the person picked up.

"_Hello? Maggie?" _

It was Maria Hill. Not exactly what the fifteen year old had been trying for, but Maria could alert someone else who could come sooner for them.

Maggie was still shaking, as she glanced over at Pepper's unmoving body again. A tear rolled down her cheek, and she felt dizzy. Was this the end?

"_Maggie? Are you okay?" _

Soon, there was another tear, followed by another, and another, and another. After a sniffle, Maggie answered. "N-No."

She figured Maria could hear the shouts from the other car and the gradually approaching wails of the sirens in the background. _"Maggie, where are you? What's going on?" _

Maggie was crying harder now, distressed from all the pain and Pepper and the man who couldn't feel his legs and the other driver who was so sorry and the girl who kept yelling at her friend… It was all too much.

"A-Aunt Pepper won't wake up, Aunt Ria... And I th-think her arm m-might be broken. We-we were driving home, and a car h-hit us, and there's blood, and broken glass, and she won't respond… Aunt Ria," She cried, gripping her phone harder. "I hear sirens coming closer, but I don't know if Aunt Pepper is okay, wh-what do I do?"

* * *

Maria Hill was a professional S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, and deputy director to Nick Fury. She could handle just about anything and everything, including crises and fatal situations.

But, Maggie's call unnerved her, and the panic in the girl's voice was unmistakable and somewhat contagious.

Maria had been in Fury's office when she got the call, and still was standing in there. One shocked glance back at the director immediately told him something was wrong.

She took a deep breath to calm her own growing nerves before instructing Maggie, trying to maintain her collected countenance. "Maggie, take a deep breath. You need to calm down, first of all. Where does it hurt?"

By this point, she had put Maggie on speaker, and placed the phone on Fury's desk. He looked at Maria, and she just mouthed the words, 'car crash.'

Maggie's heavy breathing could be heard over the phone. It was shaky and disheveled, as she probably was feeling as such. It took her a moment to be able to speak again.

"_M-my head hurts mostly, because I-I hit the passenger side window. It's all cracked, and I-I think that's all my blood all over it…" _

"Does it hurt anywhere else?" Maria inquired softly, interrupting Maggie before the sight of her own blood could distract and scare her further.

A pause, followed by, _"E-everywhere." _

"Okay, then you need to stay in the car, Maggie," Maria advised, trying to ignore the way her hands were trembling. "Try not to move. I can hear the sirens in the background, so they must be getting close."

Maggie's sobs could be heard once more, and Maria's heart broke a little bit more at the sound. She could picture Maggie trying to put on a brave face right now, in the face of tragedy. _"What about Aunt Pepper?" _

"Don't touch her or move her too much; the paramedics will be there soon," Maria replied. "Right now, you need to get in touch with your parents."

"_I c-can't, everything's blurry… I j-just clicked on your name randomly, I can't see." _

_Concussion_, Maria immediately diagnosed in her mind. "Don't worry, I'll patch you through to her right now, okay?" Her voice was soft again, as she knew Maggie needed someone to ground her before her anxiety could send her shaking to no return. "I'll be there as soon as possible."

"_Th-thank you, Aunt Ria…" _

Maria quickly tapped on her phone screen frantically, redirecting Maggie's call to Natasha.

Fury exhaled deeply. "Do you know what happened?"

She didn't spare him a glance as she answered his question, her voice reflecting the emotion she was feeling. "Pepper was driving her home, and they got hit by another car. Sounds like a collision on the driver's side, given Maggie's injuries. Probably a concussion."

Fury just gave a slight, thoughtful nod, as he watched Maria close her phone and put it in her pocket. She stood up straight once more, her eyes dark. "I'm going to go now."

"Go," He ordered. "Call me if you need anything. I'll keep things under control here."

He figured crowding Maggie and Pepper wouldn't help much.

Maria nodded, and whirled around to resume her walk out the door.

* * *

Natasha was reading peacefully in Avengers Tower while Steve was cleaning the room. Each of the Avengers took turns caring for the communal floor, as they all used it, so it was Steve's turn to do clean-up duty.

Though she had her book open in her lap, she was probably paying more attention to Steve, watching his every move. Every now and then, she had barked out some crazy order or request at him, which usually resulted in him simply rolling his eyes and grumbling something about Natasha being a dictator before returning to his work. He always seemed to have a different kind of concentration when cleaning, which only amused Natasha.

The ringing of her cell phone, sitting on the coffee table where her feet rested, interrupted her reading and watching. Curiously, she leaned over to pick it up, watching as the screen lit up with a picture of Maggie making a silly face. (The teen had set her own profile picture in her parents' phones; she thought she was just _hilarious._)

Natasha answered it a moment later. "Hey, Лапушка-"

"_Mama." _

Natasha knew - she _just _knew - from the tone of Maggie's voice, something was wrong. Her voice was shaken, and she sounded as if she were crying.

"Maggie," Natasha's expression grew darker, "What's going on?"

She heard shuffling on the other end, followed by Maggie crying something. By now, Steve had noticed Natasha's sudden change in countenance, and was looking at her expectantly.

Natasha plugged her unoccupied ear, focusing solely on the scattered sounds coming in through her phone. She realized, after a few moments, Maggie was calling Pepper's name.

That couldn't be good.

"Maggie, honey, where are you? What happened?" Natasha made brief, nervous eye contact with Steve, confirming his suspicions of something happening. She was fighting to keep her voice level at this point, honestly. "I need you to tell me what's going on."

"_Mama, we crashed, I… I don't know how it h-happened, the other people hit us from the side, and now there's a lot of blood and Aunt Pepper won't w-wake up… P-please come." _

Natasha was on her feet in a moment, and quickly grabbed Steve's hand. He looked at her, worried. "Is Maggie-"

She could hear Maggie's sobs through her phone, and bit her lip. "I don't know. Give me your phone, and grab your keys."

As Steve hurried off to grab the keys to his bike, Natasha used his phone to track Maggie's location. "Okay, Maggie, Daddy and I are coming as soon as possible. What hurts?"

"_U-um, my head really hurts, and there's blood all over the window, and I think it's mine. But Aunt Pepper still won't wake up!" _

The sirens were very close now, Natasha could tell from the background noise. "Are the paramedics there, Maggie?"

There was a pause, and Maggie's breathing suddenly changed. Then, she finally answered, _"They just got out of their cars, and they're coming over." _

"They'll take care of you, Лапушка, I promise," Natasha swore as Steve returned, keys in hand. She nodded at him, and they rushed into the elevator.

"_No, Mama, don't hang up on me, I'm scared..." _

"I won't hang up on you; that will be your call to make," Natasha assured her. "Talk to the paramedics, let them know how you feel."

"Natasha." By this time, Steve was _extremely _concerned. His gaze was piercing as he looked down at her, waiting for an answer or explanation as to what was happening.

Natasha covered her phone with her hand for a moment, gazing up at him darkly. "Maggie and Pepper got in a car crash, and Pepper isn't waking up. Maggie's okay, but hurt."

Steve nodded, his jaw clenched and expression clearly upset. He ripped his eyes away from hers, choosing to instead focus on the floor.

Then, Natasha realized something: _Tony. _

"JARVIS, please tell Tony about what happened, and give him the location of the crash."

"_Yes, Agent Romanoff." _

Natasha returned to her phone.

* * *

"Help, please!" Maggie called from inside the car, her head turned toward the driver's side in an attempt to direct her voice outside through the empty space. "Please, my aunt won't wake up, you have to help her!"

A fireman poked his head in, looking between Maggie and Pepper. "Miss, are you hurt?"

Maggie nodded a little bit, but immediately regretted the sudden motion afterward, as her head throbbed. "I hit my head, but my aunt isn't responding, you have to help her first."

The man moved backward slightly, allowing a paramedic to come through. She placed the tip of her index and middle fingers on Pepper's neck, searching for her pulse. Maggie mentally slapped her forehead; why hadn't she done that minutes ago?

"I've got a pulse, she's still alive," Were the only words Maggie caught from the paramedic before her vision began to swim, and the world started fading again. Maggie tried to shake it off, but couldn't. She struggled to focus her gaze on Pepper, who now seemed to be stirring.

Maggie tried to say her name, she did, but the words wouldn't come out of her mouth. She could hear Natasha calling for her through the phone, but was losing all sense of the physical world around her.

Pepper's eyes fluttered open after a brief moment or two, and slowly turned toward Maggie's exhausted form. At the sight, Pepper's expression seemed to change slightly, a mixture of relief and sorrow.

_You're alive, thank God, _Maggie silently acknowledged, her eyes getting heavier and heavier.

"Maggie?" Pepper managed the following moment, as more and more people appeared behind her outside, trying to decide on the quickest way to open up the car to reach them.

Maggie's eyes finally fell, closed, after that.

* * *

Everything felt surreal for the next few hours. Maggie drifted in and out of consciousness constantly, seeing different faces each time. She remembered hearing the firemen break down the smashed car doors and frame to reach them, and seeing Pepper being removed carefully from the car. She also had faint memories of feeling the movement that got her out of the car, too.

She caught a few moments of the sight of a police officer giving the other driver a few tests to determine whether or not she was drunk, and it sounded like they were going badly. Maggie wasn't surprised; who would be stupid enough to miss a red light like that when they were sober?

At some point, she felt them remove her phone from her hand, and heard someone inquire about who was on the other end of the line. Maggie was in no state to properly answer, so whoever it was simply took the phone and engaged Natasha in a conversation about what had happened.

By the time she realized she was in the ambulance, Maggie felt more confident that she would be alright. She just wished someone were there with her, to keep her company, besides the paramedics trying to keep her awake.

A room of all white filled her vision for a time after that, which Maggie determined was because she was in the hospital by that point. Consciousness continued to fade in and out for her, and she only caught brief glimpses of the world around her, and her parents, every few hours or so.

* * *

After what felt like a restless night, Maggie finally woke up - _really_ woke up. Her head hurt like a bitch, she mentally gauged, and she felt slightly nauseous, but, otherwise, felt much better than she had hours before. It took a few moments to readjust her eyesight properly, silently thanking God the room was relatively dark, but she was then able to glance over at the living soul sitting in a plastic chair beside her bed, holding her hand.

Maria Hill.

The brunette was on her tablet, not paying full attention to Maggie. To alert her aunt of her consciousness, Maggie squeezed her hand.

Maria's head snapped up at that.

"Aunt Ria."

With a smile, Maria set her tablet down on the bedside table, and stood up, leaning over Maggie and placing a gentle kiss to her bruised forehead. She brushed a few messy red strands of hair out of the teen's face, thanking the heavens that her niece was still sitting in front of her, alive.

Maria had arrived at the hospital shortly after everyone else had, and had been waiting around all night. Natasha had thanked her profusely for helping Maggie out, but Maria had shrugged her off. After all, that's what family was for, anyway.

"How are you feeling?" Maria inquired as she sat down.

Maggie looked thoughtful for a moment, before answering with a cheeky expression, "Like I got hit by a…"

But the words died on her lips. The way Maria's face had begun to fall - this wasn't a joke or funny or lighthearted for the woman _at all._ Maggie could have _died. _Pepper could have _died. _Maria had almost lost some of her family that night.

And, with that, Maggie gasped - what had become of her godmother?

"Aunt Ria, is Aunt Pepper-"

"They're still evaluating her and checking things out in another room. After that, they're going to move her in here," Maria gestured with her head, as Maggie's eyes traveled to her far left side, where another bed, unoccupied, stood.

"You were both very lucky; you made it out with just a concussion," Maria explained as Maggie turned her eyes back to Maria's soft gaze. "The doctor said you, especially, were in a miraculous condition."

Maggie shuddered at that, remembering waking up in somewhat of a pool of her own blood. It was highly disturbing, now that she thought of it. "There was so much blood, I can't believe it wasn't worse."

Maria stroked Maggie's knuckles with her thumb, trying to comfort her. "Banner came by earlier; he thought it might be because of the serum, and how your body is 'enhanced' these days," she replied thoughtfully. "You can take more of a punch than we normal humans can."

"Doesn't mean I want to," Maggie muttered, relaxing back against her pillow. "Did I get stitches?"

"You bet," Maria chuckled softly, giving Maggie's hand a comforting squeeze.

Maggie paused for a moment, closing her eyes as the memories of the previous night came back to her. She could vividly remember struggling to call someone, and Maria being the unfortunate one to get the call. She frowned, opening her eyes again. "I hope I didn't freak you out too much with my call."

"Please, Maggie, that call would have freaked out anyone, not just me," Maria pointed out. "I'm just glad you got hold of someone who could actually help."

"Still, though. Thank you," Maggie spoke softly, her tired eyes meeting Maria's. "I love you."

"I love you, too, baby Avenger," Maria replied with a smile, relieved that her niece seemed to be doing better already. The sound of Maggie's cries was still etched in her mind, on constant replay; hours ago, she would have given anything to hear Maggie's voice, happy, once more. Should Maggie have not made it through the crash after all, the idea that Maria's last memory of the teen would be her pained breathing and pleading sobs…

"Are my parents really freaked out?" Maggie inquired a moment later, pulling Maria from her thoughts.

"Definitely, but I think that's to be expected. The only reason they aren't here right now is because they're with the doctor, and Tony, talking about how you and Pepper are doing," Maria recalled. "Until then, I'm your bodyguard."

Maggie smiled. "I'm glad it's you."

"So am I," Maria replied honestly.

They fell into a comfortable silence after that, simply marveling in the feeling of being alive. As her mind became clearer, though, Maggie found herself dwelling more and more on the events of the previous night, and the final moments before and during the impact.

She turned to Maria, finally, her expression curious. "What happened to the people in the other car?"

Maria paused, thinking for a moment. She had always had a deep respect for Maggie's concern for others, and was glad to see it still shone through the darkest of times. "The girl in the backseat was pretty much okay - she walked off - but the boy in the passenger seat was not. He's alive, but in pretty bad shape. The driver was okay, and the one who made the 911 call."

Maggie's eyes darkened. "She was drunk, wasn't she?"

The brunette sighed, nodding slowly and sadly. "She was. She and her friends had been out clubbing, and were on their way across town to hit up some other places."

Yelling filled Maggie's mind for a moment, as she recalled the backseat passenger screaming at the driver, who was frantically apologizing while sobbing. Maggie tightly closed her eyes, hot, angry tears gathering at the rims. "I can't believe such a stupid decision could cause so much suffering. Aunt Pepper and I weren't even the people drinking; how come _we're_ the ones who got hurt so badly?"

"It's the way the world works, unfortunately," Maria murmured softly, her expression as sad as her voice sounded.

"I don't like it," Maggie commented bitterly, wiping her eyes with her free hand.

"Neither do I," Maria agreed, her tone just as upset.

* * *

Maggie dozed off after a while, but Maria was still by her side for that time. When she woke up once more an hour or so later, she was met with the sight of her parents, and the absence of Maria.

Her hand was held tightly by her mother, which wasn't surprising, given their last vocal interaction. Maggie had been crying, and yelling, and, eventually, unresponsive, so it was understandable why Natasha would be clinging to her now.

A few moments later, the pain in her head became apparent again, and Maggie let out a small moan of discomfort. Maria was definitely right about that concussion.

"Hey," Natasha was there in a second, turning to the teen and leaning closer. "How are you feeling?"

"Gross," Maggie answered simply. "My head hurts, and I'm exhausted."

"That's to be expected," Steve replied with a small, relieved smile, as he sat down at the foot of Maggie's bed. "Otherwise, you're okay?"

Her parents needed to hear this, Maggie realized. They needed to hear that their daughter was okay, and would make a full recovery. They needed to hear it from their daughter herself to be completely sure that she was still alive and healthy, and still sitting and breathing in front of them.

A sad smile took her lips with this thought. "I'm okay."

As she had expected, both adults immediately looked much more relaxed at this.

"What happened?" Natasha suddenly asked, unable to contain her curiosity. She had yet to hear a coherent explanation of the crash from one of the people actually in it, as Pepper had yet to be as awake and alert as Maggie.

Maggie looked down in her lap sadly. She had been thinking about this a lot, honestly - traumatic moments like this don't just fade from the human mind right away. Sometimes, the shortest memories were the most impacting, and, therefore, the ones people see again and again the most.

So, really, Maggie had watched and rewatched the moments of the crash in her mind countless times already. The sound of her own sobs and screams filled her ears constantly. The feeling of losing a grip on her perception of the world around her as she blacked out was all too familiar now.

"We were coming home from our movie date," Maggie finally began, quietly. "We had so much fun, and were still having a blast on the way home. Then, we entered that intersection, and I couldn't help but feel a sudden sense of dread.

"And, next thing I knew, there were screeching tires, a surprised gasp from Aunt Pepper, and the sound of metal colliding with and crushing metal. Aunt Pepper suddenly put her arm in front of me, as if to hold me in place. But I felt my body pushed back by the air bag, and my head into the window."

She shook her head slowly as the awful memories fought to take over once more. "Next thing I knew, I was waking up and everything was blurry and painful."

Natasha had put a comforting hand on Maggie's arm, using her free hand that was not occupying Maggie's, to keep her from getting sucked into the whirlpool of her stressed mind. Steve seemed to have the same idea, as he put a hand on Maggie's knee.

But she ignored their gestures, opting to continue with her recalling. "I managed to find my phone after a few minutes, but I couldn't make out any of the words on the screen. I just tapped on things randomly until it called someone, and it turned out to be Aunt Ria. She then put my call through to you, and you know the rest."

She was done, sort of. Or, at least, she tried to tell herself. Really, there was so much more to the story, like witnessing the breakdowns of everyone in the other car, or struggling to focus on Pepper's facial features through all the blood and gashes littered across her skin. There was so much more pain than she was letting on.

How much her parents could tell this by looking at her, Maggie did not know and really did not care. She was just tired and drained, and wanted nothing more than to be reunited with Pepper and go home. That was all she wanted, so why was it so difficult to do?

"You did everything you could for Aunt Pepper, Maggie," Steve finally spoke quietly, but she avoided eye contact. "She's okay now."

Finally, Maggie raised her eyes, peering suspiciously into Steve's comforting gaze. "Then why isn't she here?"

"She'll be here soon," Natasha cut in softly.

Maggie looked skeptical.

The two Avengers met each other with equal looks of uncertainty. They seemed to have a silent conversation for a few moments, before finally casting their eyes back down to their sulking daughter.

"When was the last time you ate?" Steve suddenly inquired, though he knew the answer already.

"At the movie," Maggie answered half-heartedly, her eyes back down in her lap as her fingers played with the hem of the blanket.

"I think it's time you eat again," He decided, and she shrugged.

"Not hungry, to be quite honest with you," She countered, but Steve was already standing up from the bed.

"You need to eat something," Steve insisted, and Maggie sighed.

"Fine, whatever," She gave up. Steve just smiled, amused at her moody behavior, as he hoped it was a sign things would get better. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her cheek and then left the room.

A few moments passed before Natasha, who had allowed herself to fade in the background as she quietly observed the short father-daughter interaction, spoke up. "How do you _really _feel, Лапушка?"

The look Maggie shot her was priceless, Natasha thought. The teen looked exasperated and exhausted and annoyed, all wrapped up into one. Definitely one of Maggie's best expressions, she mentally noted.

"Do we have to talk about this right now?" Maggie's voice had a dangerous undertone of irritation, and just general anger, though Natasha knew those feelings were not directed at her; Maggie was just upset by the situation overall, which was understandable.

"I think we should," Natasha answered honestly. "Otherwise, it'll just make you feel upset on a different day where you might have already been feeling better."

Maggie didn't answer for what felt to be a while, as she looked away from her mother. She was deep in thought, Natasha could tell. Her mind was elsewhere.

"It's my fault," Maggie finally decided aloud, still looking down toward the floor, to avoid Natasha's piercing eyes. "I was the one who wanted to go out for a movie, so we were on the road at a time we shouldn't have been."

Natasha nodded, not because she agreed (like hell she would), but because she understood. Maggie was already pretty great at feeling unnecessary guilt like her parents tended to almost on a daily basis, so this wasn't a big surprise. "It's not your fault, Maggie."

Maggie's eyes slowly made their way back to Natasha's, and she looked unconvinced. Natasha's gaze didn't waver. "I know it doesn't feel like it all, but, you have to be logical about this. You weren't the one drinking and driving, you weren't the one driving recklessly, and you weren't the one who ran a red light. If you go through life assuming you have control over everyone else's actions and how they affect us, you aren't going to have any fun.

"And, if you think that way, you will never be satisfied; you'll always be your own worst enemy for everything. Trust me, Лапушка, this is a dangerous mental path that you need to stay away from."

"So, what, then? I just turn away from this, and pretend like nothing happened, and that Aunt Pepper didn't get hurt when we were out together?" Maggie challenged the spy, her eyes colder than normal. "Because that doesn't sound right, either."

"No, it doesn't, because you still have it wrong. Feeling guilty won't help Aunt Pepper heal any faster, and it definitely won't undo what happened. But, getting caught up in how you are apparently at fault for this accident, which has specific blame placed on someone else already, will only make everyone feel worse. How can Aunt Pepper ever feel better if you don't? How can she focus on healing, then, Maggie, if she's always feeling as hurt as you are?"

Natasha wasn't trying to be harsh, but she needed Maggie to get over this self-loathing bump in the road. She knew from personal experience that no matter how guilty a person allowed herself to feel after an event, nothing would change what happened, and it definitely wouldn't make the situation any better for anyone involved.

Honestly, if Pepper was too caught up worrying over Maggie and her guilt, she would never feel better, either. They shared this painful experience, and they needed to focus on healing _together. _Natasha had a feeling she may be having a repeat of this conversation later with Pepper when the woman woke up, as she probably felt awful for the same reasons Maggie did. It was so exasperating how two people could feel guilt over something out of their control and let it hinder their healing, Natasha almost wanted to laugh at the irony.

Maggie was crying now, and Natasha knew it was because of many things. The accident, the experience, the injuries, the pain, the anxiety, this conversation - everything that seemed to have built up for her over the past twelve hours seemed to be tumbling down on top of her.

So, Natasha was at the teen's side in an instant, tissue box in hand, and arms wrapped around Maggie's shaking frame. Maggie accepted the comfort willingly, hands grasping the arm Natasha had around her chest as she leaned into the embrace. Natasha rested her head carefully beside Maggie's, mindful of the wounds on the right side of the girl's face. She rubbed Maggie's arm with her hand, comforting her as she wept.

They stayed in that position for a while, as Maggie's sobs eventually evened out and faded, leaving only the tear tracks on her cheeks and the sound of sniffling in her nose with each inhale. Natasha pressed a gentle kiss to Maggie's skin, right beside the bandage on her temple. She gently brushed away the stray tears on Maggie's face with her thumbs.

"Aunt Pepper is going to be just fine, Maggie, I promise," Natasha murmured. "She'll be here soon."

She reached down and grabbed a tissue from the box, offering it to Maggie. The younger redhead accepted the offering, wiping at her runny nose.

Maggie didn't speak yet, too caught up in everything going through her mind. Natasha didn't press her, and waited patiently for her to talk when comfortable.

Finally, something in Maggie's expression seemed to change, and she almost looked confused. She was remembering something.

"Every fifteen minutes."

The phrase came out in a rushed and troubled mumble, and now it was Natasha's turn to look confused.

"What?"

"Every fifteen minutes," Maggie repeated, louder and clearer this time, "someone dies or gets hurt in a drunk driving accident."

Natasha knitted her eyebrows together, comprehending the sudden statistic Maggie had just thrown out. "Where did that come from?"

"I read it somewhere once," Maggie answered, sounding just as puzzled as Natasha. "And I couldn't believe it. But, now, I get it. I always assumed it was something that happened to other people, but..."

"But, now that it's happened to you, it's real," Natasha finished, and Maggie nodded.

"It's really real," she murmured, horrified.

* * *

After Maggie had some food and another nap, Natasha and Maria let Steve and Tony take over guard dog duties, as they wanted food for themselves. Soon, Pepper was moved into the room, and Maggie waited eagerly for her godmother to wake up.

"I'm so _bored_," Maggie groaned as she pushed herself farther back into her pillow. Tony rolled his eyes from where he stood between the two beds.

"Here you are, lying in a hospital bed, after a life-or-death experience, and you claim to be feeling _bored_," He stared at her, exasperated.

She looked up at him, unimpressed. "I'm sure you would be, too."

"Hey, I'll take a bored Maggie over a hurt Maggie any day," Steve admitted, temporarily glancing up from the S.H.I.E.L.D. file open in his lap. Unfortunately, world crises didn't take a day off for family emergencies, and Steve and Natasha had offered to help Maria catch up from what she was missing, since she opted to stay with them for the rest of the day over returning to D.C.

"How noble and adorable," Tony commented in a dry tone, though it was clear he was only joking. "Ado-noble."

"That's not a word," Maggie pointed out with a playful tone.

"Oh, now you're attacking my diction? _That's _how you entertain yourself?" Tony shook his head, disappointed. "I'm hurt, squirt, really."

"_Technically_," Maggie pointed her finger up at the bandage on her head, "_I'm _hurt."

Tony placed a hand over his heart with a pained expression. "Too soon, munchkin, too soon." His voice lost a bit of its amusement as he took a seat in the chair he had moved to be precisely in the middle of the two beds.

Seeing the way Steve's expression also seemed to fall slightly as he continued reading, Maggie deflated. "Sorry, but I can't help it! The mood is so _gloomy _in here."

"And _whose _fault is-" Tony suddenly stopped, looking between Maggie and Pepper with a frown. He sighed. "Despite the joke I almost just made, neither of you have anything to feel guilty about, so please don't mope about it being your fault."

Maggie shrugged, but Steve looked up at her with a steadfast gaze. "Don't, Maggie."

"I'm… Working on it," She settled on, making eye contact with her father. "Really, I am."

"Good, because you won't have time to feel bad," Tony declared, as he stood up from his plastic chair and walked up to Maggie's bed. "Once we get home, we're going to be doing all sorts of crazy things to cheer you and Pepper up."

"As long as it doesn't involve too much physical strain or strong light," Steve reminded Tony, who made some vague hand gesture of acknowledgement in reply.

"Do I seriously not get to use my phone for, like, ever?" Maggie groaned, looking at Steve hopefully.

"It's not _forever_, Maggie. Geez, humanity has survived much longer without cell phones than with," Steve sighed. "But, yes, you can't use your phone for a while; too much light."

Maggie made some sort of displeased grunt, and Tony sat down at the foot of her bed. "We'll have fun reconnecting with our pre-electricity roots! Just like the good ole' days, eh, Cap? We can play board games, or listen to music and have dance parties!"

Steve was reading through the files again, but was still listening. "Too strenuous," He protested.

Tony waved him off. "Alright, fine, we'll save the dance parties until _later _down the recovery road. For now, we'll do board games. And arts and crafts!"

"As long as it doesn't involve reading," Steve added. "That's also something that is to be avoided when concussed."

"So, basically, I am now an illiterate child living in the early-to-mid-1800s," Maggie deduced, disappointed. "Awesome."

"There are worse things," Tony pointed out. "Like, you could be an illiterate child living in the early-to-mid-1800s, but with the plague."

"Oh, true, true," Maggie nodded her head slowly and carefully, not wanting to trigger any pain or nausea. "The plague makes everything worse."

Steve snorted. "You two are _very _dramatic sometimes, you know that, right?"

"No," Maggie and Tony chorused in defiance, which only made Steve roll his eyes.

* * *

"Question, does writing break my 'no reading' rule?"

"Yes," Natasha answered blankly, leaning back in her chair with Maria's tablet in her lap. The brunette was currently occupying a chair in the corner, catching up on the sleep she had missed the previous night because of her sudden flight to Manhattan. "Why do you need to write something?"

Sighing, Maggie reached out an arm in the wide space between her bed and Pepper's, who was gradually emerging from sleep. She was talking to a nurse and Tony in a hushed and exhausted voice, still trying to piece together what had happened and how she was currently feeling.

Natasha smiled at the sight of Tony hovering over Pepper, briefly remembering her days as Natalie Rushman twenty years prior. She had always enjoyed how grounding Pepper was for Tony, and admired the way they were able to maintain their relationship with everything else going on around them all the time. Of course, their relationship wasn't perfect, but it was adorable (though Natasha would _never _admit it aloud to Tony - he'd never let her hear the end of it).

Maggie still had her arm out, and she looked dramatically between herself, her mother, and her godmother. "Auntie Pep is _so far away. _How can I talk to her? We're gonna have to yell at each other! But, if I write her a note, Uncle Tony can carry it to her bed, and read it to her, and then she can reply, and he can come back, and bring me her response, and read it aloud to me."

Despite the underlying sadness of the situation, and the fact that the two females were in a hospital and unable to read, Natasha found herself smiling. Maggie's ideas just always cracked her up, really. "I'm sure you two can dictate for Uncle Tony, and he'll happily carry the messages back and forth."

But Maggie scrunched up her face (quite adorably, Natasha had to admit) in reply. "When you suggest that, it makes my idea sound _pointless._"

Natasha simply raised an eyebrow. "Says the girl who texts everyone else when she's still sitting in the same room as them."

"Touche," Maggie stuck out her tongue in a very childish manner, and Natasha rolled her eyes.

"Miss Rogers," The nurse walked over and addressed Maggie with a polite and compassionate smile, "how are you feeling?"

"Better. My head still kinda hurts, and I'm apparently not allowed to read, _or_ write," Maggie let her gaze drift back toward Natasha, who threw her hands up in defense.

"Hey, I'm just trying to help your brain heal, that's all," Natasha protested.

"Your mother is right," The woman confirmed with an apologetic expression. "You'll need to take a lot of things slowly and carefully for a while, to allow your head to heal properly."

Maggie sighed. "Fine."

As the conversation with the medical professional continued, Tony was focused solely on Pepper. He had moved the chair back next to her bed, and was leaning closer to her, his hands in hers.

She sighed, her eyes closed. "My memories are a bit jumbled."

He carefully kissed her hairline. "That's okay, you'll remember soon enough. For right now, all that matters is that you're still here, and so is Maggie."

At that, Pepper opened her eyes carefully, her vision still not adjusted to the world around her. Her gaze lazily met Tony's. "My fault?"

Tony shook his head slowly, his expression remorseful. "No. Believe me, Pep, it's not. You got in an accident. Drunk driver."

Pepper blinked, her eyes now moving away from his, and looking toward the ceiling, as she tried to recall the events of the previous night. "Maggie is…"

"She's okay, Pep, she's fine," Tony repeated, gently running his thumb across her knuckles. "She just hit her head, that's all. You got the worst of it."

Tony then placed another kiss to her head, ever mindful of her injuries. "I promise, Pepper, you and Maggie will both be fine. The munchkin even told me you helped save her - thrust an arm out in front of her last minute, trying to hold her in place during the impact."

Pepper glanced down at her arm, which was in a cast and sling. "That explains this, then."

"You're a hero," Tony murmured, looking at her with a proud expression. She smiled, feeling the love radiating off of Tony in waves. "Thank you."

She chuckled tiredly. "Why are you thanking me? You would have done the same."

"Maggie means a lot to me. You know she does," He answered earnestly. "I'm thanking you for protecting that."

Pepper gave a sappy smile, as Tony could see the tears gathering in her eyes. She was starting to remember the accident, he realized, as she finally tried to look around Tony's head and shoulders, toward Maggie's bed.

"I'm so glad she's okay," She murmured, as anxiety crawled up her voice. Tony's expression fell a little, as he figured the emotion she was showing now was the emotion she had been unable to express during the accident, since she had been knocked out immediately. "Tony, I'm so glad… I was so _scared._"

"I know, Pep, I know," Tony comforted her, moving slightly to the side, allowing Pepper a better view of Maggie, who was now talking to Natasha, the nurse long gone. "She'll be really happy to see you're okay, too."

Almost as if on cue, Natasha gestured toward Pepper and Tony, interrupting whatever Maggie had been ranting about as the teen turned to look in her godmother's direction. At the sight of Pepper awake and responsive, Maggie waved her hand excitedly in greeting.

"Aunt Pepper, you're okay, thank goodness," Maggie exhaled loudly, looking much more relaxed now that she knew her godmother was okay for sure. "I was so _worried_!"

Seeing Pepper choked up once more, Tony gave her hands a comforting squeeze. Things were finally starting to look up after that horrifying night.

* * *

It was the end of Maggie's freshman year, and she was sitting in Phil's office in the Triskelion with all the shades down, covering all the windows from the harsh May sunlight. The accident had been right before Maggie's finals were starting, so because of her inability to read, Natasha talked to the school into letting her be exempt from the tests (which Maggie was very relieved about).

Recovery was long and boring, Maggie decided. Pepper was still taking time off of work to recover, as she was put on the same strict relaxation schedule Maggie was, enforced by the Avengers. It had been annoying at times, but, in the end, the two of them appreciated the gesture.

The follow-up of the crash was brutal for both Maggie and Pepper. They had to keep up with the legal proceedings with the drunk driver and the car and everything, meaning they couldn't completely move on. Even Tony had been scared out of drinking for a while. As far as their guilt after the accident went, it was a long road, but Maggie and Pepper both took Natasha's advice (the spy ended up having to give the same lecture to Pepper, as she had expected) and tried to focus more on healing together, than wallowing in individual guilt.

The moments of the crash plagued Maggie's dreams for weeks afterward. She kept seeing the other scenarios, mostly where she didn't make it out alive. Sometimes Pepper didn't, either, but Maggie oftentimes found herself staring into the lifeless eyes of her body, blood staining everything around her dead self.

Seeing Phil sitting in front of her at that moment, she decided to reach out to him about it, and described her night terrors to him.

"It's, like, my mind can't get over this feeling that I wasn't _supposed _to be okay," she finished, her expression lost and down.

Phil inhaled and exhaled slowly, trying to help keep the air around them calm.

"Sounds like survivor's guilt," Phil commented, meeting her gaze evenly. "Only, no one died to make you feel guilty."

"Aunt Pepper could have. Or, at least, she had a better chance than me," Maggie replied. "I don't know. Is my mind trying to tell me something?"

"Perhaps. Or, maybe, now that you've had this close encounter with a potentially fatal experience, your brain is panicking. You probably never thought something like this would happen to you, so you weren't ready. No last wishes or words prepared," Phil guessed. "I sometimes felt that way after your Uncle Nick brought me back."

Maggie blinked, her eyes examining him. "Did you _want _to come back?"

Phil shrugged. "Immediately after I found out the truth behind what had happened to me, I was upset. But, as time passed, and I was able to build my life up again, that feeling went away. I'm more than happy to be alive right now."

"So, then, what should I do? Go write out my will, or something?" Maggie suggested, half-joking. (Honestly, she felt like she should go write her will.)

He thought for a few moments before answering. "Writing is a good place to start. Maybe you should jot down what you feel during your dreams, when you're dead. That might help your mind release what it keeps pushing in your dreams. If you could say something to the world before leaving it, what would it be?"

So, Maggie grabbed an old S.H.I.E.L.D. file off of his desk, and took to writing as if she were in her dreams, at that moment, staring at her own body.

_Dear whoever the hell might be reading this, _

_Every fifteen minutes, a person is killed or injured in an alcohol-related car accident in the United States of America._

_I became a part of that statistic today. Well, not exactly today, but recently. I was a freshman in high school, hoping to some day be an Avenger like my parents. But, instead, an awful, awful decision led to my death.  
_

_My Aunt Pepper, my godmother - God bless her soul. I was so stressed out over my finals and grades, that she practically forced me out of the tower that fateful night. She insisted we go see a movie, the decision being made mostly for the popcorn, probably. Movie theater popcorn really is the best, despite what my Uncle Tony says about the kind JARVIS makes.  
_

_We were on our way home when we were slammed into from my Aunt Pepper's side, the driver of the other car not paying attention to their clear red light while we were in the intersection. Jesus, people drive like maniacs in the city. _

_I hit my head against the window, really, really, hard. It hurt so much, and my blood was everywhere afterward. My godmother tried to hold my body in place with her arm, but it didn't work. She's gonna be so miserable after this, with all that guilt. Blaming herself for someone else's mistake. _

_She shouldn't have to feel that way, but now I won't be there to tell her not to. I used to blame myself, too, but it didn't change anything. God, if only immeasurable amounts of guilt could change fate. She now has a broken heart, while mine is permanently out of commission. _

_I had so much to live for. I had so many friends, and so many other people who cared about me. My family, oh, God, my family. _

_They will never get past this. My parents will be alone, as they lost their one miraculous child to such a stupid, stupid accident. It's so stupid, people are so stupid. _

_You drink to forget some shitty thing that happened to you, but get behind the wheel and forget even more than what you had been originally intending. You forget about the other countless lives out there, the ones who will be impacted by your shitty choice. Will you ever be able to drink again, to forget that?_

_My dad is probably going to give a sad eulogy at my funeral. He probably will have to represent both himself and my mom, because I don't think this is really up my mom's alley. God, I hope she doesn't go crazy. This type of stuff hits her really hard, children dying and all - I hope it doesn't make her forget who she really is. I doubt anyone has seen Captain America cry before, but I have a feeling they will soon enough. And the Black Widow, who has never so much as blinked on camera, will be more emotional than everyone expected, too. God, I really miss both of them so much already. If the afterlife is outside of time, can we be reunited when I go? _

_I miss my life on Earth. All the days spent at school, goofing off, only to be followed by more goofing off with my family later on, whether it be at home, or the Avengers Tower, or the Triskelion. None of it matters anymore, because I'm dead. _

_Everything everyone around me has been building me up for has fallen. All the love poured out for me is now going straight to the ground, deep where I lie, cold and motionless. Everything has gone to waste. My somethingness has become nothingness. I am not here anymore. I am nothing. _

_All of this, because of one awful decision. _

_So, let this be a PSA to you: _

_Don't drink and drive. _

_Please. _

_I might have still been alive if you hadn't._

_Yours truly, _

_Maggie Rogers_

_(April 18, 2016 - May 3, 2031)  
_

When Phil read it, he cried.

* * *

**A/N: **Goodness, did I break your heart? 'Cause writing this definitely broke mine. But, unfortunately, I only broke it more, as a broken heart is what drove me to write this over the past week.

Last week, my school participated in a program called "Every 15 Minutes," where the scary, but 100% real, statistic of the country is applied to the school alone for a day. First, we witnessed a staged car crash site, with both cars full of our own students trying to fight their ways out and screaming in agony, then we sat through the rest of the day with the dean coming on the intercom around every 15 minutes or so to announce another 'death' out of our student body, faculty, and staff. The members of this 'living dead' group, as we called them, then left the school for the rest of the day, leaving a tombstone with an obituary in their place. By 3:00 PM when school was over, we had our own little cemetery right in the middle of campus.

The program is definitely good for getting the message across, though it's not perfect, and kind of like a punch in the gut after the rough school year we already have been having, with our teacher's death back in August. I am glad we did it, though.

In the end, this oneshot was basically the product of my raw emotion from the experience, as one of my close friends from middle school was dead during the crash site scene. It was awful. I never want to have to endure this in real life. I apologize for not following a prompt like I said I would - I didn't expect this hella emotional bomb to just be dropped on and blown up in my face last week. :/ But, I feel better, now, which is what really matters!

So, if you haven't gotten the message yet already,

**DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE. **

Thank you for all your guys' continued support of this story. I hope I can use it to bring awareness to more issues in the future.


	48. Sleepy Thoughts

**A/N: **Happy Mother's Day, everyone! I especially want to shout out to any mothers (or parents in general, really) out there reading this, because you all rock! You've definitely got one of (if not _the_) the hardest jobs out there, corralling little kiddies around and keeping them in line while still being cool. Kudos to all of you!

This one's a bit short, since I just wrote it today between homework assignments, but I hope you all like it. Steve reflects on some things in the middle of the night about his and Natasha's lives as new parents, as Maggie is a pure newborn here. :)

Thanks for all the faves, follows, and reviews! You guys have been epic for these past couple of chapters. Especially in the wake of the last chapter, and the chapter where Maggie came out as bi, I'm really excited to see that some of you really enjoy this kind of PSA-type direction I've been taking with some of my oneshots lately. I plan on doing more for sure. :D Happy Mother's Day!

* * *

Natasha hummed softly as she cradled the infant Maggie in her arms, lightly rocking the newborn. Maggie, not even a month old, had already established that she did _not _sleep for long periods of time, as she often kept at least one of her parents up half the night.

Because Steve was gradually getting back into working, Natasha often volunteered herself to take care of Maggie in the later hours. Steve felt bad, but she continuously brushed him off; if she was going to be home all day, anyway, what harm was there in her losing some sleep?

Even now, at 2:38 in the morning, Steve was also awake, watching Natasha from their bed. (They had agreed during Natasha's pregnancy to keep Maggie's crib in their room, both for convenience and just to be closer to her.) He looked almost as soothed as Maggie did, listening to Natasha's quiet hum; it nearly made her laugh. The apple really didn't fall far from the tree already, apparently.

Maggie was going to be so spoiled, Natasha reflected. Already, she had both of her parents wrapped around each of her chubby little fingers. The spy figured they'd never be able to just let Maggie 'cry it out,' or any of those other methods of weaning children off of the hovering form of love parents seemed to offer during the first years of their children's lives.

Honestly, though, Natasha didn't mind. Once she got back into her life as an agent and Avenger, she would be grasping for even the shortest moments she could share with her daughter. If she could spoil Maggie just a little bit now, maybe that would help soften the blow of the inevitable periods of separation they would have to go through.

"Nat," Steve's voice suddenly broke into her thoughts, pulling her back into the present moment, "is she asleep yet?"

Closely examining the dozing infant in her arms, Natasha listened to the soft and quiet breathing of Maggie, which was now regular and slow. Seeing Maggie's limbs were now also relaxed, and not tensed or moving, Natasha judged that Maggie was asleep.

"Hurry, and put her back in her crib, before she wakes up again," Steve insisted jokingly, as if he were an impatient child trying to run away his responsibilities.

Natasha gave a quiet laugh at Steve's half-asleep humor, carefully lowering Maggie back into her crib. That was a skill that had taken some serious mastering - another reason Natasha always volunteered to take the night shift with Maggie. Steve was great with Maggie, don't get Natasha wrong; he just wasn't as good at keeping Maggie asleep. Natasha often liked to brag about that.

"I'll get her next time," Steve sleepily promised as Natasha slid back under the covers. "You should sleep."

"Please," Natasha scoffed, turning to face him. "I can get her down in less than half the time it takes you."

"That's an even better reason," Steve argued. "I need the practice. What am I going to do when you get back into the field?"

Though it was lighthearted and humorous, that actually did get Natasha thinking. What _would _happen when she had to leave for missions? Could Steve actually handle taking care of an infant by himself?

Logically thinking, he probably could; he was more than capable. But Natasha knew she would use that teasing fear as a cover for her own emotions - the separation anxiety she was bound to harbor when separated by thousands of miles from her daughter for extended periods of time.

Steve could read Natasha well, even in his weird drowsy state, as he frowned at Natasha's sudden silence. "You don't have to go back into the field for a while, Natasha."

She met his worried and tired gaze, knowing her own fears were probably reflected in her expression at that moment. "I know, I know, but it will have to happen eventually."

"Six months," Steve reminded her. "Fury gave you six months to take care of Maggie. He also offered to give you more, if that's what you wanted."

"That sounds nice, but I think I'd go a little crazy," Natasha chuckled, a hint of amusement twinkling in her eyes. "I wasn't cut out for this life."

"Well, look where you are now," Steve grinned, his happiness for their current setup shining in his eyes more than ever. "We're both in a much more domestic setting than we were ever expecting to be in."

"Life works in mysterious ways," Natasha sighed, her face content and relaxed, as she leaned forward into Steve's arms. He gave a genuine smile at that; once upon a time, he'd never thought he'd see such a peaceful expression on Natasha's face. Ever since they grew closer, and eventually began down the path that had gotten to them where they currently were standing, Steve found Natasha smiling more and more. They weren't just playful smirks, either (which she still gave a hefty amount of because she was just that mischievous); they were real and full and satisfied. Now that Maggie was with them, Natasha was opening up even more, showing a new kind of affection Steve had never seen in her before, but always had a feeling that she harbored somewhere deep down.

Now, Natasha was starting to doze off in his embrace, her body trying to achieve as much rest possible before the next inevitable late night call. As much as Natasha may have insisted that she was fine and was built for operation on little sleep, Steve knew that she needed the rest, especially considering she had given birth not even a month prior.

"Hey, Nat," Steve called quietly, jostling her in his arms just a bit. She made a tired (adorable) noise in protest before cracking one eye open to look up at him. Just in the little shard of green he could see through her eyelids, Steve could see the expectancy and impatience in her gaze, as she wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep.

"Happy Mother's Day."

It was the middle of the night, but still two and a half hours into the following day, which was Mother's Day; Natasha's _first_ mother's day.

Said new mother's eyes both opened at that, her expression unchanging and exhaustion still the dominant 'emotion' in her face. She blinked at him, then yawned. "Thanks. Now, g'night," she mumbled before closing her eyes once more, and Steve held back a laugh. She probably only half-registered what he had said, because she was well on her way to a deep sleep that would only be cut short by the cries of Maggie an hour or so later.

Steve pressed a soft kiss to her hair, as Natasha was now curled up against his chest, sleeping peacefully. Natasha was an amazing mother already, though she would probably argue that opinion. She was so in sync with Maggie and her needs, and Steve could feel the love for their daughter rolling off Natasha in waves at all times, even when Maggie was being difficult.

A year ago, he would have never expected this to be the direction their relationship had taken, so suddenly. They had really only been together for two years now, as they realized their feelings in the wake of the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. Despite that, things had turned out so well, and Steve really hoped they would continue that way for a long time, if not the rest of their lives.

He wondered what kind of person Maggie would grow up to become. With Natasha as her mother, she was bound to be playful, compassionate, and mischievous. He held back a sigh as he thought of that last quality, as he was sure Natasha would teach Maggie how to mess with him and everyone else as soon as she could.

Natasha would probably dread the idea of her daughter being like her, because she had known so much suffering throughout her life. Really, Natasha was still learning how to love and accept herself - a feat that was not easy for a lot of people, especially in their line of work. They took lives all the time, arguing that it was justified because their victims were villains and they, the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D., were heroes. It was a black and white way of thinking being embraced by a world of countless shades of gray; it stressed Steve out constantly.

But, now, he knew that above all else, he was a father. He was a father before he was Captain America, or an Avenger, or even a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. He had someone specific to take care of now, someone to teach and nurture.

That was probably what scared Natasha so much. Being a mother had nothing to do with combat or undercover or missions or skill sets; it was all instinct, love, and responsibility. It was a long mission that they would accomplish only by learning what to do along the way, from playing it by ear. Natasha's past haunted her frequently, and she thought herself unlovable because of it. Steve had a feeling that when Maggie grew older, she'd surprise Natasha by dismissing their past sins.

Plus, when Natasha was pregnant, a lot of the night terrors and flashbacks went away - it was almost as if Maggie was trying to steer Natasha away from all her guilt and toward the much brighter future. (At least, that was Steve's theory, even though Natasha had just hastily called him a sap for it in an attempt to hide her own emotion from the idea.)

Finally dozing off himself, Steve laid his head against Natasha's, marveling in the feeling of just _her. _He never thought he'd make his way to where he had now, his life full of happiness outside of work.

And, quite frankly, he couldn't imagine a better mother for his child than Natasha.


	49. Escape Route

**AGE OF ULTRON SPOILERS AHEAD. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.**

* * *

**A/N:** So, I've somehow managed to forget to mention _Age of Ultron _at all in my most recent updates, hehe... Honestly, it always seemed to slip my mind at the times it actually _mattered_.

I actually saw it a day early - April 30th - with my best friend, and am planning on seeing it again eventually! Maybe next week, after finals are over and I'm out of school. :D

Anyway, why the 'beep beep' was Pepper not in it at all?! Okay, before you all come at me with a 'real life' explanation about Gwyneth's schedule and all that jazz, understand that I already acknowledge it, but still reserve the right to be moody by Pepper's absence! I was disappointed in the lack of Pepperony adorable fluff, though I guess that one scene with Tony and Thor butting heads over Pepper and Jane, respectively, was pretty great at trying to make up for it. XD

So, I decided this is where Pepper was during the movie: taking care of Maggie. For those of you who have seen the movie/know what happens, you can agree with me on the fact that my fanfic is more off-canon at this point than Whedon's characterization of Natasha. **((OH YES I DID JUST SAY THAT))**

Therefore (oh my goodness I'm still kind of laughing at my shade in that comment, I'm not even sorry) I'm changing up the MCU timeline here a bit. Since I also mentioned in the AU Christmas chapter 'The Gifts of the Magi' that the Ultron battle happened when Maggie was a year old, that's what I'm gonna go with for the rest of my story. So, basically, this means that **AOU takes place two years later than in the MCU canon. **Maggie was born in 2016, so AOU happens in 2017 in this world. Hooray for being not-canon!

Hope you all enjoy this one now, with all that out of the way! I guess this goes with the Mother's Day theme of the month, as we get a lot of maternal Pepper scenes here. :) Then we get some Natasha stuff at the end, yay!

Thanks for all the faves, follows, and reviews! You all are super hella rad**. **B)

* * *

Pepper sighed as she bounced Maggie in her lap, the one year old having picked that night to be extra stubborn over her parents' absence.

"I'm sorry, Maggie, but your Mama and Daddy will be back later," Pepper tried to reason with the child, though she doubted it would actually work. "They're working right now."

That in itself wasn't _completely_ true - they were actually at a _party _being held right now, Tony wanting to celebrate the discovery of Loki's scepter. In fact, the group was a few floors up, and Pepper could hear the far-off echoes of the music and rumbles of the bass drifting down through the concrete and steel of the tower.

Maggie seemed to be ignorant by the background noise, as she was more focused on pouting. She looked _mad_, her cheeks puffed up and her eyebrows knitted together in a tight frown that Pepper had to try really hard to hold her laughter back from. She briefly pictured Natasha making the same expression, which made it even harder to resist laughter.

"Mama," the child requested simply, but Pepper shook her head 'no.'

"Not tonight, Maggie," Pepper reminded her. "Tomorrow."

"Dah," Maggie moved on quickly, but Pepper shook her head once more.

"Not tonight. Tomorrow," she repeated. "They're busy right now."

Pepper had volunteered to babysit, so that the absence of Natasha or Steve wouldn't raise eyebrows from the party guests. It would be strange if one of the Avengers didn't show up for the celebration of some closure, finally, after Loki's invasion of Earth five years prior. And taking Maggie to a party just sounded… Unnecessarily difficult and tedious. Plus, Maggie's existence wasn't really publicized outside of S.H.I.E.L.D., so this was also for her protection.

Honestly, Pepper didn't mind missing the party, either. In some ways, watching over Maggie was a lot easier than watching over Tony Stark at a party, who was known for doing some _interesting_ things. Really, Pepper had just swapped responsibilities with Natasha and Steve for the night - _they _could have a go at trying to keep Tony under control.

Maggie was still frowning in her hilarious way, and Pepper sighed, despite her amusement. Sometimes, there really was no pleasing this girl.

"How about we watch a movie, huh, Maggie? Do you have any movies you want to watch?" Pepper inquired. "How about _The Little Mermaid_?"

"Mah," Maggie answered instead.

Pepper blinked, taking Maggie's answer in stride. "Okay… _Mulan_?"

"Blah," Maggie answered, and Pepper's mind automatically translated: _black. _That was Maggie's current 'word-in-progress,' as inspired by Natasha, the Black Widow. (More specifically, it was a sign of Natasha trying to beat Steve by teaching Maggie more words relevant to herself than he could.)

"No Mama tonight, Maggie," Pepper repeated, for what felt like the millionth time. "Tomorrow."

Maggie made some sort of displeased grunt, and Pepper feared she may be on the verge of tears. The baby had been pretty spoiled by her parents' constant presence, despite their growing number of absences due to S.H.I.E.L.D. missions; Natasha was still easing back into the field after her maternity leave. When Maggie couldn't have the soldier or spy immediately upon request (well, more accurately, _demand_), she was incredibly offended.

A distraction was needed desperately, but Maggie refused to give any indication as to what she wanted to do or watch. Pepper chose to decide for her. "JARVIS, do you have any ideas on what movie may placate an upset little girl right now?"

"_Well, Ms. Potts, the movie _Frozen _was quite popular with children, especially young girls, a few years ago." _

"I think I remember that," Pepper said, curiously, remembering seeing references to that movie, literally, _everywhere. _She, however, had never seen it, and neither Natasha nor Steve had ever brought it up with her before. (The name _Frozen_ probably disheartened both Avengers, due to their respective past struggles in cold weather, so, it made sense that they wouldn't have watched it with Maggie yet.)

"That might be our best option: something new and engaging," Pepper thought aloud, turning Maggie in her lap so she could see the TV screen just across the floor from them. "JARVIS, please put this _Frozen _movie on."

"_Yes, Ms. Potts." _

Eventually, Maggie's whining ceased, and was replaced by complete silence. The movie had completely enthralled her, and charmed her in a way that Pepper had never seen in the girl before. Perhaps it was all the snow, she thought.

* * *

The two of them eventually dozed off, but Maggie was out first. Pepper had managed to move her down onto the couch off of her lap, instead lying on the cushions with a plush blanket and using Pepper's thigh to hold up her pillow. Even Pepper herself fell asleep once the credits started rolling, as she was just _that _invested in the plot until then.

(What could she say? It was a good movie. Strong female characters, great music and visuals, and just generally engaging. Pepper couldn't deny these facts.)

When she awoke, Maggie was still fast asleep, which gave Pepper instant relief. Looking back up at the screen, she saw it was stuck on the menu options for the movie.

"JARVIS, you can turn off the movie and TV now," she yawned, trying to think of the best way to move out from under Maggie's head without disturbing the peaceful child. "I think it's time for bed."

She started shifting, then paused after a few silent moments. Her attention was captured by the mysterious lack of reply from the AI, and the unexplained continuation of the menu music for _Frozen. _

"JARVIS?" Pepper asked, much more hesitant and concerned this time. "Turn off the TV, please."

Still, no reply. She frowned, wondering how on Earth _JARVIS _could not be working. That system was so powerful; what on Earth could Tony have done to mess it up?

Reaching for her phone on the table, she picked it up with the intention of calling said genius to fix whatever he had done to mess up his own system, but was then startled by a _crash _from upstairs.

She didn't need specifics to know that couldn't be good.

As the lights flickered, followed by more sounds of destruction, Pepper jumped into action. She took the sleeping Maggie into her arms carefully, hoping not to roust her; otherwise, things could easily be ten times harder.

Once they had been named godparents, Pepper and Clint had made plans for an event like this; they were just _that_ prepared, and more worried about the existence of an 'Avengers baby' than they would ever let on to the others. They had planned for a worst case scenario, where the Tower itself was no longer safe, and Pepper knew she would have to use their plans when a strangely deformed Iron Man suit burst into the room.

It didn't appear to be under the control of Tony, which scared Pepper the most.

"_I am Ultron," _it announced, the voice a disturbing distortion of a normal, human voice. Pepper held Maggie to her chest a little more tightly, taking an intimidated step back.

Clint had told her what to do if the Tower was attacked:

First, grab Maggie. _Check. _

Second, locate an escape route. Looking behind her, Pepper saw a door she could run through, which would inevitably lead to an elevator, which would take her to a floor with a dock. _Check. _

Third was, well, carry out said plan, and don't die.

"_The humans need to be eradicated," _the robotic AI insisted, taking another step that shortened the room-long distance between her and the machine. In the background, Pepper could still hear the sounds of a fight, with crashes and smashes, and she knew she needed to hurry up.

"_There are no strings on me."_

So, she turned on her feet and ran with a full speed toward the door, cautiously adjusting Maggie to lay her head against her shoulder, and hold onto the woman with arms around her neck. Pepper wasted no time in locking the door as soon as she was out, stepping away from it as she heard the robot crash into it with a _thud_, making a huge dent. It wouldn't be long now until it completely burst through the metal.

She took off running once more, briefly glancing out the glass panels as she hurried. The rest of Manhattan appeared fine, and in one piece, but every now and then, a silver blur would catch her eye - another robot.

"_The path to peace must start with your extinction!"_

"Elevator, elevator, elevator…" Pepper cursed under her breath as she came to a stop before the doors. If JARVIS had been compromised, there was no way the elevator would work.

She was quickly losing time, though. Robots began crashing in through the glass panels, preaching their message of justified murder, or whatever. Pepper paid their message no attention, as the stirring Maggie in her arms was her main priority at the moment.

Looking off to the side, she quickly located the entrance to the stair well. It would be hard and tedious, while holding Maggie, who was waking from all the noise and jostling. Pepper just needed to reach the penthouse, where she would have access to the Avengers' quinjet.

Clint had taught her how to fly it, _sort of. _More accurately, he told her what buttons to push and levers to pull and switches to flip that at least got the thing off the ground. Steering and flying from that point on would have to be played by ear. Pepper just prayed there was some sort of auto-pilot feature she could figure out, which meant she would need some coordinates, or a general destination in mind.

The robots were quickly gathering behind her, so Pepper practically threw herself and Maggie through the steel door leading to the stairs. Shutting the door quickly behind them, she tightened her hold on the now awake and mumbling child, and took off up the stairs.

* * *

Running up the stairs had been exhausting, as Pepper had predicted, but, luckily, the robots hadn't reached that closed-off area of the tower yet. Maggie was now completely awake, occasionally mumbling some gibberish that Pepper barely verbally acknowledged in reply.

When she finally reached the penthouse, there was broken glass everywhere. The Avengers must have been in there, she figured, as there were also smashed robots strewn across the floor, and the occasional yells and cries of the heroes. Maggie seemed to recognize the voices, as she curiously looked up and around herself and Pepper when they entered the area of destruction. Pepper just hoped they could make it to the quinjet in one piece. She had no idea who this villain was, but at least knew that Avengers Tower had been compromised. If JARVIS was not functioning, and the machines appeared to be Stark tech, that must have meant home was not safe anymore.

That thought drove her to continue in her escape plan, as she was now trying to step over debris and robot parts carefully. She hoped the Avengers could continue to keep the robots away for a while.

Unfortunately, Pepper jinxed herself, it seemed, as a robot suddenly lumbered toward them, uneven and unbalanced on its feet. It was repeating the same verbal nonsense the others had, about humanity's eradication and extinction and someone named 'Ultron.'

Pepper quickened her pace, now prioritizing speed over carefulness. She managed to not trip, at the very least, but was creating quite a ruckus that would probably alert every robot in the near vicinity of her presence.

Maggie seemed to pay no mind, though. She just quietly watched the approaching machine from over Pepper's shoulder, having no idea what was going on or that they were even in danger.

Then, Pepper lost her balance, and stumbled. She didn't completely fall to the ground, but a piece of broken wood caused her to misstep, slowing her down. There was a subtle feeling of pain in the ankle she had landed awkwardly on, but the adrenaline helped her ignore it.

Now, the robot was nearly upon them, Pepper saw as she turned back to look. It looked ready to fire, as it had an 'arm' stretched out toward the duo. Instinctively, Pepper pulled Maggie's entire body against her chest and crouched down, trying to shield the child with her body. She wasn't really afraid to die in that moment, but was more concerned about what would happen to Maggie if she did. Silently, she just hoped for the best as she squeezed her eyes closed and braced herself for whatever killing blow the machine would deliver.

Surprisingly, the attack Pepper had been expecting never came. Instead, the robot stumbled as an arrow was lodged in its head, temporarily disorienting it. With the distraction came the hands of Clint Barton, guiding Pepper back up to full height.

"Are you guys okay?" he inquired loudly, his stormy eyes alight with worry and the rush of battle. Pepper managed to nod weakly and shakily, her hold on Maggie tightening just a little bit more with the realization of what could have just happened.

"Clint, what's going on?" she practically yelled, struggling to speak over the sounds of the fight. Maggie raised her head at Clint's presence, and spoke some nonsense to him, but Clint hardly acknowledged her as he ushered Pepper along. Normally, he would say something back to the child, but he was too worried and preoccupied to think of some nonsensical words for her.

Pepper glanced back at him, her gaze worried. "Where are Nat and Steve?"

"Fighting," Clint answered, as Pepper had expected. "You two need to get out of here."

He was now pushing her in front of him, toward the glass doors that led to the landing of the quinjet. Pepper looked over her shoulder at him once more as they entered the cool night air, the wind of the high elevation whipping against her hair and clothes.

"Clint, I don't know how to-"

What was going to be her request for him to come and at least get the quinjet off the ground, was cut off as the robot from before stumbled through the glass, shattering it. Clint's muscles immediately tightened, and he pushed Pepper toward the quinjet much more quickly.

"Call Fury, get him to help you," he advised loudly, finally reaching the aircraft and hitting a large button that opened its door. "I need to get back in there."

Pepper tried to protest, but Clint had gotten her onto the ramp of the quinjet with a final push, and pressed the same button from before to raise the door. She looked to him, frantically. "I don't even know where to fly it to-"

"Call Fury!" he called again, this time more loudly. "He knows."

That was the last thing Pepper heard before the door finally closed, and she found herself standing in the Avengers' quinjet, alone. Random items belonging to the heroes were everywhere, making their constant owners' presence known. She then turned to the control panel in the front of the ship with a frazzled expression.

The first thing she did was strap Maggie into the co-pilot seat because, well, there really wasn't anywhere else to put her. Natasha was probably going to kill Pepper later for not practicing safety first and using a baby seat, but Pepper didn't have the time to make this completely safe.

She pulled her phone out next, setting it down on a nearby ledge and putting Fury on speaker. It took a few moments to connect to him, and a few rings for him to actually pick up. Pepper paced back and forth worriedly, running her hands through her hair stressfully as she looked at all the controls. It kind of made her head spin.

"_Ms. Potts, is there a reason-" _

"How do you fly a quinjet?" she asked without any greeting or pause, standing over her phone with a nervous expression.

"_Excuse me?" _

"Avengers Tower is compromised, and my co-pilot is barely thirteen months old. How do I fly a quinjet?"

* * *

"_So, let me get this straight: the Avengers are fighting Stark tech that has gone rogue." _

"Yes," Pepper sighed, leaning back in her seat. The exhaustion from the stress of the night was starting to set in, and she could feel pain swelling up in her left ankle from her near-fall. Walking once they landed would be an adventure, she mused.

Maggie was silently dozing in the co-pilot seat, which was so large it seemed to swallow her entire tiny body. It didn't help that Pepper had thrown a light blanket over the child, which made her seem even smaller.

It had taken a few minutes, but Pepper had managed to get the quinjet off the landing dock and into the sky. It was a bumpy ride, and Maggie just giggled at its rougher parts (because apparently babies have _zero awareness _of fatal situations), but it worked out alright in the end. Tony had designed the aircraft, so in a way it was a bit more… _Accessible, _for those who had no idea how to fly it. (Or, more accurately, he wanted to prepare for the worst case scenario of someone with no flight experience having to fly the Avengers out of a bad situation.)

Now, she was catching Fury up with the events of the Tower.

"I have no idea what was going on, honestly," Pepper continued. "I only saw Clint briefly while trying to get out, and he didn't have time to explain what the hell was going on."

Normally, she'd make an effort to cover Maggie's ears at the language because it _was _possible that she was listening, but Pepper was too tired to really care at that moment.

"_Avengers Tower being compromised… Never thought I'd see that day, with Stark's extra strong tech and security systems." _

"S.H.I.E.L.D.'s the only group that's managed to get past it," Pepper recalled, thinking of Tony labeling Phil's visit a 'security breach' when the man had come to them with the Avengers Initiative before the Battle of New York.

God, that felt like so long ago now, five years, Pepper mentally calculated. Though it wasn't an extraordinary amount of time to pass, so much had happened in those five years that seemed to last an entire lifetime. Just one simple glance to her right proved that, with the sleeping baby who looked as content as ever in the midst of everything that was going on.

(On a lighter note, Pepper couldn't help but think, the events of the night also really emphasized how great of a godmother she was. Just saying.)

Fury chuckled a bit over the line, and Pepper guessed he was remembering a similar event. _"I'm going to try to contact the Avengers now, and get details on what's happening." _

"Okay… But, I'm going to need you back on the line when I have to land this thing," Pepper was half-joking, but also half-completely-serious. Because, really, she had _no clue _as to how landing worked. "When is that going to be, anyway? Where are these coordinates?"

"_Not too long now. You'll see when you land, which will be easier than getting off the ground, because there's a lot of clear, open space." _

Pepper frowned at Fury's ambiguity, but thought it logical. Should someone, perhaps one of these weird malicious AI's that seemed to have taken over Tony's system be listening, they could follow them.

She let Fury go after that, and warned she would call once the quinjet indicated they were near the location of the set coordinates.

* * *

Natasha was barely aware of Clint's presence beside her, trying to guide her out of the quinjet they had taken to pursue Ultron in Wakanda. The mission - if they could even call it that, it was so disorganized - had been quickly derailed by a new enemy, working alongside Ultron, in the form of a set of twins.

The boy had super speed, which was annoying, but more bearable than the girl. She had some psychic powers that threw each of the Avengers into his or her own little mental mess. Well, Tony and Clint had been spared at least, but the rest of them weren't so lucky.

Steve was haunted enough by whatever he had seen that he was trailing closely behind Natasha and Clint, not making a move to touch her or comfort her in any way. Natasha didn't really mind, though.

What she had seen, well - that was something Clint would always have a bit more understanding and knowledge of, because he had been the one to get Natasha out of the KGB and Red Room in the first place. By now, Steve knew practically everything about her past, but Clint had witnessed Natasha suffer during her transition to S.H.I.E.L.D. firsthand, so sometimes it took the archer's presence to help her get over flashbacks. Steve understood and respected that different bond she had with Clint, fortunately.

And, up until this point with their encounter with the 'Scarlet Witch,' Natasha had actually had things under control for a while. It seemed that ever since Maggie had come around, even during the pregnancy days, Natasha was too _distracted _to think about her past. It was kind of humorous, but the spy was just glad she could go for long stretches of time without being terrorized at night.

That's why the revival of all the memories just really _hurt _today.

Clint was ushering her and the rest of the worn out Avengers along now, his energy easily outweighing the rest of theirs put together.

"Come on, guys, just a bit farther…"

It wasn't until they were walking up steps and standing in front of a wooden door that Natasha recognized where they were. She saw the others all look up and around curiously, taking in the lone house on the empty land curiously.

"Clint, this is…"

Her voice trailed off as she met his eyes, and Clint just nodded. Yes, this was his farm house, his old home from many years ago. And, yes, he was opening it up to the Avengers for the first time.

Natasha honestly never thought such a thing would happen.

Next thing she knew, the door was open, and Fury was standing in the doorway, his expression as weirdly casual as ever. 'Weirdly,' because it was just so out of place, and almost domestic with the house's interior as the backdrop.

"Welcome home, Agent Barton," he greeted. "It's about damn time."

"_Home_?" Tony echoed from the back, peeking his head out and around Thor and Steve's large frames to get a better glimpse of the place. "This is _home_?"

"It was, once," Clint answered earnestly, looking back at the billionaire with an amused expression. "Come on in."

He led them inside, though Natasha already knew her way around the house fairly well. When worst had come to worst in the past, she had fled to this location with Clint, though it had been on very few occasions because it was so secretive. The only people who knew about it beside herself were Fury, Maria, and Phil.

She wasn't thinking about all of that, though.

Natasha was still thinking about the visions of the Red Room that were filling her mind every few seconds, and she couldn't shake them. What frustrated her even more was how much the memories still _hurt. _

That wasn't the worst of it, either. Even Steve and Maggie had been present in her magic-induced vision, though much less clearly than her memories. She couldn't exactly place what her family's role had been, but she just had a feeling it wasn't good.

Which brought her to her next thought: where the _hell _was Maggie?

Clint had assured Natasha and Steve after defeating the first round of Ultron's robots in Avengers Tower that Maggie was with Pepper, and that they were safe. The only question was _where-_

"Mamama," Maggie's familiar babble caught Natasha's attention immediately, forcing the spy to snap her head up at the appearance of Pepper with Maggie in her arms. Pepper was limping slightly, and seemed to be treating her left foot a bit more gently than usual. Tony noticed this right away, as he never took his eyes off of her careful footwork as she entered the room.

Maggie looked the same as ever, wearing an outfit that was a bit too big for her (Clint must have kept the house stocked just in case; the realization made Natasha bit emotional, to be honest). The soft red tufts that were gradually becoming curls on her head were as messy as ever, and her expression was one of pure childlike glee.

The normality was refreshing and reassuring for everyone in the room.

Natasha could feel Steve immediately relax behind her, even though they weren't exactly touching. He was close enough that she could detect the change in his breathing at the sight of their daughter, who was safe.

Before she could comprehend what was happening, Maggie was placed in her arms, and a smile had broken out on Natasha's face. The spy just breathed a sigh of relief at the happy baby, who was giggling as she wrapped her arms around Natasha's neck and laid her soft cheek against the woman's shoulder.

"Maggie," Steve sighed, the same relief as Natasha was feeling evident in his voice. He had a hand on the Maggie's back, with the other gently carding through her hair. Natasha smiled at the feeling of being reunited with her family, finally feeling a little better from their encounter with Ultron and the Maximoff twins.

Natasha could only imagine how the Red Room memories had managed to intertwine with her present-day life with her family in the vision. With Maggie in her arms and Steve by her side once more now, Natasha felt the point in which she would be able to distance herself from the memories may come more swiftly now, as opposed to years and years ago. The combined efforts of Steve and Maggie, as well as everyone else, would help her heal.

(Plus, the sight of Maggie's face just in front of hers was gradually overtaking the visions of the awful memories plaguing her mind.)

At the same time as the Rogers family reunion, Pepper was being hugged tightly by Tony, who was speaking quickly, trying to explain what had happened. His tone was apologetic, and truly remorseful. If anything had happened to either Pepper or Maggie in the sudden turn of events, he'd probably never forgive himself; everyone could tell this just by watching him. Pepper just wrapped her arms around his neck, tucking her head against his, and simply appreciated the fact he was still standing there, alive, in front of her, as he rambled, per usual.

Bruce watched the reunions quietly from beside Thor, feeling a bit better from his own experience as well. Thor seemed to be cheered up by the sight.

Clint looked between Pepper, who had just released Tony, and Fury. The archer wore a light expression. "Well, I guess our secret emergency plan isn't so secret anymore," he sighed. "Now, everyone knows."

"You planned this, Barton?" Thor questioned, looking around the homely living room with a curious expression.

"Yeah, Pepper and I are a bit more on the 'cautious' side with this godparent stuff, I guess," Clint shrugged nonchalantly. "With Fury's help, we made up a plan for a scenario where the Tower was compromised, and I guess that was a smart decision after all."

"It involved a lot of heavy lifting on my part, but, it was worth it. _She's _worth it," Pepper added with a cheeky, but genuine, expression, while shrugging casually. Tony had an arm around her waist, and held her a little more tightly at that. "I'm just glad we managed to get out of there."

Steve was now holding Maggie, murmuring words of affection to her as he bounced her lightly, causing her to giggle and squirm in his grasp. The sight made Natasha smile before she turned toward the others, and placed a grateful hand on Clint's arm as she looked between both godparents. "Thank you, Clint, Pepper. Really. I don't know where we'd be or what we'd do without you."

The gratitude in her expression was almost unbearable, Clint thought as he simply nodded in reply. Pepper was starting to look a bit emotional, as she quickly rushed up to Natasha and pulled her into a warm, friendly embrace. Natasha still had her sappy grateful expression, as she looked at both Pepper and Clint with a gaze that suggested they had just saved the whole damn world.

And, in a way, Clint reflected, that was true.

They saved the world of Natasha Romanoff and Steve Rogers.


	50. Shining in the Sky

**A/N: **'Sup, guys? Just wanted to get this little oneshot out there before the end of this week, as I'm gonna be busy the next few days. :-) To the precious anon who keeps messaging me on tumblr, I actually lied about my next update, bahaha! It was an unintentional lie, as inspiration struck me and brought me to this oneshot instead of the one I mentioned to you about Melinda May. Sorry! XD

Anyway, I'm not sure how much you guys are keeping up with the news about _Civil War_, but ***spoilers from set pictures* **we've already been told Peggy dies in it. :/ There have been pictures of a funeral scene, and a program for a funeral service with Peggy's name on it. I guess it makes sense she would die off then, _Civil War _being the last Captain America movie and all, but it's still gonna hurt like hella.

So, yeah, that's what this one's about, though not from the angle you would expect. I'm going off of movie canon for Nat's background, and instead going with her comic origins, in which she is pretty much as old as Steve and has been all over the place for the Soviet Union for the last century. Therefore, I figured she may butt heads with our favorite Agent Carter every now and then!

(Also, am I the only one out there who is definitely down for a Peggy/Nat ship? [No, **independentalto**, I know we already talked about this, so put your hand down.])

Speaking of her, I definitely think I was inspired by **independentalto**'s own fic featuring Steve and Nat visiting Peggy separately, as I loooooved the way she wrote Nat and Peggy's friendship there. I hope my own oneshot didn't come out like a carbon copy (I don't think? Honestly, I didn't even think to go back and check your fic for accidental subconscious copying until now WHOOPS), but you guys should definitely go read hers! It's called, "I Have To Do What Now?"

Thanks for all your guys' support! I love you all more than Steve loved Peggy. ;)))

* * *

Natasha leaned back in her chair, simply enjoying the feeling of sitting down. She acknowledged the relief aloud with a sigh, causing the other person in the room to chuckle.

"Pregnancy hitting you hard, Agent Romanoff?"

Despite her very old age and very frail state, the typical twinkle of mischief and challenge in Peggy's eyes was obvious. It was a sight Natasha had seen many times before, though it had mostly occurred while she was on the opposing side.

Because, yeah, Natasha _kinda _had this past with Peggy that completely took Steve off guard and practically made his jaw drop to the floor when he found out.

The two female agents had been rivals all throughout the twentieth century, it seemed. Where Peggy was assigned to save, Natasha had been assigned to kill. They butt heads in battle constantly, but somehow managed to never actually take out _each other. _Their skill levels were incredibly high, and therefore admired by the other; as some of the only female players in their field of work, there was a mutual sense of respect between them.

Then, Clint took Natasha - _Natalia _\- into S.H.I.E.L.D. Peggy had already retired long before, but still popped in occasionally. The surprise in her features when Fury reached out to her for information about Leviathan and the Red Room was incredible; how had the woman who had been combating her for decades been defeated and brought in? And they managed to work out a _deal _with her, in which she pledged _loyalty_?

Natasha was still standoffish and silent during those days, so she merely glared at Peggy whenever the brunette so much as looked at her. The woman had just found the action amusing.

With time, Natalia faded, and was replaced with the sarcastic and no-nonsense Natasha. By then, she had managed to actually befriend Peggy, and occasionally visit her outside of her busy S.H.I.E.L.D. life.

Then, Steve came out of the ice, the Avengers and Battle of New York happened, S.H.I.E.L.D. fell, and Peggy had dementia.

Natasha simply sent the brunette a weak glare in reply. "I thought the 'exhaustion' part wasn't supposed to hit until I was _really _big; not at seventeen weeks."

"It's different for every woman," Peggy replied knowingly, her expression as sharp and snarky as ever. Natasha resisted the urge to challenge her to a sparring match. (Because, well, Peggy was _way _too old and weak for that, and would probably _still _accept the challenge. Jesus.) "Have you gotten any bad bouts of morning sickness?"

They had talked about this several times before, but Natasha didn't give any indication of it.

"At first it wasn't too bad, and it still isn't," she recalled, reflecting on the past few months. "But, I did throw up on Steve yesterday. At first I felt bad, but then I found it really funny."

Even Peggy gave a little laugh at this. "Poor guy. I'm sure he was chivalrous about it."

"He was," Natasha confirmed, amusement still in her voice. "I think the pregnancy is freaking _him _out more than _me_, which is what's funny."

"Steve is just that way," Peggy sighed nostalgically, folding her arms neatly over the hem of her blanket. "I'm glad he has you now."

Natasha's face bore a sad smile at Peggy's words. It had taken her a while to accept the fact that someone like Steve could even belong with someone like her, with all her darkness and sins. Peggy had been a huge help in getting past that initial anxiety in their relationship, as she talked a lot of sense into Natasha, and given her blessing for them a million times over.

"_I'm _glad that I have _him _now," Natasha reflected earnestly. "Not sure what I'd be up to now without him."

"Probably wreaking havoc at poor S.H.I.E.L.D., per usual," Peggy guessed, her voice completely serious. It cracked Natasha up a bit.

"Guilty as charged," Natasha smirked.

They bantered like this, quite frequently. The energy that had once been channeled between them through deathly combat and warfare was now used to bicker and tease and just have fun as two women who could relate to each other. If someone had told Natasha that she would build a relationship like this with Peggy _irritating obstacle in all my missions, damn it_ Carter, she would have never believed them.

Weird how life turns out.

"So, Romanoff, what do you think it will be?" Peggy suddenly questioned, her eyes sparking with interest. "A girl, or a boy?"

Unconsciously, Natasha lowered a hand to her growing belly, as if expecting the gender of the growing blob of life inside to be communicated through the womb and into her hand. "I'm not really sure yet. I don't really mind either way, though, and neither does Steve. Honestly, I could see things working out with whatever."

Peggy nodded thoughtfully, as if approving of Natasha's answer like her question had been a test of some sort. "I can start to see that you're showing."

As if prompted to, Natasha stood up, turning a bit so Peggy could see what she looked like from the side. "A little bit. It's not so easy fitting in my uniform anymore."

The disapproving frown came immediately, as Natasha had expected. "Oh, goodness, Natasha! You shouldn't be working in the field while pregnant!" Peggy reprimanded, her tone scolding.

"Don't worry, I'm not," Natasha couldn't help but chuckle, now standing over the bed, leaning over the side with her hands on the edge of the mattress. "I've been having to buy new clothes. I tried my old uniform on a few weeks ago because I was curious, and, well, the result was as expected."

Peggy gave a sigh of relief. "Bloody hell, Romanoff, you gave me quite a fright. I don't doubt your ability to hold your own in a fight, but a battlefield is no place for a baby, in your womb or not."

"You sound like Steve," Natasha commented, amused, then turned Peggy's question back on her. "Do _you _have any guesses on what the kid may be?"

"Hm," Peggy hummed for a moment, before reaching a trembling, frail hand out toward Natasha, looking up at the spy for permission. "May I?"

Natasha nodded, leaning forward just a bit more, allowing Peggy to place her hand on her stomach. Peggy's hand made a few, slow, circles over the fabric of Natasha's loose shirt, before the brunette made up her mind.

"It's going to be a girl. I am sure of it."

The redhead couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "How do you know for _sure_?"

"I just know things, Romanoff," Peggy replied confidently, removing her hand from Natasha's belly. "I can feel it - I can feel _her._"

"You're crazy, Carter," Natasha just gave a shrug, stepping back from the bed so she could resume sitting in her little chair. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see at the next appointment."

* * *

The day of Peggy's funeral was strangely bright and sunny. The weather didn't match the mood of the Avengers at all, and gave an almost cruel reminder about how life worked: while tragedy occurred, there were still happy people in the world, and vice versa. Life would go on, as it already was at the present moment, since one person's life only affected so many others.

Despite this, Peggy's passing sent waves of grief through the now much smaller S.H.I.E.L.D., and the Avengers. Steve was eerily silent, caught between the end of one life and the upcoming start of another.

Natasha could only watch as he closed himself off from everyone, even her. She understood that he needed some space to process things before throwing himself back into the excitement of _baby this, baby that_ \- which was only increasing each day, as Natasha was seven months along.

Wearing a black gown with her large belly bump actually kind of freaked her out, more than she'd like to admit. How easily this could have occurred before, at any time during her pregnancy, with Steve being the one they were putting in the ground.

She brushed the anxiety off, knowing thoughts like that wouldn't help anyone right now, especially herself.

After Peggy was buried, Steve practically guarded her grave for a very long time. Natasha just stood beside him, silently doing the same, because Peggy had been in her life for _decades_ at this point.

He didn't try to convince Natasha to go sit down or rest or anything, which kind of surprised her. Steve had been very picky about Natasha's habits and how much she exhausted herself these days. It was out of love, and he knew that she could take care of herself, but he couldn't help it. Natasha usually brushed his concerns off, anyway.

It felt like hours had gone by, judging by the soreness Natasha was starting to feel from standing with so much weight to carry for so long. But she didn't give into her exhaustion.

Finally, something in Steve's breathing changed. "I can't believe she's just… _Gone._"

Natasha nodded in agreement, also finding it hard to accept that the brunette who had given her a run for her money back in the old days had finally faded away.

To her own surprise, Natasha actually voiced this mutual feeling. "She kept me on my toes a lot, back then," she recalled. "Anywhere I was sent, she was, too, but for the other team. I didn't fear her, but I really should have."

Steve gave a short, breathy chuckle, indicating his amusement. "And, now look at where we've ended up."

It was humorous, really, the directions their lives had all taken. Steve had been, well, _frozen_, which was a statement of the oddity of life itself; Natasha had gone from lethal assassin to, err, still lethal assassin, but a _good guy_ lethal assassin, and was later humanized and became an expectant mother; Peggy, finally, had led the most normal life out of the three of them, but even that wasn't completely normal.

While she settled down and had a family, sure, she also worked for the SSR as a top agent, successfully taking on missions by herself that usually required multiple men to accomplish. Then, she started S.H.I.E.L.D. with Howard Stark, Steve's friend and later the father of Natasha and Steve's now close friend and teammate, Tony. The world is small, really.

Natasha laid a hand upon her round belly unconsciously, briefly wondering if the baby inside could feel how sad her parents were at that moment.

"We won't let Peggy be forgotten," Natasha suddenly said, determined. "We'll make sure she's remembered as the hero she is-_was._" The correction almost made Natasha sick then and there. (Probably the only thing holding her back from throwing up was the fact that Peggy would kick her ass for puking on her grave because, _what the bloody hell, Romanoff, I thought we were friends now, and put the past behind us; friends don't vomit on friends' graves._)

"I think that's supposed to be my line," Steve sighed, a bittersweet smile on his face.

Natasha just gave an amused shrug, before recalling some of her last encounters with Peggy before, well, _this. _They hadn't gone so well. Peggy had been getting gradually worse along, her memories all over the place and conversations going in repetitive circles. In fact, the last time Natasha visited, the British brunette had thought the redhead to still be an enemy (which was resolved within a minute or so by Steve, _but still._ It hurt like a bitch for Natasha, and she could only hope Peggy didn't remember her as an enemy when she passed.)

"She called it, you know," Natasha remembered verbally, thinking of one of their smoother visits.

Steve turned to her, raising an eyebrow. "She called what?"

"The gender," she answered, looking up at Steve with an amused expression. "Back when I was seventeen weeks. She asked me what my guess was, and I just kinda shrugged it off, but she was insistent on it being a girl."

A small chuckle escaped Steve's mouth. "That's Peggy for you. Hellbent on everything."

"Trust me, I know that," Natasha agreed with a smirk. "Maybe she had some freaky sixth sense, or something."

Steve smiled knowingly. "I don't doubt it."

They continued to stand by her grave a while longer. And, when tears began to fall, they joined hands.

Natasha briefly reflected on the name she and Steve had agreed on two months prior, in the wake of the news that Peggy didn't have much longer. She glanced up at the sky briefly, squinting her eyes against the harsh light of the sun. (Or, could that be the light of Peggy's soul reflecting on them? _Nah, Romanoff, pregnancy is just making you go slightly crazy and way too sentimental._) Natasha always just had a feeling that Peggy may not live to see the baby's birth, but that didn't stop the hurt from hurting. She sighed, closing her eyes as a breeze kicked up and pushed back some stray curls from her face.

_Carter, you better be watching over the tiny terror that's growing in my stomach. God knows what kinds of things she'll do, being your namesake._

* * *

**A/N:** A couple of things -

1\. I want to do more chapters featuring Peggy, and her friendship with Steve and Natasha. I initially planned on adding more to this one, but I couldn't really think of anything at this point in time.

(Also, this oneshot does not pass the Bechdel test. DANG IT.)

2\. I know a lot of people typically write Steve as kinda just... Silent and hella closed off, when Peggy dies (because it's like one of the most used fic ideas, like, ever). I went in a different direction with his character, as I figured the different circumstances here from having a pregnant partner by his side with a happy future pretty much in front of his face right now would kind of confuse his initial emotions a bit, so things wouldn't seem as 'gloomy' as the other normal scenarios in which Peggy dies.

I think that's it for now. Thanks for reading!


	51. I Don't Think We're in Bahrain Anymore

**A/N: **Hello, all! To the precious anon on tumblr, _this _is the chapter I was talking about, hehe. X) I think someone requested some Melinda May scenes a while back when I first introduced the Bus team in this fic, so here it is! Time for some angsty fluff (at this point, what else would you expect from me?). Just in case, I'm going to throw out a **spoiler alert for Season 2 of _Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., _**as one of the later episodes delves into what happened to May in Bahrain, and I explore that a lot in this chapter. **You have been warned! **

Thanks for all the faves, follows, reviews, and continued support! I also drew a new cover for the fic, which there will be a link to in my bio because I like how it turned out. :-) I also made a speedpaint of the process of, well, drawing it, so I'll post a link to the video of it on YouTube as well. Hooray for art!

* * *

When Agent Melinda May heard the news of Natasha's pregnancy, she simply smiled and congratulated the younger agent whom she had once trained years before. After that, May went on her way and kept to herself.

Little kids weren't really her thing. Or being maternal. Or any of that stuff, really. It surprised her that Natasha, who seemed to have always envisioned herself in a similar non-maternal way as May had, ended up being one of the few people in S.H.I.E.L.D. who took on the double life of an agent and parent. Really, though, May was more than happy for Natasha, and had a feeling this change of pace would be good for the spy.

Once Maggie was born, though, May steered clear of both Romanoff and Rogers. Again, little kids weren't really her thing. Girls even more so. Even though Maggie was just a baby and not at all like the girl from May's fateful encounter in Bahrain, as Phil pointed out, May kept her distance.

She didn't like letting people in, _especially _vulnerable little girls.

And, much to her fears, that was exactly what Maggie was: a vulnerable little girl. Though she was tough, and outgoing, and optimistic, and strong on the outside, May knew who the girl's parents were, and what that would probably mean for Maggie's own mental state somewhere along the line.

She was too innocent for this life, May thought. Too innocent to be surrounded by bloodshed and violence, even if it were justified in the overall heroes versus villains way of the world. There was no way such joy and faith could be preserved in someone so small for so long.

Skye eventually met the girl when she was five. The agent had been so busy with Inhuman business for years, that it seemed like she never got the chance to meet Maggie, until then. It was an unintentional meeting, with Skye detecting Maggie's presence from a 'molecular level' when with Phil. Apparently, Maggie had a unique molecular 'sound' to Skye, that May didn't really understand, but didn't try to decipher. After all, this was coming from the agent who claimed she could sense other people's hands at cards on team game nights, and that turned out to just be bluffing, in the end (which May had suspected all along).

Finally, Phil seemed to have had enough with May avoiding the daughter of the agent who had served as her prodigal rookie for a short time, years and years ago. He forced the two to meet in his office, after tricking May and luring her there.

(He informed her he needed help defending himself from possible pranks Skye or Clint may be pulling soon, and would also need May to plan offensive strategies for him to get them back. Of course she fell for the temptation.)

When she walked into the room, Maggie just kind of stared at her. It wasn't judgmental or guarded, May noted, but generally curious and intrigued. She then looked back up at Phil, who May understood had become somewhat of an uncle figure for the girl, as if requesting permission to run up and greet the newcomer with a hug. (Seriously, though, the child of Natasha Romanoff - and she hugged _willingly_?)

Phil just gave Maggie a reassuring smile and nod, saying some brief words about a certain "Agent Melinda May" from all the "saving S.H.I.E.L.D." stories coming to visit. Next thing May knew, there were arms thrown around her waist, and an excited babble of fangirlish nonsense flowing from the redhead's mouth.

_This _was the daughter of the stoic Black Widow and no-nonsense Captain America? _Damn_, May thought. Life sure worked in mysterious ways.

"_Phil_." The discomfort in her voice was evident, but also lined with irritation and agitation. Her gaze was icy, and body tense. Maggie seemed to take no mind or notice, though, and Phil just shrugged nonchalantly.

"She gives the best hugs, so I suggest you try her out," Phil offered, his expression and smile light. "You wouldn't believe how well Captain Rogers and Agent Romanoff have trained her in the art of physical affection."

May couldn't believe her ears. Here she was, with a six year old girl _literally _attached to her at the waist, while May was trying to block out memories of a seemingly similar little girl who demanded pretty much the same amount of attention.

Part of her wanted to hug Maggie back, honestly, but she was terrified. What if she had to take her out a moment afterward? What if Maggie suddenly turned on May and Phil, forcing their hands in killing her? What if Maggie really wasn't who she seemed to be?

May's head spun from all these fears and questions, but Phil just watched her calmly. He blinked, arms crossed over his chest, examining her closely. "She won't break if you touch her, Melinda."

Those words chipped the ice surrounding May's heart just a bit. How did Phil know, for sure, that this would not end badly later?

Maggie was looking up at her now, with those big blue eyes of hers. She looked so innocent and curious, it was kind of starting to freak May out. Just a bit. "You're funny."

"Funny?" May automatically echoed from pure confusion, then cursed herself for engaging the girl in a conversation. If she talked to her, May just _knew _she would get attached.

"Yeah, funny," Maggie confirmed nonchalantly, still looking up at May. "You don't hug back."

May just blinked, and Maggie followed with the same action. It was an odd stare down, really. Briefly, May thought back to when she first met Natasha, the quiet and cold-hearted assassin, back when Clint initially brought her in. Phil had asked May to help out with training the two 'kids,' as he referred to the newly born STRIKE Team: Delta.

And May did. She spent a lot of time sparring with Natasha in the gym, and swapping fighting techniques with her. Natasha eventually emerged from her silent shell and befriended May, but never talked about her past. May didn't push her, as she didn't want to talk about her own, either.

Now, though, May had to wonder: would Natasha _still _let Maggie be around the senior agent if she knew the truth about Bahrain?

May really didn't want to know the answer to that question.

Maggie finally released the agent, but still stood right in front of her, her eyes never leaving May's gaze. Phil was just smirking from where he stood behind Maggie, a few feet away.

"You both share a mutual interest in pranks, by the way," he offered, causing May to raise an eyebrow. He reached behind himself, onto his desk, grabbing a crumpled up piece of paper. Unfolding it, he offered it to May.

She took the offering, and opened it fully. She smirked when she saw the _Captain America is my true love! _scrawled over it. Thinking for a moment, she deduced it to be Maggie's handwriting, though the word choice was probably dictated by someone else (read: Clint Barton).

"_That _was taped on the back of my jacket this morning," Phil sighed, shaking his head in exasperation. "This one claimed to know 'nothing' about it."

He gestured to Maggie's giggling form, and, God, the girl was _cute. _May forced herself to focus her eyes on the wrinkled sign once more, because she knew Maggie was more than capable of charming whoever she wanted just by a simple glance.

Unfortunately, Maggie was now even closer to her, leaning over her arm to examine the sign. "Uncle Clint told me what to write, and he helped me spell. But I wrote it _all _by myself!"

She was really proud of herself, and looked up at May expectantly. May could kind of tell Maggie must be really spoiled by all her 'relatives,' judging by the way she was waiting for May to praise her penmanship at age six.

"Being able to write isn't anything special," May quipped instead, handing the paper back to Phil without so much as a glance at Maggie. "Your writing is messy, and could use some work."

May wasn't trying to be mean, really; she just wanted Maggie to stay far away, and unattached. Emotional attachments were fatal in this line of work, and their lifestyle in general. The less Maggie liked May, the safer she would be, May argued to herself.

But Maggie didn't look discouraged. Instead, she was already working on a new way to get around May's walls. "Can you teach me how to write better?"

Phil was still smirking like an asshole, and May glared at him. He knew that Maggie was persistent, and wouldn't just let May enter her life for a brief ten minutes and just leave. Of course Maggie wouldn't let her do that, _of course. _

"My handwriting isn't very good, either," May tried with a shrug. "You can ask your Uncle Phil; he's had a hard time deciphering a lot of my reports in the past."

That was too much information, May silently scolded herself. Now Maggie would have a reason to be able to relate to her. _Damn it. _

"Really?" Maggie asked, surprised, looking back and forth between the two senior agents. "Uncle Phil, really?"

"Yeah, really," Phil went along with her little lie, amused. "Maybe you two should try to better your handwriting together."

That got Maggie's excitability going. She was rocking back and forth on her feet now, and May just gave Phil the look of death.

"That's such a _cool _idea, Uncle Phil!" Maggie agreed energetically. "Can we do it, Agent May? _Please_?!"

She was dragging out her vowels and syllables now, and her eyes were just begging for May to comply. May sighed. Where Natasha Romanoff was dangerously persuasive, Maggie was adorably irresistible. It was actually somewhat frustrating for May, who had experienced more than her fair share of Natasha's mischief. It looked like the apple had not fallen far from the tree, after all.

Maggie was beaming up at May still, and the woman just sighed. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why?" Maggie tilted her head to the side, looking as earnestly curious as ever. "Your handwriting is probably better than mine already."

Though the sentence came out in a childish jumble of mispronounced words and stumblings, May easily deciphered it word for word. She almost smiled, in fact. Damn it.

"It just isn't," May insisted vaguely, stepping away from the uncle and niece duo. "Look, I gotta go."

She turned toward the door, and was about to make her grand escape when Maggie caught her by the hand. May tried to bury the instant feeling of panic that had flared up inside of her at the sudden contact, memories of the last little girl who tried to take her hand filling her vision.

"I wanna see you again." It wasn't a question or even a request - Maggie spoke like it was _law. _Even then, her voice was still as soft and casual as ever, her grip on May's hand loose. "So we can play."

May had no clue how her distant behavior resulted in Maggie wanting to play with her, but she didn't bother asking.

"Can we play sometime?"

Maggie looked hopeful, and completely earnest in her request. It would be hard to say, 'no.'

So, May compromised instead. "Maybe."

Finally, she made her getaway, as Maggie released her hand as she walked away, without looking back once.

Maggie turned to Phil after May had left. "You're right, she _is _shy."

Phil gave a little laugh at that, walking up to the small girl with his hand raised. "You handled it extremely well, though. High-five, baby Avenger."

* * *

May heaved an exhausted sigh as she unlocked the door to her office, immediately dropping her duffel bag to the floor once inside. Closing the door behind her, she flipped the lights on, and groaned at what she saw.

"Good evening, Agent May," Skye greeted with a (very obviously fake) British accent, from the middle of the floor, where she sat on a blanket with Jemma Simmons and, of course, none other than Maggie Rogers. "Would you care to join us for tea?"

They had a small tea set sitting between them, the cups empty and small plates holding plastic toy foods. There was a paper plate in the middle of the setup, though, holding _actual _food - cookies, it looked like.

May caught a whiff of them as she inhaled - they were _Romanoff's chocolate chip cookies_, no less. Those things were _legendary_ within S.H.I.E.L.D., as the amazing taste of them took nearly every consumer by surprise, considering Natasha's generally less-than-satisfactory cooking skills with everything else.

"Mama made cookies," Maggie added cheerfully, but then realized her lack of an accent. "I mean, 'Mama made cookies!'" The accent was about as awful and botched as May had been expecting, but still pretty cute.

God damn it all.

"Agent Coulson told us you'd be arriving home this evening, and we thought we'd surprise you when you returned," Simmons answered May's unasked questions, her accent actually legitimate and natural. "There's nothing like a nice tea party after a long mission."

May's mission hadn't been long at all, actually, compared to some of the hefty things she'd done in the past. She had only been gone two days this time.

What could she do? It wasn't like May could just kick them all out. Well, technically, she _could_; it _was _her office, after all, that they had let themselves into. (Or, more accurately, Phil must have unlocked it for them, as he was the only other person who had access to the room. Damn it.) She made brief eye contact with Skye, whose gaze was suggesting May _not _do anything that could potentially hurt the young girl's feelings.

The funny part about that was that May recognized Skye's expression as one of her infamous Melinda May glares (titled and compiled by Phil Coulson, of course) - though it was a more low-key one, it was still dangerous, and usually used in the context of her loved ones being threatened or hurt.

Damn, Skye had only known Maggie for a year, and, yet, she was already crazy protective.

So, with another sigh, May crossed over to them and joined the tea party, sitting between Skye and Maggie, as Simmons and Skye made sure there was no room between the two of them for the senior agent; that basically _forced _May to sit next to Maggie.

"Would you like one of Mama's cookies?" Maggie offered, holding out one of the many cookies - _Jesus Christ, how long did Tasha spend in the kitchen? _\- from the plate in the center of the blanket.

"Thanks," May murmured, taking the small dessert from Maggie. She bit into it quietly and slowly, trying to ignore the pressing gazes of both Skye and Simmons and the nonchalant gaze of Maggie.

Maggie suddenly giggled a bit, and May nearly fell head-over backwards in surprise. "Mama said you usually eat a lot of them, so that's why she made a lot," she explained happily. "I wish she usually made this many."

"You and me both, kid," Skye nodded her head in agreement, mouth stuffed to the brim with cookies, causing her cheeks to bulge a bit. "I wish your mom came to work more often with cookies."

"Skye, you hafta speak like Agent Simmons, remember?" Maggie corrected the hacker. "That's the rule of a tea party."

"Sorry, Your Majesty, it slipped my mind," Skye sighed, swallowing her mouthful of cookies and bowing her head in shame. Simmons hid her amused laughter at the sight behind the tea cup she was pretending to drink from.

"Maggie is the princess of this tea party," the scientist explained to May, noticing the dark haired agent's raised eyebrows. "We switch off every time."

"Next time, I'll corn-rate Agent Skye," Maggie added, completely butchering the pronunciation of 'coronate.' It amused May, and the woman actually found herself chuckling. (_What the hell, May, keep it cool, keep it cool…) _

One thing May found interesting was Maggie's use of the title 'Agent' in front of everyone's names. Phil had been the one to bring it up to her after their initial encounter weeks before, though May had noticed it all along, but never voiced it. Apparently, Maggie thought it was _so_ cool to be a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, that having the term 'Agent' before your name was the coolest thing _ever_. Therefore, she used it for people whenever she could, even though she pretty much knew them all on a first name basis by this point.

Well, that is, she pretty much knew everyone on a first name basis by this point, _except_ for Agent Melinda May.

"Nah, I'll pass; I think it should be May," Skye suggested, eying her supervising officer mischievously. "Don't you guys think so, too?"

Simmons nodded with the same mischief in her eyes, believe it or not. That just showed how much she had grown since she first began working with the other women in the room, May thought, as Simmons used to openly allude to her fear of May.

Maggie also nodded, though her eyes were filled with pure enthusiasm, and no mischief, for once. "That'll be _so _much fun!"

"If that's what you want," May shrugged, briefly glancing at Maggie, before turning back to her chocolate chip cookie.

"You hafta talk in the 'Agent Simmons voice' if you wanna be Tea Party Princess, though, Agent May," Maggie reminded her very seriously, her expression leaving no trace of casualty or joking around. Before she registered her own reaction, May smirked.

Oh, damn it all.

* * *

Maggie's eyes never stopped wandering the room. Every time she moved, even the slightest bit, she would turn back and look over her shoulder. There were enemies hiding in the depths of the shadows, she swore, as she had seen them emerge only minutes before.

She had just woken from a nightmare.

Phil was trying to calm her down, but it wasn't going very well. During these scary times, Maggie needed one of the Avengers, specifically her parents. She huddled under the blanket, almost looking like she was cold, despite the September heat.

The Red Room attack had occurred two months prior, and Natasha had almost completely recovered now, thanks to her enhancements. In fact, that was the reason Maggie was at the Triskelion in the first place - all of the Avengers had been called in for a team meeting, and Pepper wasn't available to watch her.

That resulted in the Avengers just bringing her along, and Phil watching her for a while. He loved spending time with her, so he was more than happy to do the job.

Unfortunately, Maggie wanted to be anywhere but there in that moment, and he didn't know what to do.

And when Phil Coulson panicked, he panicked wisely - he called Melinda May for help.

She was always so calm and collected and just generally a badass, that chances were usually good she would have an answer during the times Phil did not.

So, that's how May ended up walking through the door two minutes later, only to be greeted with the sight of Phil standing at one end of the room, with Maggie huddled in a blanket on the couch on the other.

She looked so _frightened_, May was actually frightened herself. From what she had seen of Maggie before the Red Room attack, the girl was never less than happy and always expressive. But _now_?

Now, Maggie's empty gaze could rival that of Natalia Romanova's.

That was what immediately told May that this was no prank, no trick just to get her to spend time with Maggie; something was actually wrong here.

May walked up to Phil, slowly and quietly, so Maggie could see everything she was doing. The redhead didn't greet the senior agent at all, though.

"Phil," May spoke quietly, her voice as sharp as ever, "what happened?"

The man sighed, looking defeated and just plain sad. "A nightmare. A bad one, at that. Every time I try to approach her, she just shrinks farther into that blanket, and away from me. I know she just needs some time to properly wake up and gather her bearings, but I can't just let her sit there, scared and alone."

May looked back over at Maggie's trembling form as Phil spoke, able to visualize everything he was saying. Though a cooling off solitary period was usually vital for haunted adults, troubled children were _much _different. And for someone as dependent on others as Maggie was, at the vulnerable age of six, she needed _someone _to be there with her while she snapped out of it.

Thinking back on the descriptions she'd heard and read of what happened when Maggie was alone with Natasha on the run and the final confrontation, May turned back to Phil. "I remember, when they first came back, Hill said sudden male voices usually startled Maggie. Even though she may be seeing you right now, you're still a grown man looming over her, which almost ended awfully last time that happened."

Phil's expression tightened with acceptance at his inability to help as he nodded. "Then, can you help her?"

This was it. May had fought, pushed, protested, and done everything she could have possibly done to keep Maggie at a distance no closer than arm's length. She had persisted in closing the little girl out, and refusing to let her in.

Fate was speaking now. Maggie was in trouble, and May was the only one who could help. Melinda May was destined to be in Maggie Rogers' life and protect her, despite the past and the last little girl May had tried to help.

May finally nodded in response, accepting this existential revelation. She walked slowly up to Maggie, watching as the small girl looked up at the approaching presence with a terrified expression.

"Maggie? Maggie, hey, it's me, Agent Melinda May," May spoke softly with each step. Maggie's expression scarcely changed, aside from a quick blink. May took that as a sign of Maggie's logical side trying to fight its way back to the surface through this paranoid, nightmarish funk. "I'm not going to hurt you, I promise."

That statement meant a lot to May, she later realized. This encounter was paralleling the occasion with the gifted girl, somewhat, but May pushed the anxious thought and her increased heart rate to the back of her mind. Maggie couldn't and wouldn't hurt her; Maggie _actually needed _her.

When May reached the couch and crouched down to Maggie's eye level, Maggie quickly hid under the blanket, as if that would protect her. What May would have normally expected to be a childish and silly action was now just nervous and pitiful. Maggie had been under a bed when Alexei Shostakov confronted her, but now that she was on top of a couch, she had nowhere else to hide.

"Hey, hey, come out of there," May gently prodded, giving a light tug to a corner of the blanket. "It's me, May. You're at the Triskelion, and you're completely safe right now, I promise."

May waited patiently as Maggie slowly and carefully lifted the blanket, her blue eyes looking a bit clearer and more alert than when she had initially hid. Maggie eventually let the blanket drop from her shoulders and pool around her on the couch.

"See? It's just me, Agent May. I won't hurt you, I promise," May assured the girl.

She took another leap of faith away from Bahrain, this time deciding to be the person to offer her hand.

"Take my hand, touch me, feel that I'm telling the truth."

Maggie looked between the offered appendage and the unexpectedly gentle and sympathetic expression of May. Phil watched from the other side of the room, silently appreciating the huge steps May was taking and hoping this would ultimately help Maggie heal, too.

After a few seconds, Maggie grabbed May's hand, and squeezed it as a test. May's smile just grew softer at that.

Finally, with a quiet voice, Maggie addressed her. "Agent May?"

May nodded slowly but deeply, making sure the motion was big enough for Maggie to see and comprehend, as opposed to the micro nods and expressions May was used to sharing with other agents. "It's me, I promise, Maggie."

Maggie seemed content with that answer as she also nodded, and then threw her arms around May's neck for a comforting hug. The gesture took May by slight surprise, and she fell backward to the floor from her crouched position. She grabbed Maggie as she re-settled on the floor, crossing her legs and pulling the six year old into her lap.

This was supposed to feel so wrong, a voice inside of May swore, but the rest of her disagreed. This felt so _right. _May was _meant _for this. She was allowed to be maternal; what had happened in Bahrain _wasn't _her fault, and _didn't _mean she had to lose all warmth and compassion.

And, now, Maggie was crying, her voice shaky as she tried to explain her dream. "I th-thought Alexei was gonna catch me again. I thought he ki-killed Mama."

May silently grieved at the fact Maggie both knew what that meant _and _had an actual memory of fearing the action being done in front of her. She rubbed the girl's back slowly and gently, not sure if this was how to comfort a child or not, but just going with her gut. "Ssh, it's okay now, you're safe. Alexei will never hurt you or your mother again," she murmured softly, hoping her tone and diction would have some sort of positive effect.

And, it seemed to, as May could feel Maggie quickly nod against her shoulder. Despite what had led to this, May found herself smiling, relieved that Maggie was feeling better, and that Bahrain seemed to have left her mind despite the close presence of little Maggie Rogers. Here they were, sitting on the floor, Maggie crying her fears out, Phil watching from the sidelines, and May reconnecting with her pre-Bahrain self.

"Thank you, Agent May," Maggie offered with a sniffle after a few minutes, leaning back so she could actually meet May's gaze. May offered a smile as Maggie swiped at a stray tear that fell from her eye. "I feel better now."

"Good," May commented reassuringly. "Sometimes, it just takes talking about what we're afraid of to feel better."

She could swear she could feel Phil's gaze burning into the back of her skull at the irony.

"That's what Daddy says, too," Maggie agreed, bringing a fist up to each eye to rid them of the excess water of the unshed, leftover tears.

"Well, he's definitely right," May verified, glancing back at Phil, who was now grinning like an idiot.

Bahrain was now the last thing on May's mind.

* * *

**A/N:** Sappy ending is sappy, eh? Also, kudos to everyone (hopefully a lot of people?) who got the reference in the title, "I Don't Think We're in Bahrain Anymore." XD For those of you who didn't, it's a reference to the line, "Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore," in _Wizard of Oz. _


	52. Snowfield

_Alternate Universe: Maggie is being raised by Natasha alone, with the help of the Avengers and Pepper, after Steve died._

* * *

Natasha suppressed a shiver as she brushed snow off her jacket, sighing contently at the newly found warmth of the Avengers Tower.

It was an especially snowy winter that year in Manhattan, which used to mean nothing to her. But, now, she had someone in her life who loved that weather, and saw it as a fun way to play outside, and Natasha had to admit: the childlike appreciation of the white fluff was pretty contagious.

As she stepped into the elevator alone, she tried to limit the amount of snow she was leaving on the floor. Tony probably wouldn't appreciate having puddles of icy water in his elevator, and Natasha didn't want to push it as a guest in his property.

Though, he had argued with her for years now that she wasn't just a 'guest' anymore - she was _family. _Everyone who stayed in that tower was _family. _

She believed that, to a certain extent, but it always brought her sorrow as well. Yes, they were all a family now, but nothing could ever heal the pain of losing a family member.

"_Good evening, Agent Romanoff. Which floor would you like to go to?" _

"The communal floor, please, JARVIS," Natasha replied as the doors closed, leaning against the wall tiredly.

A mission at S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Avengers Facility had forced her to face the snow outside, on her own. She had gone with Clint Barton, her partner, who offered to stay behind and deal with the debriefing by himself so she could get home to her snow-loving daughter.

In a way, Natasha didn't really _feel _at 'home' in the Tower. It just made her think of the team of superheroes, 'Earth's Mightiest Heroes' they had dared to call themselves - _her _team.

Once upon a time, the leader had chosen her as his second-in-command. It had been an impulsive decision made verbally, just to get rid of a squabbling Tony Stark and Thor, who were arguing over who would be more fit to lead the team between the two of them. It hadn't been a serious fight, just friendly and humorous bickering, which Steve had put an end to by casually declaring Natasha the next most fit to lead the team.

(And, yeah, he _may _have had some not-so-subtle feelings for her that had yet to be addressed at the time, but he also knew she was the most level-headed and in control out of the group of misfits, even more so than himself on many occasions.)

But, it had been a passing joke, and no one ever thought it would have to come true.

The elevator doors opened on the requested floor, revealing an empty living room. Curiously, Natasha stepped out, immediately discarding her snow-covered jacket and hat on a nearby chair, and looked around.

Before she could call for anyone, Pepper wandered into the room, her eyes traveling the space. She stopped as she caught sight of Natasha's cold form, and quickly turned to her with a welcoming smile.

"Welcome home, Natasha," she said amicably, walking up to the spy and greeting her with a warm hug. "How was your mission?"

Natasha appreciated Pepper's compassion and embrace for a moment, before releasing the CEO and wearing a similar happy expression. "Cold. Long. Boring. As can be expected."

Pepper gave a light laugh at the answer. "Not surprising. I'm just glad you were able to make it back through all of the snow."

"Yeah, it was pretty tough, but I made my way," Natasha answered with a sigh. "How is she today?"

The smile on Pepper's face tightened just a bit at the question, her expression transitioning from joyful to sympathetic. Natasha chose to ignore it. "She's good; no change. Bruce says that's best, considering her condition."

The redheaded mother nodded. "Thank you for looking after her, just like always, really-"

Pepper cut her off with a wave of her hand. "Nonsense, Natasha, there's no reason for you to be thanking me. I love spending time with her."

Natasha's smile grew a little sadder at that. "It's harder now," she pointed out, knowing that caring for a sick child was hardly an easy task. She knew from firsthand experience.

"It isn't anything we haven't all dealt with before," Pepper countered, because that was also true. Maggie always got sick for extended periods of time in the winters; it was just something they dealt with. "Thank God for modern medicine, if this is what life was like for Steve in his childhood."

Bringing up the fallen Avenger in casual conversation was always risky with Natasha, because everyone knew that she was easily the most affected by his death (and rightfully so). Maggie was only a baby at the time, when Ultron struck. Tony and Bruce still hadn't forgiven themselves for it, despite everyone's, including Natasha's, protests.

The pain of Steve's death had never left Natasha, and only resided in her a little bit more each time she looked at their daughter. But, at the same time, thinking of Steve every time she looked at Maggie made things a little brighter, because Steve had managed to give Natasha something so precious before leaving.

"What a time to be alive," Natasha remarked dryly, though there was a spark of humor in her eyes that let Pepper know she was okay with the allusion to the soldier. "I'm going to go see her now."

Pepper nodded, patting the spy on the shoulder, and stepping out of the way. "Thor's with her, sharing some grand stories about Asgard, I'm sure. Just the usual."

"Probably," Natasha gave a small smirk, looking back at the woman before turning down the nearby hall of bedrooms.

* * *

"And, suddenly, a bilge snipe jumped out at Lady Sif and I, roaring fiercely. Its horns were humongous, its teeth razor-sharp and skin scaly. I braced myself to be attacked, but, Lady Sif quickly intercepted before the creature could reach me, and she fought the large beast off herself."

Thor was gesturing wildly with his hands, emphasizing all sorts of things in his story. Maggie was watching him, mouth partially open, expression invested, and eyes wide. His stories always seemed to have some awestruck and stupefying effect on her, much to everyone else's amusement.

"Really?" Maggie asked, looking up at Thor, amazed. "Siffy beat him by her_self_?"

"Aye, she is one of the finest and mightiest warriors Asgard has ever seen," Thor answered, his voice taking on a similarly amazed tone as Maggie's. Natasha smiled from where she silently watched in the doorway, enjoying the sight of a lively Maggie.

Even then, the five year old didn't look incredibly alert and energetic at the moment. She looked exhausted, with her eyes bearing a sleepy heaviness and the movements of the rest of her body sluggish. Her cheeks were flushed in a deep red shade, as Natasha could only imagine the skin was hot to the touch.

Maggie made some sort of amazed sound, her smile widening. "I wanna be strong like Siffy one day."

Thor chuckled deeply, his own smile growing as he gently brushed a few strands of red hair out of Maggie's face. "There is no doubt in my mind you will achieve that goal some day, Lady Margaret. You already _are _strong, just like her."

"Even though I can't fight or beat monsters?" Maggie blinked, her expression now questioning and curious.

"Being strong isn't about fighting; it is about being brave, and being a virtuous person," Thor assured her softly, his usual roaring voice now a quieted rumble. "You are well on your way to becoming a fine warrior."

Maggie looked thrilled once more, and Natasha decided now would be a good time to interrupt. She tapped her knuckles against the door frame lightly. "Knock, knock."

The way Maggie's face lit up at the sight of the spy - really, Natasha had never felt so much _love _before, just by one glance. Even in the love she shared with Steve, no one could ever rival the pure affection on Maggie's face when she saw her mother.

"Who's there?" Maggie asked excitedly, sitting up just a little more in her bed. Thor had also turned toward the newcomer, his expression as welcoming as Pepper's minutes before.

"Cow says," Natasha answered, walking through the doorway and up to the bed.

This was their trademarked ritual that signified Natasha's homecoming - every time the spy returned home from a mission, she was to come with a new joke, preferably in 'knock, knock' format, to offer to Maggie. It amused both redheads, namely Maggie because she was already giggly by default. For Natasha, making her daughter smile and laugh was enough to make everything worth it.

"'Cow says,' who?" Maggie echoed without hesitation, watching Natasha come up and sit on the side of the bed, opposite of Thor's spot.

"No, silly, a cow says, '_Moooo!_'" Natasha delivered, lightly poking the ticklish spots on Maggie's belly for an added effect.

And, just as Natasha had been hoping for, Maggie broke into a fit of laughter, both from the joke and the tickling. Suddenly, Natasha's day had gotten a million times better.

"I know that already, Mama!" Maggie protested through her laughter, which was echoed by the soft chuckles coming from Thor.

"Oh, you do?" Natasha played along, looking and sounding like this was news to her. "I thought you never learned what sounds the different animals make. I'm pretty sure when I asked you what a pig says last week, you told me, '_Baa!_'"

Natasha's sheep impression only made Maggie laugh more, which made Natasha's day a _billion _times better.

"No, I didn't! You have bad memory," Maggie insisted, making Natasha giggle a little bit along with her.

"I guess I do, huh?" Natasha sighed in agreement, feeling nothing but warmth in that moment. She could only feel love, pure and true, for her daughter during times like these; it was almost like the rest of the world no longer existed, in all its heartbreak and suffering.

Thor stood from the bed, allowing Natasha room to surprise Maggie with a sudden hug. It only added to the giggles spilling from the girl's mouth, as she wrapped her arms around Natasha's neck and smiled against her shoulder.

"I must leave for a short while, Lady Margaret, but I will be back later." Thor offered a farewell wave with his hand. He wanted to give mother and daughter some privacy and core bonding time, since it could come very rarely.

Maggie waved her hand behind Natasha's back as he exited the room. The spy ran a hand through Maggie's bed-head mess of red curls, and the other a hand up and down her back. Sometimes, she still couldn't believe what had started as a blob in her womb had become an actual physical thing - well, _person _\- she could touch and feel and actually _interact _with.

"I missed you," Maggie said against the leather of Natasha's uniform, which was probably freezing to the touch. Natasha probably should have changed before coming to greet Maggie, but she just couldn't wait.

"I missed you, too," Natasha confessed quietly, finally pulling back enough to meet Maggie's eyes. They were a soft blue, just like Steve's, and always full of energy and questions, even when she was sick like she was now. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel fine," Maggie insisted as proudly and confident as ever, which Natasha resisted the urge to roll her eyes at. Considering the fact that this statement was followed by a coughing fit pretty much spoke for itself.

Natasha leaned away just to reach for the glass of water sitting on the nightstand beside them, and then offered it to Maggie when she stopped wheezing. The sound used to terrify Natasha, as she feared what that meant for the state of Maggie's lungs, but she had since grown used to it. While she was leaning over to grab the water, she made sure to pinpoint the location of Maggie's inhaler on the otherwise messy surface of the nightstand, just in case.

"Drink up, Лапушка," she advised softly, her hands ready to intercept if Maggie suddenly dropped the glass she had so proudly grabbed from Natasha and drank from, as she was determined to prove she was capable of taking care of herself.

As amusing as it was, it always made Natasha's heart ache a little, as she wished someone had taught her long ago that it was okay to depend on someone when you need to; she didn't learn that until she had met the Avengers. "The water is good for your throat."

Maggie drank the water obediently, and seemed worn out by the time she was done. Natasha gently took the glass from her grasp, setting it back down with a soft _thud. _When she turned back to Maggie, the five year old was wiping her eyes, exhaustion evident in her expression. Natasha's heart hurt a bit at the sight.

"Have you eaten dinner yet, Лапушка?"

"I'm not hungry." Maggie shook her head.

Natasha frowned. "That's no good, Maggie. You need to eat something."

"Don't wanna," Maggie whined pitifully, and Natasha sighed.

She thought for a moment. "If I get food, will you eat some of mine? Please, for me?"

That usually got Maggie to do something - knowing she would be doing it for her mother. Fortunately, it worked this time as well, as Maggie nodded half-heartedly.

This was Natasha's life now - bargaining with her daughter for every meal, keeping her company all day long, helping her through the constant long bouts of sickness. Steve had worried long ago that Maggie may inherit his weak and sickly body instead of his super soldier one, but Natasha had reassured him that wouldn't happen. However, after Steve's death, it became apparent that she had been wrong, and Maggie had a growing laundry list of complications in her body just as Steve had in his childhood.

The winters were the worst, the cold weather always giving her fevers and flu-like symptoms. Maggie usually lost a few weeks to sickness here and there in the years before, which still allowed her a good amount of healthy days in which she could play outside, in the snow. However, this year, she had been sick ever since the start of December, with seemingly no end in sight.

Natasha clenched her fists as she gathered food from the kitchen for herself and Maggie, after having finally changed out of her uniform. Maggie hadn't even been able to attend school for over a month now, and Natasha had no idea when she'd be able to go back.

It wasn't fair; Maggie didn't deserve this kind of life. Steve hadn't, either. Perhaps Natasha did, and that's why she had to watch Maggie suffer - karma could be a bitch like that.

As she walked by the chair with her wet jacket and hat still thrown on it, Natasha paused, seeing the envelope poking out of one of the pockets. She sighed, wondering when she'd be able to do it - when she'd be able to hand in the letter to Fury, to get out of her busy agent life, so she could be home all the time for Maggie. Of course, she'd also have to give up leading the Avengers, too, but she could deal with that with the team themselves later.

Fury would hate to see her leave, as would Maria and Phil, and Natasha knew that wasn't just because she was one of their top agents. While it was true that she was, she knew that they also would simply miss seeing her as often as they did, as she knew she would miss them, too.

They'd already cut back on her missions a lot, trying to give her some sort of balance between parenting and working. It was hard, though, since she was by herself. Luckily, she had the rest of the Avengers, plus Pepper, to help her out with the parenting, since it was so difficult alone. At first, she tried to turn them away from helping her as much as they did now, but she quickly realized there was nothing wrong with having a little assistance in caring for a toddler. Maggie had only been a little over a year old when the Avengers fought Ultron, and she was definitely already an energetic handful by then, barely able to be tamed by both Steve _and _Natasha.

As expected, Maggie didn't remember anything of Steve, either. She knew his face and voice from pictures and videos, and his history and personality through many bedtime stories, but that was it. Natasha was always saddened by the fact that Maggie could never truly know her father, and the wonderful man he was.

When Natasha returned to Maggie's room, the girl gave her a weak, tired smile, all of her energy spent from Natasha's homecoming and ritualistic knock-knock joke. Natasha gave her a warm and compassionate smile in return.

"I heated up some dino nuggets," Natasha explained as she sat down, placing the plate on the covers between herself and Maggie. "They're still pretty hot, but they'll cool down soon enough. First, though, you need to take your next dose of medicine."

Maggie used to protest the medicine, but she had long grown used to it. If she were being honest with herself, it actually made Natasha more sad than relieved that the typical 'child refusing to take medicine' ritual had faded with Maggie. It meant that Maggie had been sick enough to take medicine frequently, and thus not be bothered by the taste anymore, which was too mature for her age, Natasha felt.

Natasha watched Maggie gulp down all of the liquid Tylenol in one quick sip, before immediately reaching for water. With a small, amused smile, Natasha retrieved the glass for the five year old and passed it to her.

As Maggie drank the transparent liquid to rid her mouth of the taste of medicine - "The fruit flavor thing is a lie," she had once declared to Natasha, who didn't dare argue - Natasha poked the dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets. Determining they were cooled down enough, she picked one up and took a bite, hoping it would encourage Maggie to do the same.

Maggie looked as if she were going to verbally protest to eating for a moment, but thought better of it, and was soon nibbling on a pterodactyl. Natasha smiled behind her own tyrannosaurus rex, marveling in the small victory she had accomplished.

After Maggie had eaten a few nuggets, Natasha decided to engage her in conversation. "So, did you have fun with Aunt Pepper and Uncle Thor while I was gone?"

Still eating yet another pterodactyl (those ones were her favorite, and Natasha had no idea why), Maggie nodded thoughtfully. "They told me lots of stories."

"That's exciting," Natasha beamed, aiming to keep the mood happy and the conversation interesting. "What kinds of stories did they tell you?"

"Uncle Thor talked a lot about Asgard. Auntie Pep talked about Uncle Tony," Maggie shrugged in reply, as if the answer was self-explanatory. "They also talked about you."

"Me?" Natasha raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

"Yeah, lots of Avengers stories," Maggie elaborated cheerfully, "with Daddy."

Of course, Natasha thought with a bittersweet smile. Those were Maggie's favorite kind.

"I'm glad they told you, Лапушка. Were they good stories?"

"They were funny and cool," Maggie paused, her face scrunching up thoughtfully in an expression that always reminded Natasha of Steve. She knew that Maggie was about to change topics.

"Mama, I have a question."

Maggie had this habit of starting her questions by declaring that the inquiries existed within her already. It was kind of cute, and pretty funny, to Natasha.

"What is it?"

"When are we going home?"

_Home_. The word caused Natasha's throat to swell just a little bit. Earlier, she had been mentally criticizing the fact that the Avengers Tower was not 'home' to her, since that personal location existed elsewhere. And that elsewhere had come to Natasha in the form of a small house just outside of Washington D.C., that she had moved into with Steve years and years ago.

It was where they were going to live for the rest of their lives together. Where they were going to raise Maggie. _Together. _

Honestly, after Steve's death, Natasha tried to spend as little time as possible there, not wanting to remember him every time she simply, well, _had her eyes open. _Every inch of the house reminded her of him, everything that she could detect with her five human senses just screamed Steven Grant Rogers, and the love they had shared.

When it was time for Maggie to start school, Natasha gradually moved the girl into the Avengers Tower in New York, wanting to finally leave the old house for good. She couldn't just let it go, either, though, so it was still in her possession to this day, just relatively untouched. Maggie started school in Manhattan, anyway, and the presence of the Avengers in the city just made raising her a little bit easier.

Maggie didn't want to move out. She cried and protested until she had no fight left within her, and Natasha was torn. Of course she wanted Maggie to be happy and feel at home, but Steve should be living in that house with them.

So, they had reached a compromise by Natasha assuring Maggie the move would only be _temporary. _This wasn't too much of a lie, since Natasha planned on visiting the old house every now and then to keep it in moderate condition, but it wasn't very honest, either. Maggie begrudgingly accepted the deal, as she wanted to stay in the house for the same reason Natasha wanted to leave: Steve.

"I don't know, Лапушка," Natasha finally answered earnestly, her expression sympathetic. "You're still supposed to be in school right now, and you're too sick to travel."

"I wanna get better at _home_," Maggie insisted, her voice dangerously close to another pitiful whine. "I miss home."

Natasha sighed, watching as Maggie gently played with the hems of the blankets in her lap. She wanted to do everything for Maggie, and would do anything in her power she could do to grant wishes - but _this_?

This would be the largest personal sacrifice she'd have to make.

"Why don't you like it here, in New York?" Natasha asked, genuinely curious. "For one thing, the rest of the Avengers all live here, like Uncle Clint and Uncle Tony, plus Aunt Pepper."

Maggie shook her head with a noise of disagreement. "The Avengers don't all live here. Daddy doesn't."

Natasha's expression grew sadder at that. "He doesn't live in our house either, hon."

"He's closer there than here," Maggie countered stubbornly, now fumbling with the sleeve of her pajama shirt.

Natasha had known that Maggie loved their house for its sense of Steve's lingering presence. So, the move to New York had been the one selfish decision she had made as a parent - _the only one. _Why couldn't she have just _one_?

When Steve died, Natasha _stayed. _On the nights when Maggie would do nothing but cry, Natasha _stayed. _Even though she was still a full-time S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and Avenger, Natasha _stayed. _

Hell, she was even about to give up that huge aspect of her life - her _work. _She was willing to cast S.H.I.E.L.D., the Avengers, and all of its people aside, _just _for Maggie. That was _huge. _

So, then, why did she _have _to take Maggie back to the house, which had become something of a personal hell of 'what should have been's and regrets?

"Maggie, I'm sorry, I really am," Natasha said sympathetically. "But we can't just go back home right now."

The disappointment on Maggie's face broke Natasha's heart. The girl looked like she immediately regretted her request, and the spy mentally kicked herself. She hadn't meant to make Maggie feel bad, and now Natasha also felt bad.

This was their life now: bargaining for meals, keeping each other company through sickness, and coping with the loss of the mutual man in their lives in strikingly contrasting ways.

* * *

When Natasha finally handed the form into Fury the following week, he simply glanced over it for a moment, and then sighed. Natasha's expression didn't change mostly, save for the way her eyes briefly reflected her sorrow and remorse as she blinked.

"I really hate to see you go, Romanoff," he commented, setting the paper down on his desk gently. "Who's going to keep Barton in line for us now?"

Despite the melancholy air surrounding her, Natasha gave a smirk at his comment. "I'm sure Hill can; she just has to know how to bribe him."

Fury made some sort of amused sound, before standing up and reaching his hand out across the table. Natasha blinked, caught off guard for a moment, before meeting his offered appendage with one of her own.

"It's been an honor working with you, Agent Romanoff," he stated formally and diplomatically, giving her hand a firm shake. "I hope to see you back someday."

Retracting her hand, Natasha nodded. "I hope so, too. Maybe I'll still be able to help out the Avengers during major world crises."

"Maybe," Fury murmured, walking around his desk and stopping beside Natasha, now much closer to her. Natasha could see the slight hint of emotion in his eye, the sympathy and concern he felt both for her and Maggie. "This was a hard decision, Natasha, but I think you made the correct choice."

The genuineness in his voice caught Natasha off guard much more than the handshake. She also let her resolve slip a bit, allowing herself to be vulnerable for a moment. "How do you know?"

"What Maggie needs right now, and what she may need for a while, is her mother," Fury explained, his voice completely earnest. "She doesn't need S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Romanoff or the Black Widow to get through this; she needs Natasha, her mother."

"Yeah, well, she also needs her father," Natasha couldn't help but comment dryly, her bitter tone revealing the underlying, raw emotion she was feeling at the thought.

Fury simply blinked, his expression unchanging. "Perhaps. But, that doesn't change the fact that this will be good for her, despite how much she may protest."

Natasha's heart sank a little at Fury's words; she hadn't thought about that. Would Maggie be disappointed that her mother had given up avenging and working just for her?

"Just remember that underneath all that, nothing could be better for her than having you with her all the time," Fury advised. "She won't have to miss you anymore, or worry for your safety."

Once again, Fury had a point, this time being one that Natasha would rather focus on. She nodded quietly, not trusting her voice to hide her sudden emotions. S.H.I.E.L.D. had been her life for so long, field work even more so. She was now giving it up for an indefinite amount of time, giving up the feeling of adrenaline as she took down a target, giving up the rush and heat of the battle, giving up the satisfaction of a mission accomplished.

It was almost as if Fury could sense this sudden sensation within Natasha, as next thing the spy knew, there were arms wrapped around her. _Nick Fury _was giving her a _hug. _

The embrace was a surprise at first, but Natasha quickly got over it, and returned the hug. It made sense - just as Natasha and the Avengers were family now, so were she and all of her close friends at S.H.I.E.L.D. Maggie addressed them as such, so, really, it was only natural.

As he released her, with one hand remaining on her shoulder, Fury gave her a firm and professional nod, all evidence of his sudden compassion gone from his expression. Soon, his hand was also absent from her shoulder, and he looked the same as normal.

"I'll make sure to visit as much as I can; Maggie also needs her Uncle Nick," he gave a dry hint of a smile, and Natasha couldn't help the small, happy laugh that escaped her lips.

* * *

Maggie persisted about the house for days, never letting it leave Natasha's mind. She really, _really _wanted to return home, and Natasha was, once again, torn. The one decision she had made for herself in the span of the almost six years she'd had Maggie was starting to blow up in Natasha's face.

And Natasha was starting to feel the crumbling of her resolve as Maggie asked, and asked, and asked. The girl constantly brought up feeling closer to her father when at the house, and how maybe that feeling would help her get better soon. Plus, she had somehow managed to point out, this winter was her first spent solely in New York, so there was no guarantee she'd be able to recover there (Natasha didn't have anything to say to that because, _how does a five year old even make that connection_?).

"Mama, why don't you work anymore?"

The question had come out of nowhere, about a week after Natasha's meeting with Fury. Natasha herself had been in the middle of folding clean laundry when Maggie suddenly inquired about Natasha's sudden lack of missions and S.H.I.E.L.D. files to read.

She couldn't help but chuckle at Maggie's perceptiveness. "You noticed?"

"You don't read all the time anymore," Maggie explained simply, "and you don't get called a lot by Uncle Phil or Aunt Ria."

"You are too smart for your own good sometimes, Лапушка," Natasha sighed to herself, before setting down the shirt she had been folding to hold a real conversation with Maggie. "You're right, though; I don't work anymore."

"Why?"

"I wanted to stay home with you," Natasha explained, wondering how this would go over for the girl. "I felt like we didn't get to spend a lot of time together when I was working all the time. So, I stopped working last week; I already talked to Uncle Nick about it."

Maggie didn't say anything immediately, as she comprehended the information Natasha was offering her. "You're not a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent anymore?"

Natasha shook her head. "Not anymore. I don't have any missions."

"What about… Are you still an Avenger?"

That was the question Natasha had also been asking herself since she had 'resigned.' She had already talked to the rest of the team about it, and they were supportive of her decision. They then decided it would be best for Natasha to step down from the leadership role, leaving it to Tony, which was bound to be interesting. Though, if she were being honest with herself, Natasha believed Tony would be able to pull it off, of course with some inevitable rough patches here and there.

She was still an Avenger in their eyes, though. Once an Avenger, always an Avenger, Clint had argued, and was agreed with by the rest of the group. Natasha wondered how she had managed to make so many great friends.

"I am," Natasha answered confidently, offering Maggie a small, warm smile. "I just won't help them as much; I'll probably only get back in if there is a really tough bad guy, where the whole world is in danger."

Maggie frowned a bit. "I want you to be an agent and an Avenger still."

"When you get better, I might be able to go back to being both of those," Natasha offered. "But, for now, I just want to take care of you, so you can get better faster."

She had a feeling Maggie would use that as a tool to transition into her now typical request. "Then, we should go home!"

Natasha wasn't sure how much longer she could fight Maggie on this. The girl was as stubborn as her father, that was for sure.

"_If _we went home," Natasha began, hoping one last effort may squash Maggie's fighting spirit on the issue, "what will we do when you get better? Your school is here, in New York, so how would you go to school?"

"New school," Maggie answered without hesitation.

"Don't you like your school?" Natasha questioned, concerned, but Maggie simply shook her head with a shrug of her shoulders.

"They were kinda mean," she insisted, and Natasha held back a sigh. Sure, there had been some incidents with bullying and teasing and just general kindergarten mayhem during the fall, but nothing that should completely drive Maggie away from the school. "I wanna go home more."

Picking up the next shirt to fold and resuming her chores, Natasha continued her interrogation. "You won't get to see Aunt Pepper or Uncle Clint or any of them all the time anymore. Won't you miss them?"

"I miss you more," Maggie answered quietly instead, and Natasha paused her folding to look at the child with a curious expression.

"I'm right here with you, Лапушка."

"I mean, I miss being alone with you." Oh.

That actually made sense. Natasha had still been a full-time S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and Avenger for most of Maggie's life. That meant Maggie had practically spent half of her life with other people, and not her mother, basically.

It was a sobering thought, and suddenly Natasha truly had no regrets about her decision to resign.

"That's why I stopped working, honey," she explained, looking at Maggie sympathetically, "so we could be together more."

"But I miss being only with you," Maggie countered, and Natasha wondered if the sentiment was actually true, or just another ploy to push Natasha toward moving back into the Washington, D.C. house.

Knowing Maggie, it was definitely the former; she didn't play manipulative games like the latter.

She inherited that emotional integrity from her father, Natasha decided.

Natasha gave her a gentle smile. "Well, now that I don't have missions, I'll be with you more, so I won't have to miss you, and you won't have to miss me."

It appeared that new development would suffice for now, as Maggie gave a little nod, and didn't pursue returning home any further that day.

* * *

"Natasha, I think it's time to listen to Maggie."

The spy looked up at Bruce's sudden suggestion, her own expression curious and a bit confused. They were sitting at the dining table, watching the morning snow drift outside over some coffee. Natasha wasn't the biggest morning person in the world, but Maggie tended to get up at spastic times because of her sick condition, so the former preferred to be up and ready at all times.

And, now that she wasn't working, she had the full ability to do that, and it felt really great; she didn't have to feel guilty about not being around anymore.

Natasha blinked, trying to decipher Bruce's words in her mind, but still wanting a verbal explanation and confirmation. "Listen to her about what?"

"Going home," Bruce advised, leaning back in his chair, exhaustion clear in his features. Natasha frowned at this, knowing that was mostly due to his insistence, similar to hers, in being available to aid Maggie at all times of day and night.

"Though a lot of it is sentimentality, there have been countless instances where a person's recovery was hindered due to mental stress. Unfamiliar or uncomfortable environments can really add to that. Sure, Maggie is comfortable here with everyone, but she's awfully outnumbered by doting parental figures, don't you think?"

His words came off a bit weirdly to Natasha at first, but within a few moments, she found herself seeing the truth in them. She hadn't thought about Maggie being overwhelmed by all the adults around, hovering over her, literally, all the time - she had just assumed that the revolving doors of Avengers Tower, with everyone being so busy and constantly off working or present at home, it wasn't a big deal.

But, the more she thought about it, the more the opposite sounded true to Natasha. Maggie had a _lot _of people to worry over all the time. She saw everyone off, and welcomed each of them home, countless times throughout her time at the tower. She witnessed every traumatic homecoming, each Avenger stumbling through the doors half-alive, each of her relatives suffering from haunted memories being pulled back to the surface, everyone's _pain_. And, for someone as empathetic as Maggie, which Natasha had quickly figured out due to Maggie's flexible personality, that could be disastrous. Overall, it wasn't the most stable environment for a sick child to live and recover in.

So, maybe Bruce _did _have a point, and maybe it was time to retreat from this crowded way of life for a bit.

She thought all of these things quietly, turning Bruce's words and argument over and over in her head. Bruce seemed to know this, as he simply sat in silence, allowing her the time to process and re-think things.

Then, he spoke once more, about a minute later. "I'm not trying to tell you how to be a parent, Natasha; you're a great mother, one of the best I've seen, I promise." Bruce's voice was soft and gentle, but not condescending; Natasha appreciated that. "I know Maggie's been asking for a while, and, well… I think it might be time to try granting her request."

Natasha laid the tips of her fingers against the warm mug of coffee sitting in front of her, briefly comparing the hot temperature of the ceramic to that of Maggie's forehead, as she had felt it many times - the lack of significant difference in temperature unnerved her, just a bit.

"I've been telling her that she's too sick to travel," Natasha finally confessed with a sad, self-admitting smirk, before raising her emerald eyes to meet Bruce's. "I guess I've been stretching the truth a bit for the both of us, huh?"

She thought that by telling Maggie she was too sick to travel, it would make it a real, legitimate reason to not return to the house. She thought that if the reason was real, then it would automatically prevent them from moving back to D.C., because it would mean jeopardizing Maggie's health, which would immediately stop Natasha from acting.

"Honestly, it will probably not be a fun quinjet ride for her, but it's definitely safe," Bruce answered evenly, not calling Natasha out or reprimanding her for her lie. "Maggie's been pretty stable throughout this whole ordeal, thankfully."

Natasha gave a slight nod, indicating her agreement with Bruce's evaluation. She bit her lip momentarily, then sighed. "Bruce, be honest with me - is it _really _necessary we go back home?"

Bruce looked thoughtful for a moment before answering. "Yes, I believe it is, for _both _of you."

She raised an eyebrow at that. "_Both_ of us? I'm not…"

The words of protest died on her lips, because she knew _exactly _what Bruce was talking about, and he knew that she knew.

Bruce's expression hardened, as did his next batch of words. "If you can't accept Steve's death with Maggie, then she can never accept it herself. Steve will always feel nonexistent to her, because you never tried to address his death with her head-on. Have you ever even taken her to his grave before?"

He had a dangerous, dangerous point, Natasha knew. Who was she kidding? She _knew _she was running from her problems and past, and chose to _forget _instead of _accept. _She just chose to believe it wouldn't affect Maggie in any negative way.

But, with her recent persistence in going home, and, now, Bruce's words, Natasha had been slowly realizing that it _was _affecting the girl. Maggie looked to Natasha as her mother, and as her living connection to her late father. Natasha had been failing miserably at her latter role all along.

Her eyes felt wet all of a sudden, and she cursed them. She condemned the tears threatening to fall, aggressively blinking them away. She didn't deserve the privilege to cry. She wasn't the one suffering.

"Don't be too hard on yourself, Natasha," Bruce advised as he watched her internal war rage on through her troubled expression. "I'm telling you this because I've noticed it in each of us, and how we act around Maggie. Some days, everyone looks at her like she's supposed to be Steve, but she's not, and she never will be."

With a small sniffle, Natasha propped her head up against the table top with a hand, looking as stressed as ever. "I'm an idiot," she muttered lowly.

"And so are we," he reminded. "So, can we trust you to be the leader in changing things?"

* * *

Maggie was so happy. In fact, she didn't think she had ever been so happy before in her entire short life. At least, that was the impression Natasha got from the sidelines in observing her daughter's joy.

At the announcement of their homecoming, Maggie's expression had lit up in a way Natasha recognized as the face the girl made when welcoming Natasha home. It was an accurate emotion to display, Natasha later reflected, as Maggie would now be welcoming the lingering presence of Steve back into her life.

Natasha knew their journey wouldn't be the easiest, though. Maggie could already barely stand without collapsing from exhaustion and just general lack of strength; they tested this when Maggie had declared she could change her own pajamas a few weeks earlier, and Natasha ended up catching her after she managed to push herself up for five seconds. Maggie had to be guided by hand and limbs ready to catch her at any moment everywhere, which often frustrated her. Natasha would try to make the required assistance as lighthearted and subtle as possible, but Maggie always wore an unreadable expression that Natasha could only read as disappointment and shame during these instances.

So, now, on the date Maggie had handpicked with Natasha for them to move home, Pepper and Clint were waiting with their bags in the penthouse, where Phil and Agent Melinda May would land their quinjet outside of to take mother and daughter back to D.C.

Meanwhile, Natasha was trying to help Maggie get ready, down in her room on the communal floor.

The spy smiled up at the girl as she gently buttoned the jacket that was covering Maggie's multi-layered outfit. "Are you excited to go back home, Лапушка?"

Maggie nodded sleepily, her expression warm and a bit dopey, though the former was probably due to the ever-present shade of red in her cheeks. "I miss home."

"I know," Natasha murmured, slowing her pace as she reached the top buttons. "It's been awhile, huh?"

"Too long," Maggie hummed in agreement, relaxing against the chair Natasha had seated her on.

Once she finished the top button, Natasha's movements paused momentarily, before she ran a gentle thumb across Maggie's soft cheek. "I'm sorry it's been so long, Maggie. It's my fault; I'm not very brave."

Though Maggie probably wouldn't understand what Natasha was referring to, she looked as compassionate as ever. "It's okay. You're super brave; you're an Avenger."

The logic was childlike in depth, but also Maggie's general understanding of the way the world worked. Natasha just smiled again at her words, standing up from the ground she was kneeling on and kissing Maggie's forehead on the way up. "Thank you, Лапушка. I love you."

"Love you, too," Maggie murmured with a yawn, rubbing her eyes with a mitten-covered hand. Natasha couldn't help but admire her handiwork; it had been a long time since Maggie had gone out in the snow, thus needing all the clothing items Natasha had placed on her, but it appeared that the mother still had her touch.

Next, Natasha reached for the two final items that had been cast off to the side, as they always came last. "Okay, time to pick: hat, or earmuffs?"

Maggie hummed in thought for a moment, before pointing a small hand at the second option. "Earmuffs."

With an amused expression, Natasha placed the warming object on Maggie's head carefully, making sure it was in the most precise placing that would protect her ears best. She then slid her own beanie onto her head, and crouched down once more in front of Maggie, though now facing away from her. "Climb on, kid."

They actually used to do this a lot - Maggie _loved _piggyback rides, and Natasha gave the _best _ones (Maggie's opinion, though Natasha had to agree). The girl cautiously and slowly pushed herself off of the chair, snaking her arms around Natasha's neck tiredly. She bent her legs, allowing Natasha to secure her arms under her knees and stand back up at full height.

"There we go. Hang on tight," Natasha reminded Maggie, who had already rested her head on Natasha's shoulder. The woman smiled bitter-sweetly at the gesture; there was a time, back when Maggie was healthy, that the girl always had her head raised during piggyback ride adventures, and would even dare to raise an arm from the neck of the carrier without fear of falling off.

Now, it was the opposite. Maggie's grip around Natasha's next was tight, though not suffocating the spy _too _badly, yet. It was as if she were afraid she wouldn't be able to will herself to hold on for a long time.

(And, honestly, the same fear crossed Natasha's mind, so she made sure to pay extra close attention to every shift in Maggie's muscles, so she could anticipate any possible falls.)

They exited the bedroom together, Maggie barely making a move to bid the four walls she had stared at, day and night, for nearly two months, a sentimental farewell. After making their way up to the penthouse via elevator, the duo met Pepper and Clint on the other side of the room, right beside the door that led to the ledge the quinjet would be landing on.

"The snow is so pretty today," Maggie exhaled against Natasha's ear as they stopped by the windows. Her eyes seemed to light up a bit at the changed view of the outside world, different than the one she had been watching in her bedroom for so long.

"It just won't stop snowing," Clint sighed, shaking his head. "I swear, summer will never come at this rate."

"Oh, relax, Clint; it's only February, anyway," Pepper reminded, rolling her eyes. "We'll be fine."

"I like the snow," Maggie murmured, still watching the fall. "Do you like it, Mama?"

Snow made her think of Russia, the Red Room, the KGB, missions in which she or someone else was nearly killed purely because of the cold weather, and the seventy years Steve spent encased in a block of ice without escape.

But, at the same time, it made her think of the way Maggie's face lit up at the sight of the weather, both when she was healthy and sick. When she was able to play outside, it was nearly impossible to reign her back in; when she had to lie in bed for days and weeks, she was often caught just staring out her window, completely taken by the sight.

So, Natasha smiled. "I do," she finally answered, her voice as raw and earnest as Maggie's. "I really do."

Pepper and Clint shared an unreadable glance for a moment, which was interrupted by the sound of a quinjet landing outside. Maggie didn't seem to perk up much at the sound or resulting sight, but the smile on Natasha's face grew.

"They're here, Maggie," she spoke lightly, excitement in her voice. "We get to go home now."

As the group walked outside, Pepper and Clint following with their bags and to see them off, Natasha slowed her pace a bit. She wanted Maggie to be able to savor every moment of being outside, as she hadn't been out in _months_.

Winter was her favorite season, so Natasha couldn't help but feel pity for her.

Maggie scrunched her face up as a couple snowflakes hit her face, but she was still smiling appreciatively. "I missed snow."

"I figured," Natasha agreed, looking up at the white skies.

"It makes me think of Daddy," Maggie thought aloud, and Natasha stopped, confused.

"Why's that, Лапушка?" Sure, snow could be a connection to Steve because of his time in the ice, but that wasn't the happiest connection to him to make.

"I had a dream where it was snowing, and he was in it," Maggie explained, her voice as soft as the snowflakes fluttering around. "We walked through it together."

Natasha gave a sad smile at that, and continued walking. "I'm sure he would've loved playing in the snow with you, Maggie."

When they reached the ramp leading up into the interior of the quinjet, Phil was standing at the bottom, a warm expression on his face. "It's nice to see you again, Natasha. It's been quiet around S.H.I.E.L.D. without you wreaking havoc with Barton over there."

He was half-joking, and Clint just shrugged in reply as he and Pepper boarded the quinjet to load their bags (he couldn't deny Phil's comment, honestly), but Natasha could detect the sincerity in his voice; the sentiment of just missing her. She returned the warm expression. "I've never been able to just stay home all day, every day, before. It's actually kind of nice."

Phil nodded approvingly, before turning his gaze to Maggie's tired eyes. "Hey, Maggie. It's been a while."

She blinked, giving him a small smile. "I missed you, Uncle Phil."

"I missed you, too," he replied, as May descended the ramp to help Clint and Pepper pack the bags.

"Thanks again for doing this, Coulson," Natasha said. "It really means a lot to me - to _us_."

"You know I'd do anything for you two, Tasha," Phil assured her, his voice as warm as ever. "I know it's hard right now, and I want to do all I can to help."

"This is more than enough," Natasha replied gratefully, as Pepper and Clint rejoined them at the bottom of the ramp.

"Well, kid," Clint began with a nostalgic sigh, placing a hand on Maggie's back, prompting her to turn her eyes to him, "it looks like it's time for you two to leave."

Maggie nodded. "I'll miss you, Uncle Clint."

Something passed over in Clint's eyes for a moment, which Natasha was later able to identify as pure _emotion. _Clint actually looked _choked up. _"I'll miss you, too, kid. Be nice to your mom for me, yeah?"

"Yeah, I will," she promised softly.

Clint leaned closer, pressing a kiss to her forehead that made her smile. "I love you, kid - don't you ever forget that. And, remember, I'm just a phone call away if you ever need anything."

"Okay. I love you, too, Uncle Clint."

Now, it was Pepper's turn for goodbyes, and she covered Maggie's face in tiny, fluttering kisses that made the girl laugh. Natasha chuckled at the sight, as it was something that Pepper tended to do with Maggie on a regular basis - something on a similar level to the obligatory 'knock, knock' jokes that Natasha brought home.

Once she was done, Pepper ran a gentle hand through Maggie's hair, which held an increasing number of specks of snow. "It's been really fun having you here, Maggie, but we all understand how hard it is to be away from home for so long. I hope you can really feel better at home, so you can come visit a lot, and we can come visit you."

"Promise?" Maggie inquired, looking very serious.

"I promise, swear on Avenger's honor, all of that," Pepper assured her, placing one last kiss to her cheek. "I love you, Maggie."

"I love you, too, Auntie Pep."

Now, May was waiting at the top of the ramp, as Phil walked up to join her. He waved his farewell to Pepper and Clint, who gave him warm smiles and nods in return.

"Alright, Maggie, let's go home," Natasha spoke softly, and Maggie simply nodded in agreement. The two redheads ascended the ramp as Pepper and Clint stepped back, allowing room for the ramp to rise back toward the quinjet.

Quickly, before it closed completely, Natasha turned back to see Pepper and Clint's emotional, but still happy, expressions. She had a feeling her own face, at that moment, mirrored theirs. "Thanks so much, you guys, for everything."

"Don't mention it, Tasha," Clint called back. "Just make sure the kid gets better."

"I want to see Maggie healthy and happy back here, running around, by the time she's turning six!" Pepper insisted, and Natasha nodded with a laugh.

"I'll do my best," she swore, and watched the two godparents disappear as the quinjet's door closed.

May walked up to the mother and daughter duo next, her expression unreadable. "We'll be taking off in a few minutes."

Maggie stared at the senior agent curiously. "Mama, who is she?"

Natasha offered May a smirk at Maggie's oblivious question. May looked slightly uncomfortable, because Natasha knew she wasn't a huge fan of little kids, which was ultimately why she tended to avoid Maggie. Phil had told Natasha before it was due to some bad mission experience with little kids, and Natasha could relate to that.

"This is Agent Melinda May. You know, the one from mine, Uncle Phil's, and Uncle Clint's stories? She helped Uncle Phil save S.H.I.E.L.D.," Natasha explained, and Maggie's expression lit up with sudden interest.

"_You're _Agent May?" she looked like she had just come face to face with God, or any other huge divine figure. "You're _so_ cool!"

"Uh, thanks," May just awkwardly replied. "I'm gonna go get ready for take-off, then."

She turned and fled to the cockpit after that, and Natasha just sighed. "She's kind of shy. You'll have to talk to her more another time."

Maggie nodded against Natasha's shoulder. "She seems nice, though."

"She is," Natasha agreed, walking over to the line of seats on the side of the quinjet. She carefully turned and lowered Maggie into one.

"When was the last time we were in a quinjet?" Maggie questioned as Natasha bent down and strapped her in.

"Probably last summer," Natasha guessed, carefully adjusting and tightening the straps to Maggie's smaller size.

After she finished securing Maggie in, Natasha lowered herself into the seat beside her daughter, discarding her heavy snow jacket in another seat.

"When we get home, we should make a thank you card for Uncle Phil and Agent May for flying us, don't you think?" Natasha thought aloud, after seeing that both agents in question were out of earshot, as they were getting ready to take off. She strapped herself into the seat with ease, thinking back on how many times she usually co-piloted quinjet flights. It had been a while since she had been able to just sit back and relax. "You can draw something on it, and I can show you how to write a message for them. They'll love it."

But Maggie didn't respond. As soon as Natasha had sit down, Maggie leaned her head against the spy, her eyes heavy with the sleep she was trying to fight off. Natasha smirked a bit at the sight, though her heart ached for the lack of energy Maggie had these days.

"Go ahead, Лапушка, I'll wake you when it's time to get off," Natasha assured her, repositioning a bit so she could put an arm around Maggie's shoulders, and allow Maggie to rest more comfortably against her.

Maggie nodded a little, accompanied by a vocal noise of acknowledgement. It didn't take long before her breathing evened out, and her body completely relaxed against Natasha.

She really hoped this 'going home' thing would work. If Maggie could relax more at home, she should be able to get better, and improve. Her condition had been pretty steady throughout the past two months, which was both good and bad.

Perhaps Steve's presence in the house can remedy that.

_Save her, Steve. Heal our little girl. Make her healthy again. Please, _Natasha silently prayed as they began the journey home.

* * *

Once they were home, things just suddenly felt right.

Maggie's spirits seemed lifted in a way Natasha hadn't seen in a long time as soon as they crossed through the front door. Natasha just smiled at the sight as she carried Maggie through the house, re-familiarizing themselves with the forgotten home, while Phil brought in their bags behind them.

He left them quickly after he was done, too, as he knew how important this was to both redheads.

As soon as Maggie was back in her own bed, she immediately grabbed the framed picture of their family off her bedside table. She held it up, examining it closely, going on and on about how she had somehow forgotten to grab it during the move. Natasha just smiled bitter-sweetly from the foot of her bed.

"Daddy's here, Mama," Maggie insisted, hugging the forgotten picture tightly to her chest. It had always been a favorite of hers, hence why it was in _her _room. In it were Natasha and Steve, having just come home from a long mission, as they were still covered in dirt and grime in their respective uniforms. Despite that, they were practically beaming, as, between them, they held a very happy nine month old Maggie.

Maggie always got a dreamy look in her eyes when she gazed upon the picture. "He wants us to stay _here_."

Natasha had a feeling that was probably true, as she could feel the familiar feeling of Steve's presence just by sitting in the small house. She scooted closer to Maggie, pressing a gentle kiss to her hair, as the five year old resumed staring at the picture. "I think he does, too."

Maggie paused her examination for a brief moment, glancing up at Natasha curiously.

"Do you want us to stay here, too, Mama?"

Natasha was silent for a moment. Sparing a glance at the wall opposite the side of the room they were sitting on, Natasha caught sight of a quick, but noticeable, distortion in the air. Staring harder, she could swear she saw Steve for no longer than a heartbeat.

He mouthed the words, _"thank you," _and was gone by the time Natasha blinked, refocusing her gaze on the actual wall.

And, suddenly, Natasha felt the path to healing was not too far out of reach. She would grieve his death with Maggie by her side, and then move on, with Maggie still by her side.

So, with teary eyes, Natasha nodded, turning to Maggie with a steadfast expression.

"Yeah, I do. And, I promise, we will."

* * *

**A/N: **Wow, this is a long one for a not-even-a-week-since-my-last-chapter update... I would have waited until the weekend, but I'm unfortunately going to be super busy and traveling a bit all over the place, ergo, unable to post this until June! I wanted this to be posted in May as a part of my ongoing overall theme of motherhood and such. So far, we've looked at Maria (in the drunk driving chapter, which was actually posted at the end of April, but I'm counting it), Nat, Pepper, Peggy, and May as sort of the maternal figures in Maggie's life (though Peggy was not really there), and I wanted to conclude with a final, more intensive look at Nat when faced with tragedy. (Ow, my heart.)

I thought this would be an interesting take on Natasha's character. Toward the beginning I felt odd writing this, because she seemed so selfish with the direction I was going, but, in a way, I think that might've been a good thing. I dunno, I feel like if we don't take the time to acknowledge and explore potential character flaws given certain circumstances, the characters turn kinda flat in a way. Maybe that's just me, but the point is, part of this was supposed to kind of 'antagonize' Nat, so that the rest of the chapter was her learning how to overcome that weight and 'better' herself. (I feel like I'm not making sense to anyone but me? Ah, oh, well.)

Ultron's really been giving me a new way of building up this story! I used him as the reason why Clint was raising Maggie alone in "Gifts of the Magi," and I definitely plan on exploring some of the other characters as parental figures for Maggie in the same... "Morbid" way. *evil laughter* You could probably already spot some parallels here with Clint's chapter, especially toward the end. Before anyone yells at me for doing so, you can also blame **independentalto **for bouncing angsty ideas off of me! SO GO YELL AT HER, TOO.

I think that's all for now. See you all next time! :D


	53. Three in a Row

**A/N: **Just a short one to break into June. :-) I think I mentioned a looooong time ago, like, a year ago, Bruce and Maggie going to IHOP, and for some reason, I've just always assumed that was something they liked to do together? So, yay, IHOP date time!

Thanks for all the faves, follows, and reviews! You guys are all sweeter than maple syrup. :D

* * *

Bruce wasn't sure why, but Maggie, in all her energy and craziness, was actually very calming for him.

At the age of four and a half, she was always up to some kind of mischief, of course, that was a given - after all, she _was _the daughter of top-spy-but-actual-dork Natasha Romanoff and innocent-kid-always-looking-for-trouble Steve Rogers. The two co-leaders of the Avengers, their individual ages easily surpassing everyone else's, save for Thor. Two youngsters who lost their lives to a time warp. And, despite all that, they turned out to be quite goofy, as seen by the reflection of both of them in Maggie.

So, that was how Bruce ended up spending the longest period of time alone with Maggie he had to date today - an IHOP lunch date with the kid.

He had been feeling stressed and exhausted after the Avengers' most recent mission, which had quickly gone 'Code Green.' The mission itself wasn't too bad, but sometimes part of the de-Hulking process, he just needed a reminder that he was still human. Maggie tended to help with that.

As the polite waitress led them to a booth, Maggie happily climbed into one side, Bruce sitting across the table from her. She was up on her knees, leaning over the wooden surface, in an instant, her eyes following the movement of the waitress as she laid the menus down, followed by a box of crayons for Maggie.

"I'll be back in a few minutes for drink orders," the young woman said politely before walking away to see to her other tables.

Bruce immediately snatched the kids menu before Maggie could deface it with her crayons. "Okay, Maggie, what do you want to eat?"

"Chocolate chip pancakes!" she answered without hesitation, staring intently at the small cardboard box of crayons as she carefully pried it open with her fingers.

"What do you want with your pancakes?" Bruce inquired next, pulling out his glasses so he could read the fun print. He had a feeling Natasha and Steve may kill him for bringing Maggie back on a sugar rush, but, oh, whatever. "You can have scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns-"

"I want bacon, like Daddy makes," Maggie insisted, now reaching for the paper. "Uncle Brucie, I wanna color."

With a chuckle, Bruce returned the menu to her, watching as she slapped it down to the table and began studying it. He then turned to his own menu, and figured out what he should order.

The waitress returned about a minute later, as she promised, and Bruce realized he had forgotten to ask Maggie what she wanted to drink.

"I want juice," she decided when the waitress prompted them.

"What kind of juice, hon?" the woman asked with an amused smile, glancing over at Bruce momentarily as if to comment on how adorable she was finding Maggie.

Bruce could only smirk knowingly, wondering what most people would say if they found out who Maggie's parents really were. _Would that make her more or less cute?_ he wondered to himself.

"Um, I don't know," Maggie admitted, turning shyly to Bruce. "Uncle Brucie, I don't know."

"She'll have apple juice," Bruce answered for her, which Maggie immediately approved of with an aggressive nod. She took simple things like food _way _too seriously sometimes. "I'll just have water, myself."

"Okay," the dark haired woman nodded, jotting down the easy requests, "are you also ready to order your meals?"

"I think so," Bruce decided. "She'll have a stack of three chocolate chip pancakes, made with the buttermilk batter, with a side of bacon."

"How many pieces of bacon does she want? Two or four?"

Bruce looked to Maggie, who answered confidently, "One."

"I guess that means two, then," he translated, amused. "I'll have a stack of three pancakes, with hash browns."

"Alright, I'll have your drinks out here in a sec, and your food in a little bit," she promised, taking the menu Bruce was offering back to her and walking away.

"Uncle Brucie, help," Maggie requested as soon as she was gone. "Where does the maze start?"

Bruce leaned over so he could get a better look, still wearing his reading glasses. "I think it starts there." He pointed to the spot that said 'START.'

"Oh, okay."

The maze occupied Maggie for a while, and it was very entertaining to watch. She didn't follow the rules at _all. _For one thing, she drew lines through the barriers as if they weren't there, which Bruce questioned curiously.

"I'm an Avenger, I can go where I want," she explained, not even bothering to look up from her paper.

Bruce figured she meant something along the lines of being an Avenger gave her the power to break through all walls and barriers in her way. He reflected briefly on Steve, and how he tended to, literally, run _through _obstacles on his path during a chase. The soldier had recapped the story of Fury's supposed 'death' and his subsequent chase after Bucky through the building next to his apartment, which included a lot of barreling through obstacles and knocking things over. In this moment, Bruce could definitely see the Steve in Maggie, as he also thought back on her own clumsy, jittery behavior.

His fingertip lingered on the paper a moment longer, before sliding over to another part. "Okay… Then what's that line?"

He pointed to where she had drawn a line from the 'START' point around the entire maze, looping around the puzzle and just ending lazily in the 'FINISH' area.

"I walked around," Maggie answered simply, now coloring in the puzzle with another color.

And then there was the Natasha in Maggie.

Bruce just shook his head with an amused chuckle. Maggie always had this laid-backness about her that was refreshing, even in her high moments. She didn't seem to take herself or the world too seriously, while still taking it very seriously in that four-year-old way at the same time. Such a paradox could only be described as childhood innocence, Bruce figured.

The waitress returned, dropping off their respective drinks, and admiring little Maggie once more. Bruce had a feeling once Maggie grew mature enough to recognize how others could be caught up in her charm, she may begin using that to her advantage for mischief. Hell, she'd already been doing that with all of the Avengers ever since she could talk.

Suddenly, Maggie looked up at Bruce with an elated expression. "Uncle Brucie, Daddy taught me a new game."

Following her excitement, Bruce raised his eyebrows curiously. "Really? What'd he teach you?"

"Tic-tac-toe!"

_That _must have been an interesting lesson with Maggie, Bruce reflected. Teaching her how to match three symbols in a row vertically, horizontally, or diagonally, while knowing how to prevent your opponent from winning, must have been an adventure. Steve was especially patient with her, though, which was probably why he was able to accomplish it. (He claimed to have mastered this patience by just interacting with Natasha over the years, even from the time of their simple mission partnership; Bruce had a feeling Natasha would probably kill Steve if his words ever reached her.)

"That's a very fun game. Do you want to play?" Bruce smiled, sharing her enthusiasm.

"Uh-huh, I can draw it." Maggie nodded, looking up at Bruce, then her paper again. "Uncle Brucie, watch."

"I'm watching," he assured her.

She managed to draw the four lines pretty well for a four and a half year old, Bruce assessed. He was impressed, and complimented her.

"Those are very nice lines, Maggie."

She nodded happily. "Do you wanna be 'X's or 'O's?" she asked next, looking up at him again.

"I'll be whichever one you don't want to be," Bruce answered, but then clarified. "You choose first."

"Okay… I wanna be 'O,' 'cause that's the shape of Daddy's shield."

Bruce wondered if Steve had had a hand in Maggie making that connection in her mind. He smiled as Maggie offered him a green crayon. "That's nice. I'll be 'X,' then. Do you know any words that start with 'x'?"

Even though she wasn't really in school yet, Bruce liked to get Maggie's brain going with some basic concepts of numbers and letters. She already knew her alphabet and was quickly learning how to count to one hundred, the latter being mostly a courtesy of himself and Tony. ("Kids these days learn how to count to, like, _ten _in kindergarten. Maggie's going to blow _all _of them out of the water, Banner and I are making sure of it," Tony had told Natasha and Steve when Maggie surprised them with the sudden growth of her counting ability.)

"X-ray!" Maggie answered excitedly. "It's the thing when doctors can see bones."

Offering her a high-five, Bruce nodded and smiled his approval. "Very good, Maggie. You're super smart."

She clapped his hand enthusiastically. "Mama taught me about x-rays 'cause we saw it on TV."

"Well, your mom is also very smart," Bruce commented. "So is your dad, for that matter."

"I wanna be smarter," Maggie announced, and Bruce wondered if she would actually try to reach that level some day. "Can we play now?"

It _was _kind of torturous, leaving Maggie hanging like this when she wanted to play a game. Bruce laughed a little. "Yes, yes, go ahead; you can make the first move."

"'Kay." Maggie didn't hesitate at all, marking the middle box as her territory. Bruce thought that to be a smart move for a four year old, as it meant she was able to make three in a row in any way and from anywhere she liked.

He then decided to just play along casually with her, and not try to turn this into a huge mind game. With his green crayon against her blue, he marked the box to the right of hers.

She frowned as she studied the new move, before going for the box above his, diagonally up and to the right of her initial middle box. Bruce cut off her diagonal three in a row with an 'x' in the lower left-hand corner box.

It was getting intense now. Or, at least, judging by the look on Maggie's face. Her frown deepened thoughtfully as she marked the box above the middle, above her first mark and to the left of her second. Bruce then stopped both her potential diagonal and horizontal lines with a mark in the top left-hand corner box, wondering if she was able to see all the possible outcomes and ways to win with each turn. He made a mental note to later research if anyone had ever conducted studies on human development by playing tic-tac-toe with four year olds. Maggie had a chance to either win right now, or block Bruce's growing row of three. He wanted Maggie to win, honestly.

Just as he had hoped, Maggie grabbed victory, as opposed to getting caught up in the idea of blocking Bruce's potential three in a row. She went for the lowest box in the middle column, making three in a row vertically.

Bruce later reflected on how accurate of a testament this move choice was to Maggie's personality. She had been given the choice of either winning by spotting her chance, or being so caught up in the actions of others that she focused on blocking them out, which would ultimately prevent her from winning as well. That was just how Maggie was - she loved to win more than she loved to beat others, if that made sense. To Bruce, at least, it did.

Though, then again, this was just a game of tic-tac-toe with a four year old, not a psychoanalysis of Maggie's way of thinking.

"Ha! I won!" Maggie cheered, shooting both hands up above her head victoriously. Bruce chuckled good-naturedly at the sight.

"Congratulations, Maggie," he offered, then thought this moment was too cute of one to pass up for a photo to later look back on. "Do you want to take a picture to send to your mom and dad?"

Maggie nodded excitedly, grabbing the children's menu and holding it up for Bruce to see. She was practically beaming as Bruce retrieved his phone from his pocket, and took a picture to send to the others.

"You hafta tell them that I won," Maggie reminded him, and he nodded as he typed the message out to the other Avengers.

"Don't worry, Maggie, I will," he assured her.

After that exchange, their food arrived, and Bruce just sighed as he watched Maggie dig into her syrup-heavy pancakes. (Bruce poured the syrup for her, promising only to stop when she commanded he do so - unfortunately, she _really _loved maple syrup, so her pancakes were _soaked _in it by the time Bruce forced her to say stop. Not to mention, she already had _chocolate chips _in her pancakes. What more could she want?) He knew going in he would have to deal with a sticky and hyper child afterward, but, now that he was at that point, he found himself not feeling as compelled to tackle that today.


	54. I Go Crazy if I Don't Go Crazy Tonight

**A/N: **Hello, everyone! Here we go with the next installment for this month's theme of 'fathers.' Last time we looked at Bruce, and now we're looking at Clint. :)

And this is totally not based off of an _iCarly _episode I saw last weekend for the first time in a couple of years. What? That's crazy. Speaking of 'crazy,' this chapter title was taken from the song, "I'll Go Crazy if I Don't Go Crazy Tonight" by U2. The animated music video of the song (which is really cute) actually inspired some of this chapter! Also... I SAW U2 IN CONCERT LAST WEEKEND. YES. JUST. YES. Please excuse me while I cry...

Thanks for all the faves, follows, and reviews, guys! WE PASSED 230 FAVES AND 200 FOLLOWS WOOOOOOO! YOU GUYS ROCK! Now, just gotta pass 300 reviews, and we'll be even more awesome! In observance of this nice, even-numbered milestone, I invite you to splurge and buy something nice for yourself or something today. Hooray!

* * *

Clint stifled laughter at the sight of Maggie running by, rushing through the penthouse with her mother's Widow's Bites clutched tightly to her chest. The twenty-five year old had a mission she needed to leave for, like, _now_, and appeared to be trying to sneak a top-tier weapon in with her.

As expected, Natasha was following, not too far behind her jittery daughter. She stopped by the couch Clint was currently occupying with a huff, crossing her arms over her chest. "Лапушка, what are you doing?"

Maggie turned toward the archer and spy with a nonchalant expression from across the room, trying (and failing) to discreetly hide the gloves behind her back. "Trying to leave for my mission. I just, uh, needed some extra fire-power, you know? So, like, bye."

Now, Maggie was trying to make her getaway, hastily grabbing the duffel bag that had been placed beside the elevator on her way. Unfortunately, as the doors opened, she hadn't anticipated Steve to emerge, nearly knocking her over.

"Ah! Not the Widow's Bites!" Maggie cried as she dropped her bag and Natasha's signature weapon to the floor from the sudden jostling. Steve just raised his blond eyebrows, looking neither surprised nor shocked at Maggie's thievery.

"Were you really trying to steal Mama's gloves for your mission?" he questioned, his eyes and head following her sudden movement as she darted behind him. Looking up again, he noticed an irate Natasha walking toward them, picking her Widow's Bites up with an exasperated sigh.

"Yes, she was," she informed him. "Your daughter is a kleptomaniac."

Steve's eyebrows remained higher than normal. "_My _daughter?"

"Yes, _your _daughter." Natasha eyed him sharply.

Meanwhile, Maggie tried to reach around Steve for her duffel bag, which was sitting on the ground between her parents, aiming for a sneaky escape from being chewed out by Natasha. Successfully grabbing the straps and pulling it toward her, she silently cheered, but was cut off as Natasha snatched the entire bag away from her. Steve stepped out of the way, revealing Maggie, who was trying to appear casual and _not _like she was up to something (it never worked, but she tried, anyway).

"_This_," the spy gestured with her eyes toward the bag in her hands, "belongs to _you._" She handed Maggie her bag. "_These," _she held up her Widow's Bites, "belong to _me._"

Maggie pouted. "But they're so _cool_!"

"And they're _mine, _so, be jealous," Natasha returned with a smirk.

Clint watched the exchange, amused, as he usually did. Steve just looked on, exasperated, between the two hotheads that inhabited his life daily in the form of his partner and daughter. Clint couldn't help but laugh a bit at that.

It was also nice to see that the events at the playground a few months prior, where Natasha and Maggie had gone up against HYDRA and Alexei Shostakov, didn't have any long lasting negative effects on the small family. If anything, it only seemed to have _strengthened _their bond, which always warmed Clint's heart a little bit.

"I've used them before! And I was pretty good with them, if I do say so myself." Maggie flipped her hair over one shoulder, placing her hands on her hips with a confident stance. "So _why _can't I borrow them?"

Maggie's questioning pulled Clint out of his thoughts, as he watched her fight for the rights to Natasha's precious electric gloves. He could say, from personal experience, Natasha did _not _share those things easily, if even at all.

"Because maybe I'll need them for some world crisis while you're gone," Natasha pointed out, and now _she _was the one clutching them to her chest, Clint noted with a chuckle. "You never know when the Avengers call will sound."

The younger agent huffed, dismissing Natasha's reasoning with a wave of her hand. "Fine, whatever, I don't want your stupid taser bracelets anyway," she tried to brush her mother off, throwing the strap of her duffel bag over her shoulder. Natasha just rolled her eyes. "I should probably get going, so Skye doesn't kill me or anything."

"Stay safe," Steve immediately advised, catching her in a quick hug that was warmly reciprocated. Natasha followed suit next, giving Maggie's cheek a kiss as well, and some affectionate and assuring words in Russian.

"We'll see you in a few days," Natasha said, an optimistic smile lighting her face. Maggie nodded with a mock salute, before turning toward Clint's approaching form.

As soon as she had started talking about her mission, he stood from the couch to give her a farewell hug, just as Steve and Natasha had. However, Maggie initiated the embrace, throwing her arms around his neck enthusiastically. "See you soon, Uncle Clint!"

"Yeah, see you soon," he echoed in agreement, patting her back as he wrapped his arms around her for a few moments. Upon release, he gave her a hard stare. "And you better come back in one piece, completely unscathed. Got it?"

"Got it, Uncle Clint. I'll be careful." She laughed a bit as she turned back toward the elevator, her now much shorter red curls swinging a bit from the movement. Her hair had grown back a bit since her epic and spontaneous cut at the Playground months before, now actually touching her shoulders, but still had a way to go to reach their previous length.

"I love you all, now, farewell," she announced with an epic wave of her hands and bow, which was a bit over dramatic for the occasion in Clint's opinion, as she boarded the elevator and the doors closed. The three Avengers stood on the other side, watching and waving back.

As soon as the elevator began its long descent, Natasha sighed, looking down at the Widow's Bites still in her hands. "One of these days, she's going to make it out of here with these."

"I told you, _your _daughter is a kleptomaniac," Steve quipped, his expression completely serious as he walked away, down the hall Natasha and Maggie had originally emerged from. Natasha looked after him, her glare as sharp as ever.

"She inherits that from _you_," Natasha shot back as she trailed behind him, probably to return her beloved weapon to its rightful (and locked up) location. Clint just shook his head in a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

He sauntered back over to the couch, lying back on it with a sigh. These days felt much slower than any others he had lived before, and, as much as he denied it, aging was definitely a contributing factor. He still worked for S.H.I.E.L.D. and went on missions every now and then, yeah - but, he just moved… _Slower _now. It was frustrating and kind of sad, because he couldn't operate on the front lines as much anymore.

Which meant he couldn't look over Maggie in the field as much as he'd like - _that _irritated and worried him constantly. Especially given what happened to her months before. Ever since then, he waited for her to return from missions more nervously than ever.

Honestly, Clint missed the days when everything had been simple. Well, nothing had ever really been _simple _with them, they're Avengers, after all - but, when things had been simpl_er, _and Maggie just needed someone to make her food or tie her shoes.

Eventually, Clint dozed off on the couch.

* * *

The _ding _of the elevator woke him some time later, lacking a vocal announcement of the newcomer from JARVIS. Clint thought that to be curious as he sat up, rubbing his eyes, and turned his head toward the sudden intruder.

When he caught sight of her, he had to do a double take.

She didn't say anything as they made eye contact, simply walking from the elevator and up to the couch, a light expression on her face. He eyed her curiously, convinced he was asleep and dreaming.

There was no other explanation for how he would be able to see seven year old Maggie Rogers silently standing in front of him.

He could tell what age she was based on her appearance. She was wearing an Avengers shirt, one that had become an immediate favorite for her right after her seventh birthday, during which she had received the clothing item from Darcy. And, Clint noticed, the arrow necklace he had given her that same year was resting on the fabric of her shirt, shining a bit each time it caught a ray of sunlight.

Little Maggie was still staring at him, her eyes burning into his. He blinked, and she mirrored the gesture.

"Um…" he began, not really sure what to say. "Hi."

Suddenly, she grinned, and just as quickly as that happened, she turned and _ran. _Clint, baffled, barely managed to stand and take one step toward her before she bolted down one of the hallways. With a small groan, he gave chase after her, thinking this was a very strange dream he must be having.

* * *

Pepper sighed as she laid her hands on her desk, the appendages exhausted from all the writing and sifting through files and just plain _work _she had been doing all morning. Tony had been suggesting lately she go on more breaks, which she had taken with a smirk because, really, workaholic Tony Stark advising _her _to take breaks? Talk about hypocritical.

Looking up from the seemingly countless papers sitting on her desk, she noticed the door to her office was slightly ajar. She must not have closed it all the way, she figured, so the air probably pushed it open.

Deciding to use that as a distraction and break, she walked from her desk and up to the doorway to close it. Wrapping her fingers around the knob, the sound of hurried footsteps caught her ears.

Opening her door a bit wider, she watched as Clint suddenly ran by, yelling something about someone coming back to him.

"Maggie, come on, knock it off! Come back here!" he called, watching the tiny redhead turn random corners and run down their corresponding halls. "Don't make me have to catch you!"

Honestly, he doubted he could catch her. Twenty years ago, yeah, it would have been child's play, because he had the stamina for it, and Maggie lacked this much focus and carefulness when running around. Today, she seemed to have both endless energy _and _precision, as she had yet to run into anything, which was something she used to do a lot.

"Clint!" The sudden call of his name caught him off guard, as Clint skidded to a stop, nearly crashing into a wall. He frowned as Maggie looked back at him with a laugh before turning down another corner.

Taking in his surroundings now, he realized he had somehow followed her to a much lower level of the tower, where Pepper's office was located, which explained her approaching figure.

"Clint, what are you doing?" she questioned him, looking confused. "Why are you running around?"

"I, uh…" he stammered, scratching the back of his head, uncertain. Should he tell Pepper that a seven year old Maggie Rogers was now running around the tower?

Hearing her giggle again, he turned at the sound, catching sight of her staring at him from around the corner she had just turned at. Clint groaned a bit.

Pepper raised her eyebrows. "Clint? Care to explain?"

_Oh_, _what the hell_, he thought.

"Maggie's here," he answered shortly, but then realized how uninformative and vague it was. "Wait, no, let me amend that - _seven _year old Maggie is here, running around, and I'm trying to catch her."

"_Seven _year old Maggie?" Pepper questioned, staring at him in disbelief. "Clint, in case you've forgotten, Maggie is twenty-five years old-"

"See! She's over there!" He pointed at the corner she had just been peeking her head around, but then frowned at her sudden absence.

"Um, I don't see anything," Pepper answered, looking back and forth between Clint and the empty space, concern written all over her face. "Should I be seeing something?"

"She just ran down the hall," Clint sighed, exhaustion evident in his voice. "Look, I gotta go, I gotta… Catch her."

Before Pepper could ask him to clarify, Clint was back at it, running after Maggie. Or, at least, running after this 'apparition' of Maggie.

With a curious and exasperated shake of her head, Pepper walked back to her office, deciding to put off dealing Clint's weird behavior until later.

* * *

On the communal floor, Clint caught Maggie sitting on the counter, silently drinking from a juice box she must have retrieved from the fridge. He sighed gratefully.

"You're done running, thank God," he said, stopping a few feet in front of her to catch his breath. He smiled up at her. "I swear, any farther, and I think I would collapse."

Maggie didn't respond, simply continuing to watch him as she sipped her juice. Clint took that as an invitation to get closer.

"Now, then, where on Earth did you come from?" he wondered aloud, looking her up and down. From all the running and tripping and crashing, it was clear that Clint _wasn't _dreaming. Somehow, this was all real, and seven year old Maggie was appearing to Clint for some reason. Somehow.

He walked up closer, stopping just in front of the counter. "Are you even _from _Earth? A different dimension, maybe? Did you get your hands on an infinity stone, or something-"

Suddenly, she shrieked, right in his ear. Ah, yes, how could Clint forget - Maggie had gone through a short 'scare the living shit out of everyone by screaming in their ear unexpectedly' phase when she was seven. (It was quickly shut down by an irate Natasha, thank God.) Apparently, this Maggie was from that _exact _period of her life.

And, from surprise, Clint fell backward to the floor on his back, having _not _expected that at all. Because, really, that had been a brief period of time during Maggie's seven year old days. _Brief. _So, the chances of this Maggie doing that right here and now were slim.

He groaned, his ear protesting in pain at the sudden torture. Instinctively, he reached a hand up to the poor body part, making sure it and its respective hearing aid were still in tact. Meanwhile, Maggie hopped off the counter, and made a quick dash for one of the halls - Clint couldn't tell which because he was too busy writhing in pain.

Finally sitting back up with another groan, he saw her juice box left on the counter, abandoned. Because of the sudden scare, he missed the sound of the elevator doors opening, and a person walking out and up to him.

"Clint?" It was Steve, who just looked confused as to why Clint was sitting alone on the ground with a lone juice box on the counter above him. The leader of the Avengers stopped in front of Clint's defeated form with a curious expression. "Should I even ask?"

With a huff, Clint pushed himself upward, off the ground, to a standing position. He grabbed the counter with a hand for assistance in balancing himself after having his brain and senses completely disoriented by Maggie's scream. "No, honestly, you shouldn't. You really shouldn't."

How was he supposed to explain to Maggie's _father _that a much younger Maggie was somehow running around the tower wreaking havoc?

"You sure?" Steve tilted his head to one side, questioning Clint's frazzled appearance. "You don't look so good."

"Never been better," Clint sighed, grabbing the empty juice box. "Really, Cap, I'm fine."

Steve looked as if he didn't believe Clint for a few more moments, but dropped it. "Well, if you feel bad, Bruce is here today if you need anything."

_Not a bad idea_, Clint silently commented, thinking of how Maggie had been able to pass through the tower for so long undetected. He had checked a lot of security footage on his way back up from Pepper's office, and found her on _none _of it. It was very strange, and that could only mean one thing:

Clint was seeing things.

"Anyway," Steve continued, breaking Clint out of his thoughts, "I came up here to tell you that Nat and I are about to leave for a mission. We should be back the day after Maggie."

With a nod, Clint offered him an encouraging smirk. "Alright. Good luck, Steve, and, stay safe out there."

"Planning on it," Steve agreed, pulling Clint into a quick, amicable embrace before turning back toward the elevator. "Nat told me to tell you 'goodbye' for her."

"Tell her I'll see her soon," Clint offered in return as Steve disappeared into the elevator with one last hand wave.

After Steve was gone, and he had disposed of Maggie's empty juice box, Clint sat down at the dining table with a sigh. A few moments of mental debating and thinking passed before he fished his phone out of his pocket, and dialed for Bruce to meet with him.

* * *

Planning to meet with Bruce the following day, Clint saw Maggie a few more times before then. She would pop in every once in a while, just to stare at Clint, before running off again any time he got close to her (she even sat on top of the goddamned _fridge_ while Clint was getting a drink at one point in the night, casually staring him down; he screamed in surprise and woke up half the tower, and she giggled at his misery, as expected). It was very strange, as Maggie hadn't actually spoken a _word _to Clint, which completely went against her normally chatty and outgoing nature. Clint could have sworn at some point she crawled up in his bed with him while he was sleeping, but, by the time he opened his eyes, she was gone.

When Bruce arrived just after breakfast, he instructed Clint to lie back on the couch, and took a seat in the chair next to him with a curious expression.

"Now, then, Clint, what's bothering you?" he asked as they settled, watching Clint peer around the room nervously before finally relaxing.

"Honestly, I have no clue," Clint answered honestly, staring up at the ceiling. "Do you know if Asgardian and Infinity Stone mind-control magic have long-term side effects? Because, so far, that's the only theory I've got."

"For what?" Bruce asked for clarification.

"It's really weird, and Pepper thinks I'm crazy for it," Clint sighed. "But, ever since Maggie left for her mission yesterday, I've been… _Seeing _things."

"'Seeing things'?" Bruce echoed, eyebrows raised. "Could you be more specific?"

"I see… Well, I see _her. _But not, like, _present-day _her. The Maggie I keep seeing running around is _seven_," Clint explained, sounding just as baffled as his explanation. "And no one else sees or hears her, so I have no idea what the hell is going on."

Bruce nodded thoughtfully for a moment. "Ever since Maggie left yesterday, how have you been feeling?" he inquired. "Aside from winded and confused by this second, younger Maggie, of course."

Clint shrugged. "Nervous. Anxious. The usual stuff, you know. It's kind of scary to think our niece is out there fighting bad guys on her own now, you know?"

"I do," Bruce agreed earnestly. "It's terrifying."

"Yeah."

"Anything else?"

"Well…" Clint mulled it over for a few moments, before deciding to voice it. "I guess I'm also worried because I have no control over what happens to her now. Like, I'm not with her in the field, so I can't do anything to ensure her a safe homecoming."

Bruce didn't immediately reply, seeming to be thinking over Clint's confession. The archer gave a defeated sigh.

"So, tell me, Bruce: am I crazy?"

To Clint's surprise, Bruce actually _smiled_, and gave a _chuckle _at the question. That was a good sign, right?

"No, no, you're not crazy," Bruce clarified, making Clint sigh in relief. "Your mind just created a physical manifestation of your worries."

"What?" Clint sat up, looking at Bruce with a confused expression. "I'm imagining Maggie because I'm worried about her?"

"Simply put, yes." Bruce nodded. "Basically, you miss being able to take care of her. You miss knowing what she was doing all the time because she was doing it right in front of you. She's off living her own, independent life now, and your mind is trying to cope with that change by recreating Maggie when she was young and vulnerable, so you can watch over her again."

"Wow." Clint blinked, a bit overwhelmed by the information Bruce had just offered him. "So, then, why can't I catch her? She keeps running away before I can so much as touch her."

"Catching her will be like facing reality, I'd imagine," Bruce guessed. "The moment you'd touch her, the image would be revealed to be, well, an image, and not real."

That made sense to Clint. "When will she be gone? Is this permanent?"

On one hand, he really hoped it would last a while, because his mind had definitely hit the mark on this one: Clint _did _miss taking care of Maggie, and interacting with her younger self. Of course he still loved modern, older Maggie - but that didn't mean he didn't long for the lost days when all she needed in life was her godfather to love and protect her.

On the other hand, he really hoped she would leave soon, because all she did was run around and scream, and it was starting to exhaust him. If she wasn't going to talk to him, that made it a _lot _less fun.

"I think once Maggie - the _real _Maggie - comes back, she'll leave," Bruce assured him. "It'll all work out in the end."

Clint sighed gratefully. "Thank you, Bruce."

"I'm just glad I can help. Trust me, you're not the only one still having a hard time adjusting to Maggie growing up."

* * *

Clint wanted nothing more than to just go to bed. But, unfortunately, a finger poking his cheek wouldn't let him.

He groaned, trying to turn away, but opened his eyes at the sound of giggling. Lo and behold, standing in front of him, beside the couch he was lying on, was little Maggie.

Older, real Maggie had texted him earlier when she was back at S.H.I.E.L.D., telling him she'd be back in a couple of hours. So, naturally, Clint decided to wait out for her, as he took up residence on the couch in the main room of the communal floor.

The seven year old was smiling still when Clint looked at her, and he sighed, trying to reach a hand out to touch her, knowing it would shoo her away.

Surprisingly, it didn't.

Maggie simply met his hand with one of her own, palm meeting palm as if comparing the different sizes of their hands. She still didn't say anything, but her face grew more serious as she made eye contact with him. Apparently, Bruce's theory hadn't been exactly right; Clint was touching her now, but she wasn't evaporating into thin air, or anything. Maybe it meant, then, that they were nearing the end of this whole thing. If real Maggie was here, her presence would dismiss that of imaginary Maggie; was this the little Maggie's way of saying goodbye?

The tender moment was ruined, though, as JARVIS announced a certain 'Ms. Rogers' to be on her way up via elevator. The announcement caused little Maggie to laugh and suddenly pull Clint off the couch.

He yelped in surprise, but quickly hopped onto his feet to chase the tiny, redheaded mischief maker. She made a face at him as she turned and ran toward the elevator on the opposite side of the room, Clint in hot pursuit.

At the last moment, though, she turned and darted in a different direction, to the kitchen, as she had been mere inches away from the opening elevator doors. Clint, meanwhile, was not as precise in his running, and ended up barreling into the newcomer.

Said passenger of the elevator, as expected, was older Maggie. Luckily, she was strong enough to not fall backward when Clint ran into her, but she did gasp a bit in surprise.

"Ow, goddamn, Uncle Clint, where's the fire?" she questioned as she pushed him back up to full height, and took a step back for some room.

Something passed over Clint's expression for a bit, but then he suddenly looked enlightened. "Maggie, you're back!"

She looked at him, confused by his behavior. "Uh, yeah… Why are you-_oof!_"

Before she could finish, Clint had wrapped his arms around her tightly, pulling her into a constricting embrace. She weakly returned the hug, patting his back curiously, as he pressed a kiss to her hairline.

"I missed you," he admitted, loosening his grip on her for a moment so he could ruffle her hair with his hand. She giggled a bit at the gesture, finally managing to break out of his grasp.

"I missed you, too," she returned, though confusion was evident in her voice. They took advantage of the brief break in conversation to finally exit the elevator, moving to the couch so Maggie could set her bag down. "What's got you so hyper tonight?"

"Nothing. I just missed you, so, now I'm being affectionate," he explained defensively, making her raise an eyebrow. "I wanted to remind you your Uncle Clint loves you."

He looked sentimental now, and Maggie looked worried. She tilted her head to one side. "And, uh, your favorite niece, Maggie, loves you, too… Should I be concerned? Oh, did you get drunk with Uncle Tony? Ugh, not _again_."

Clint gave a small laugh at that, his expression genuine enough to prove he was not, in fact, inebriated, Maggie noted. "I'm fine, kid, really. I'm just really proud of you, that's all."

This whole encounter was really strange, but Maggie decided to discard her concerns, as she offered Clint a warm smile in return. "Well, thanks. It's nice to be home."

"Definitely." Clint looked at her for a moment before nodding. "Now, then, I'll let you get to bed, so you don't have to sleep half the day away tomorrow."

"Oh, don't worry, I probably will, anyway," Maggie assured him as they shared a quick hug again. Offering her arm a gentle pat, Clint turned and walked back down the hall, yawning loudly as he went. She rolled her eyes at the sight.

After that, she resumed her mission to retrieve something from the kitchen with a yawn. The mission had only been three days long, thankfully, but was still action-packed and just generally exhausting. The rest of the Bus team was probably in bed by now, Maggie thought, as she remembered Skye having to be woken by Maria multiple times during the debriefing. It was an amusing sight, and Skye was barely awake when she finally bid Maggie goodnight.

Upon entering the area of food, Maggie immediately snagged an apple from a nearby bowl, then turned to the fridge to look for something else she could devour. But, suddenly, a strange sight greeted her, and she stopped.

Standing in front of the fridge was a smaller version of herself, looking up at the older version with a curious gaze. A blink passed between the two redheads before the young Maggie offered her older self a warm smile, and walked around her, out of the kitchen.

Following the seven year old with her eyes, Maggie watched as she patiently waited and entered the elevator, the doors closing behind her. After a few moments, Maggie just blinked once more, rubbing her tired eyes with a tired expression.

"Bus madness," she diagnosed herself under her breath with a shake of her head. "Just like Skye and Bobbi warned me."

* * *

**A/N:** So, what do _you _guys think Clint (and, now, Maggie briefly) was seeing all along? Before you ask me, I'll just say, I myself don't know, because I just threw the curve ball in for a comedic ending. XD I also assumed Skye and Bobbi may warn Maggie about going crazy from being on the Bus with a team of people for too long...

Shoutout to anyone else who used to watch _iCarly_, and may have even recognized the inspiration from the show in this chapter. X) See you all next time!


	55. Hell Is Where the Heart Is

**A/N: **Time to have some fun bonding time with Tony! I decided to go back to lighthearted for this one, as I originally was thinking of something a bit sadder, but the idea never really developed outside of just, well, an idea, so, I'll save it for a rainy day, I suppose.

This one was prompted by my in real life best friend, hehe. X) It came to her as I complained to her about my own 'heated' situation a couple of days ago, and she shared it with me, so, here it is! Tony VS. Air Conditioning!

Thanks for all of the faves, follows, and reviews! I won't update for at least a week and a half after this one, as my family will be traveling a bit this week and next week, and I'll be away from my laptop. I promise I will return before the end of the month, though!

* * *

Tony absentmindedly tapped his foot to the music emitting from the television as Maggie, lying on the ground in front of him while he sat on the couch, hummed along.

He wasn't really sure what they were watching, but it was something Disney, definitely; there was _always _something made by Disney on in the Rogers home, it seemed. Between the three psychos (as Tony thought of them, anyway) who lived there, the movies were appreciated as art forms both musically and visually, and just plain entertaining. So, it was practically like they had a playlist of Disney movies on loop on TV sometimes in their house.

And that's where they were now - a last-minute mission left Steve scrambling for someone to either take Maggie in or watch her, and, Tony, by coincidence, had also been in Washington D.C. for other business with Pepper, who was off running some errands for the day. Tony assured Steve he had this under control, and the soldier was very grateful.

But, despite the happy music from the TV, Tony couldn't help but sigh as he wiped some sweat from his brow. It was hot as _hell _today, he was convinced, and he never felt so miserable.

Even Maggie took a break from her television escape from the heat to complain. "Uncle Tony, why is it so _hot _today?"

For once, her hair was up in a very loose and messy bun. Maggie was dressed like a visual representation of today's weather: a tank top and shorts. She rolled onto her back, hoping to catch some cooler air, but groaned mournfully when she found none.

"Because it's summer, and you live in Washington D.C.," Tony answered simply, looking up from his tablet and silently sympathizing with the twelve year old's struggle to cool herself off. "Did your dad ever turn on the air conditioning before he left earlier?"

"It doesn't feel like it," Maggie answered dramatically, covering her eyes with her arm as if shading her face from the sun. Her mouth twitched uncomfortably a bit as she could feel the sweat from her forehead meet her forearm. "I don't think he even knows how to turn it on."

Tony laughed. The fact that Maggie never shied away from poking fun at Steve's lack of ability in simple daily-life aspects of the twenty-first century always amused him. Obviously, Steve had picked up on many things quickly - but there were still plenty of things that confused the soldier to no end. "You probably hit it right on the head, squirt. Nice one."

As he leaned forward and offered her a high-five, which she half-heartedly returned, Maggie frowned a little. "Or maybe it's because he doesn't like the cold very much. He likes summer a lot because of that."

Of course there was always a sadder reason for what appeared to be a comedic little thing on the surface, Tony sighed. "I'm just going to ignore that statement so I don't feel sad. Alright, let's go turn the damn thing on, then."

He stood from the couch, ignoring Maggie's muttered comment about his language (judging by her tone, it sounded like she was impersonating her father, which was both an accurate choice of who to impersonate and really funny to Tony). Trudging his feet in the heat, Tony soon found himself at a thermostat, which he fiddled with until he noticed the small number scale on top.

"I can't believe it's already eighty-eight degrees outside," he said as Maggie joined him, staring up at the small box on the wall. "It's barely even noon yet!"

"I wanna move," Maggie whined, hitting her head against Tony's arm in frustration. "This is _awful_."

"Alright, alright, you've lived through twelve summers here before," Tony reminded as he shrugged her off. "This can't be the first time you've had a heat wave out to get you."

"It's usually not in the house," Maggie pointed out, looking between the thermostat and Tony. "Are you _sure _it's working? I don't feel any difference."

"Patience, munchkin," Tony advised, leading her back into the living room. "Patience is the key."

Maggie scoffed. "Because _you're _so patient."

Tony mocked a cringe. "Ouch, kid, you take after your mom too much sometimes." He paused, thinking for a moment. "And your dad, too, I suppose; he'd probably say the same thing."

"It's true, though," Maggie insisted as she resumed her spot on the floor, grabbing the TV remote. "Alright, what's something good to watch to take our minds off of the summer? Something besides _Frozen_."

"_Frozen_," Tony suggested blankly, clearly having not heard Maggie's rule as he was already focused again on his tablet on the couch. She rolled her eyes at the billionaire's divided attention.

"Are you listening?"

"Uh-huh…"

"Yesterday, I hacked S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Mmhmm…"

"Uncle Nick said I could start working and going on missions."

"That's nice, munchkin..."

"He said I'm the new leader for the Avengers, so _you _have to listen to _me_!"

"Okay..."

Maggie sat back down with a sigh, knowing she was practically alone now. She thought for a few moments, before trying to unnerve Tony again.

"I have a boyfriend," she suddenly announced.

"Uh-hu-_wait_, what?!" Tony realized what she had said, and looked up at her with wide eyes. "Are you _serious-_"

"_Kidding, _Uncle Tony," Maggie giggled, smiling mischievously at him. "I just wanted to see how long it would take to get your attention."

She was laughing at his expression now, and Tony just grumbled something about the demon spawn of Natasha Romanoff and Steve Rogers before returning to his work on his tablet.

* * *

"Uncle Tony."

"Hrm…"

"Wake up."

Tony opened his eyes narrowly at Maggie's command, immediately catching sight of her face directly above his. It used to startle him when he would suddenly see her so close, but, over the years, it became a natural occurrence, so he expected it now. He yawned, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "What's up, squirt?"

Maggie looked thoughtful for a few moments. "Doesn't it feel really… _Hot _in here, to you?"

He didn't really understand what she was talking about, but, upon closer examination, her cheeks looked a bit redder than before, and her forehead glistened a bit with sweat. With a cheeky expression, Tony sat up. "What did you do, run a mile while I was sleep?"

"_Heck _no, it's _way _too hot," Maggie answered with a firm shake of her head. "It's really hot inside the house, can't you feel it?"

Now that he was sitting up, Tony could feel the heat of the home. It was radiating in the air around them, almost as if the hot air was embracing them. He realized he, too, was sweating, as he ran a hand through his hair. "I feel it now… Did you turn off the air conditioning, or something?"

"No, it's been like this ever since you tried to turn it on," Maggie replied, crossing her arms over her chest with a very Natasha-like expression that just screamed criticism. "I think it's broken."

Tony frowned, standing from the couch and walking back to the thermostat. Maggie followed curiously, looking worn out. The billionaire figured it had been from the heat, and he felt a tad guilty that he had fallen asleep and missed the fact that Maggie was uncomfortable.

He pushed random buttons on the little box, trying to figure out what was wrong. Clearly, it wasn't working correctly, and, if anything, it was blowing out hot air. With a thoughtful frown, he placed his hands on his hips, his mind already thinking a million miles a minute on how the system may be broken and need fixing.

"I'll fix it," he told Maggie, sparing a glance in her direction before looking back at the offending box again. "I can fix this."

"Please, I beg of you," Maggie pleaded over-dramatically, causing Tony to chuckle a bit. Leave it to her to turn the simplest problem into an opportunity to display her amazing theatrics. "If you don't fix it, I think we're gonna melt."

"No melting today, squirt," Tony promised, ruffling her hair a bit as he walked around her and toward the sliding glass door in the living room which led to the backyard. "I'm gonna go look outside and see if there's something wrong."

He then went into a more detailed description of how air conditioning systems work, how there were circuit boards and small parts and other things that could be messed up. Maggie's head spun a bit from the description (and a bit from the heat, probably), as she only knew air ventilation systems for their three beneficial uses to her: heating, cooling, and crawling through the vents with Clint.

She watched as he explored the backyard, walking up to the compartment that was for the air conditioning and staring at it contemplatively. It looked hot outside from where she sat inside, and she groaned. It was only going to get hotter today, so, what would she and Tony do then?

* * *

Tony said he could fix it. Maggie quickly lost faith in him.

It was now much later in the afternoon, right as the temperature reached its maximum for the day. He had been tinkering with things both inside the walls of the house and outside in the yard, none of which seemed to do any good. As it only got hotter, he finally gave in, resorting to lying on the living room floor with Maggie and an electric fan they found in the closet on at full blast.

"Is this what Hell is supposed to feel like?" Maggie drowsily wondered aloud, not even trying to move her head to spare a glance in Tony's direction. She had announced about twenty minutes prior she would not be moving from her current position, as it was too hot to do so.

"Something like that," Tony answered vaguely, exasperation and exhaustion clear in his voice. "Somehow, we've managed to simulate a literal Hell on Earth in your home. Congratulations, squirt."

"I don't think I should be proud of that, since it involves me, like, dying," she replied, her voice drier than the air around them. "If we die here, Uncle Tony, I just want you to know you were a really cool uncle."

She was clearly joking about the dying part, as sarcasm was right up her alley. The way Maggie's humor switched back and forth between dry and bubbly always cracked Tony up, as he could usually trace back each of her joking tendencies to one of her parents. "Thanks, munchkin. You were the best niece a genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist could ever have."

Before Maggie could make another witty comment, Tony reached into his back pocket and retrieved his cell phone. He tapped the screen a few times before groaning at what he read. "It's one hundred and three degrees outside right now."

Maggie just groaned in pained acknowledgment.

"And… Wait, nope, it just jumped up to one-oh-four."

Another groan, higher in pitch and implied pain, sounded from where Maggie was lying.

Tony then noticed he had a message notification he had completely missed. Going to his texts, he found a message from Pepper from a couple of hours prior.

"'Just got done with brunch with Phil, going to run some errands for SI and then head over to you at the Rogers home,'" he read it aloud, his mind feeling a bit foggy from the constant heat all day. Maggie must not have been lying when she mentioned it making her feel a bit sick earlier, he reflected. "That was from Pepper a few hours ago, which means she's probably on her way now."

"Tell her to stay far, far away, so her life will be spared," Maggie advised dramatically, causing Tony to roll his eyes as he dropped his phone to the carpeted floor beside his head. "Also, since when does she have brunch with Uncle Phil?"

Tony shrugged. "They have a weird friendship or something, I don't know. She was probably just grilling him about whether or not he's asked that Agent May lady out yet."

"Probably," Maggie agreed after a moment. "Maybe when she comes, the AC will fix itself."

"I wish," Tony sighed pitifully. "I doubt we have that kind of luck."

As Maggie opened her mouth to reply, a knock sounded from the front door, which just resulted in two groans of equal distraught. Neither person on the floor wanted to get up to go to the door.

"You go," Maggie insisted. "She's your wife."

"You go," Tony shot back, unwavering. "This is your house."

They came to a stalemate: wife versus home ownership. Who would win?

Apparently, neither had to, as there was a jingle of keys from the front door, followed by Pepper walking in with a mildly annoyed expression. She rolled her eyes as she began walking toward the living room, assuming the uncle and niece duo were being unresponsive there. "Guys, come on, when people knock on the door, you're supposed to-_Jesus Christ, it's hot in here._"

Pepper already looked flustered by the high temperature of the house by the time she walked into the room, only to be greeted by the sight of Maggie and Tony lying on the ground looking miserable with a fan looming over their heads. The CEO raised an eyebrow. "The air conditioning is out?"

"Uncle Tony tried to fix it, but, he failed," Maggie explained, disappointment dripping from her voice.

Said genius rolled his eyes. "Do I look like an air conditioning-whisperer to you? Besides, your system is older than your dad, I'm convinced; the circuit board was just _ancient. _God knows how you've survived this long without it breaking."

As the two continued to bicker, Pepper set her bag down on the couch and walked over to the hallway, where the thermostat was. She examined it for a few seconds, before realization struck her, and she looked back toward the living room with an expression more exasperated than any she had given before.

She kept the same look on her face when she walked back into the room, stopping before the two on the floor with hands on her hips. Blinking once, she turned her pointed gaze to Tony. "Do you know how to work an air ventilation system?"

"Uh, obviously, considering the expansive one in our houses," Tony quipped in reply. Seeing Pepper's unchanging face, though, he grew less confident.

"You clearly don't know how to work one in a simple house, then," Pepper offered in return, her voice just as snappy as his. She gestured for him and Maggie to stand. "Follow me and learn, kids."

After a few seconds of complaining about the heat and all the sweat and everything, Pepper finally managed to lead them back over to the thermostat, where she stood beside it with a pointed expression.

"Do you see this number here?" Pepper pointed her index finger to the miniscule printed number that was marked as the current temperature by a small line. "This is the temperature _inside._"

Tony's jaw dropped at that, rambles of protests already beginning to spill from his mouth, but Pepper cut him off. "Also, _this _part," she gestured to a small knob, "is supposed to be turned _this _way to lower the temperature."

Maggie looked between Tony's defeated form and Pepper's exasperated one. It took her a few moments, but, then, she understood, and looked utterly _betrayed. _"Wait, has Uncle Tony been using the _heater _this entire time?!"

"Mmhmm," Pepper answered shortly, her hands back on her hips as she looked at Tony disapprovingly. "This 'genius' clearly couldn't figure it out."

"How was _I _supposed to know it worked like that?!" Tony finally protested loudly, looking between the two harsh stares of Maggie and Pepper. "I thought things worked completely differently on older systems!"

"Just because Nat and Steve are old doesn't mean their things don't work the same way ours do," Pepper reminded simply, her tone nonchalant but forceful, as if she were scolding a child.

"Aunt Pepper, then, can _you _fix it?" Maggie requested, placing a hand on her godmother's arm with a dramatic expression. "I'm about to _melt_!"

"With pleasure, Maggie," Pepper assured the preteen, shooting a smirk in Tony's direction before turning back to the thermostat and adjusting it properly.

Tony just shook his head in exasperation. Only with _Maggie _would something like this happen to him, he swore.

* * *

**A/N:** This one was silly and fun to write, haha! My description of the air conditioning system is pretty vague because my house's system is a lot older and different than most of what I encounter in other people's houses/buildings, so, I just tried to go for something that would make some sense, at least. I can relate to the hot feelings in this chapter, though, as my family's air conditioning was genuinely broken for the last couple of days, while it was over one hundred degrees out. I'm sure you can all imagine how happy we were about that. **  
**


	56. The Place Where Wishes Come True

_Alternate Universe: Maggie is being raised by Tony and Pepper after Steve, heartbroken by the death of Natasha in childbirth, gave her up.  
_

* * *

Steve frowned thoughtfully as he exited the elevator on the floor of the penthouse in Avengers Tower. Pepper had called him earlier, requesting him for something, but, as Steve glanced around, he didn't see her.

He sighed as he set his shield down on an empty chair off to the side, reaching a gloved hand up to his forehead to wipe sweat off his brow. It was July, and the heat that day was, as expected, torturous. To make things better, Pepper sounded like she needed him _immediately, _which drove Steve to forgo showering and changing before coming over directly after his latest mission.

The thought caused his heart to ache a bit. It had been a simple mission, but, as it was so simple, it was also incredibly boring. Usually it wasn't so dull, chasing bad guys and protecting people, but Steve had grown used to doing it with a partner by his side that amused him to no end.

Now that she was gone, everything was just… _Plain_ again. Nothing more than what his life had been upon just coming out of the ice, before getting tangled up in the mess that was the Avengers.

Forcing the melancholy thoughts and feelings that had driven him to throw himself into work harder than ever before from his mind, Steve looked around once more, wondering where the hell everyone was. After all, Pepper said the rest of the Avengers had needed him here. Why did the tower feel so _empty _then?

Maybe that wasn't such a bad thing, he reflected - it at least ensured he wouldn't run into a certain someone.

"Pepper?" he finally called, listening to his voice fill the space as there was no return call. With a sigh, Steve walked a bit farther into the room, away from the elevator, glancing down the varying corridors and side rooms as he went. "JARVIS, where is Ms. Potts?"

Why he hadn't just asked that in the first place, he wasn't sure, because JARVIS' answer explained everything. _"She is not present at the moment, Captain." _

"What about Stark? Barton? Banner?" Steve bit back another sigh, having a feeling if Pepper wasn't here, no one was. "Is there _anyone_?"

After a few moments of what Steve figured was computing, JARVIS finally responded, _"Neither Sir nor Agent Barton are present, Captain, but, my biological scan of the floor says there is one life form besides you." _

This was a trap. God damn it.

"_It appears Miss Rogers is present." _

Steve's expression tightened; he should have expected this by now, should have known better.

So, he did what his instincts told him: _run. _"Thank you, JARVIS, for your help, but I have some other matters to attend to."

He made a beeline back to the chair his shield was sitting upon, quickly picking it up and fastening it to his back.

"_But, sir, Ms. Potts has a message for you," _JARVIS protested.

"I'll receive it some other time," Steve insisted hastily, but, as he turned around to head back to the elevator, he stopped in his tracks.

There, standing across the room from him, was the physical manifestation of all his pain.

Everything in Steve's life _hurt. _First, his actual life and vague stability were ripped from him in the form of a case of ice that held his body for decades, leaving him with no one to turn to when he woke up out of his time. Finally, after years in this new world, he opened himself up once again, after meeting someone who wanted nothing more than to give him the love she, too, had missed out on her entire life. And that worked, for a while.

Then, a miracle happened, but snatched her away from him in the process.

The serum wasn't meant to be passed on genetically, he cursed himself constantly. He wasn't supposed to bring life into the world; when he did, it would just take someone else out.

That's what happened to Natasha Romanoff.

And, now, the little 'miracle' that left Steve vulnerable and broken (beyond repair, in his opinion), was standing just in front of him, her eyes, the same color as his, practically digging into his soul with a curious expression.

"Maggie," Steve finally greeted gruffly, his voice harsher than anyone would have expected from him when addressing his daughter, "go back to your room. Your aunt and uncles will be home soon."

The redheaded five year old didn't move. Instead, she blinked, before shaking her head. "Aunt Pepper and Uncle Tony just left five minutes ago, and Auntie Pep said they won't come back until Friday."

_Friday?! _Steve's brain immediately panicked, alarms sounding everywhere inside of him. It was only Tuesday now - Tuesday _morning_, for that matter - and Pepper and Tony were going to leave Maggie alone until _Friday?! _

"She said you'd come play with me until then," Maggie continued, looking and sounding both nonchalant and casual. That explained why they would just leave her alone, then, Steve guessed.

It was strange for him, as he had heard countless stories about how 'enthusiastic' or 'hyper' Maggie was from everyone. Pepper sent him an endless amount of pictures and updates almost daily. Clint always presented him, when they worked missions together, with some tale or recalling of some pranking stunt he and Maggie pulled on the others. Maria Hill and Phil Coulson advised Steve constantly to try to reconnect with her, assuring him that bonding with the daughter he had pushed away out of grief would ultimately cure his grief.

All Steve had to say to that would be an evaluation of his life until that point. Everyone he let in or cared for _left. _Either by natural causes or the cruel and untimely hands of fate, once people were in Steve's life to bring him joy, they didn't stay.

So, really, he was just protecting both Maggie and himself by keeping her at a distance.

"Well, I think we might need a change of plans," Steve finally replied, quickly pulling his phone out of his pocket. "I can't take care of you for four days." _Let alone be in the same room with you for more than five minutes. _

Everything about Maggie screamed Natasha. On the occasions others had forced him into a situation where he came into contact with Maggie, he always tried to avoid looking at her face.

Because, every time he had spared her even the smallest glance, he just saw Natasha.

He began tapping the screen to find Pepper's contact, but JARVIS interrupted. _"Captain, if I may continue what I was saying earlier…" _

Oh. That's right. JARVIS said Pepper had left a message for him. Judging by the blank look Maggie was giving him, she didn't really seem to know the specifics of it, aside from this supposed 'Steve taking care of her' business.

"Go on, JARVIS," Steve sighed.

"_On the communal floor, on the dining table, you will find a printed itinerary for this week from Ms. Potts, along with money and the appropriate tickets. She has informed me she planned these activities for Ms. Rogers to see more of the city, and get to know the place in which she lives." _

Maggie nodded at that. "Auntie Pep said I could go."

"_Yes, Ms. Rogers, she did. However, some last-minute business for the company came up, and she needed to leave immediately with Sir. Meanwhile, Mr. Odinson is on Asgard, Agent Barton is on a mission, and Dr. Banner is away for a conference." _

So, Steve added up, that meant this tourist trip was being left to him.

"_Ms. Potts also believed that, as a born-and-raised New Yorker, you, Captain Rogers, would be most suitable for these activities." _

Pepper had a point there. Steve _was _just a kid from Brooklyn, after all, in the very core of himself; that's who Steve Rogers was.

He didn't feel comfortable doing this, he really didn't. Any time Maggie even came remotely close to him, Steve just felt nervous. He had given her up, after all, because he was terrified. Not just the idea of fatherhood scared him, but the idea of caring for the life that had ultimately cost another person's.

The initial concerns had sprung up later on during Natasha's pregnancy, when she was bedridden constantly and ultimately put onto bed rest by Bruce. After that, she just…deteriorated, bit by bit, every day until Maggie was born. Finally, that was what did it for her - the stress on her body, which had been modified to _not _conceive, was just too much. Natasha had known the risks all along, but, when it became clear that her chances of survival were minimal, she didn't care; she _wanted _this child to come into the world. Steve had always known she was more compassionate than others gave her credit for, but, for once, he found himself wishing for her to be more selfish and put her own life first. But she didn't, and her life slipped from his hands minutes after the birth, a content and peaceful expression on her face.

Steve had given up on Maggie during those awful moments. He gave her to Pepper and Tony, knowing they were the best and most stable choice (and the ones with full custody rights should anything ever happen to Natasha and Steve, they had decided months before). The couple was willing to help, but tried to talk Steve out of it. Steve had reassured them, saying it was only temporary, that he needed time to heal.

Well, fast forward five years, and it was clear that Steve's idea of 'temporary' was apparently synonymous with 'permanent.'

And that left everyone to pulling stunts like this that ultimately cornered Steve, leaving him with nowhere else to run except Maggie. Supposedly.

Usually he was able to weasel his way out somehow, as no one ever left Maggie truly alone like this before for so long.

"JARVIS, please contact Ms. Potts and tell her I will not be able to do...this." He wasn't exactly sure what 'this' was. "Director Fury has a mission for-"

"_Actually, sir, Director Fury just pushed your mission back by a week, as Ms. Potts told him about these circumstances." _

What the hell? They even got _Fury _roped into this now? Was _anyone _on Steve's side?

"Um," Maggie spoke up shyly, holding her hands together behind her back and only making brief eye contact with Steve before darting her gaze back to the floor, "I promise I'll be good. I won't do anything bad, I swear, on Avenger's honor."

Steve recognized those words. Natasha used to say them to him jokingly, the first time he noticed being when she asked him out on their first date. She had sworn an oath to refrain from setting him up on any more dates afterward with the same concept of 'Avenger's honor.'

Pepper must have taught Maggie that.

Something in his expression must have changed at that, as Maggie looked shy again, but also a bit worried. "What's wrong?"

_Everything about this situation, _Steve silently answered. Really, _everything _was wrong here: Natasha should _be _here with him and Maggie. But she wasn't, and she never would be.

As he didn't answer, Maggie took a few slow, cautious steps toward him, closing the large distance between them by a small margin. Though it was a minimal amount, it was something, considering she had been the one to actually reach out over the void between them over the years, while Steve remained idle on the other side, doing nothing to reciprocate her efforts.

"Um… Are you just gonna run away again?"

Maggie sounded genuinely disappointed, Steve observed. Disappointed, but unsurprised, he amended a moment later.

Steve frowned. "I don't run away."

He was Captain America, an Avenger, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, what have you - he didn't _run away _when things got scary and tough.

Steve Rogers, on the other hand, did in this case.

But he wasn't about to voice that self-awareness within himself to a five year old.

Maggie looked crestfallen again, and the phone in Steve's hand vibrated with a text message notification. Looking down at the screen, he saw it was from Pepper. JARVIS must have alerted her when Steve entered the building, Steve figured.

_I put you on the spot here, I know, and I'm sorry, _it read, _but I will promise you this: if you spend the rest of this week with Maggie and still don't want her back afterward, we won't push you anymore. _

The tone of the message was eerily passive aggressive, as Steve felt a bit like he had been caught red handed, with one arm stuck in the cookie jar like a child. How pitiful this was, having to be cornered like this to force him into finally admitting what he couldn't say out loud: he didn't want Maggie back.

It wasn't that he didn't want her back at _all_, he just felt he couldn't handle her. _Yet, _he kept telling himself, even though he knew he was just putting off facing the matter head on. He was stuck between letting her in and pushing her away permanently - now, though, it seemed everyone was forcing him into making a choice.

Fine.

Maggie would enjoy the splendors of growing up with a rich set of 'parents' in the form of Tony and Pepper, then.

"Alright, Maggie, I'll take you around the city," he finally relented, looking back up at her withdrawn form. She looked as nervous as he felt uncomfortable, honestly. "Then, when your Aunt Pepper comes back home, things will go back to normal."

Would they, though? What exactly _was _'normal' for any of them, honestly?

Steve's mental image of a 'normal' setting, as far as Maggie's existence was concerned, included Natasha. So, already, that ideal setup was tarnished.

After a few more moments of standing still and staring at each other, Maggie finally nodded, and announced she would go gather her things while Steve headed to the elevator to look at this 'itinerary' Pepper had put together for them and finally take a shower and change clothes.

* * *

They grabbed a quick lunch at a nearby McDonald's on their way to the subway station. Steve was familiar with the system as it had been around both in the initial and present parts of his life outside of the ice, though it was definitely more complicated now. He had spent some time in his recent years wandering the city via the system, though, so he knew it pretty well.

Maggie, meanwhile, looked dazed the moment she tried to read and interpret the map. There were so many lines and little words and colors and numbers - what on _earth _could it all mean?

"We're taking the yellow train," Steve broke the silence after a few moments, pointing to one of the colored lines on the map. His index finger followed the trail up the streets before landing on another yellow dot. "We're going to get off here."

"How do you know?" Maggie couldn't help but question, curious as to how one person could just figure that out on a whim like her father seemed to.

But he didn't answer, instead, turning and walking over to the ticket window, where he purchased a Metrocard for Maggie, so they wouldn't have to pay every single time they tried to board a train. Maggie followed behind him quickly, not wanting to be left behind in such a dark and scary place under the _ground_!

Pepper had given them more than enough money to survive off of, but she had written in her list of things to do that Steve should spoil Maggie a bit, shopping-wise. Apparently, they had never taken her to Times Square, which shocked him, but he didn't question it. So, purchases at stores that would definitely attract Maggie were inevitable.

He readjusted the fake glasses on his face (for disguise purposes, worn along with a baseball cap) with a sigh. Shopping was definitely one of the _last _things he wanted to do-

"Um, what do I do?" Maggie stopped in front of the entryway, her newly acquired subway pass in hand as she turned her head back to look up at Steve.

He wordlessly took the card from her hand, and slid it through the machine for her before ushering her through the metal bars. If his selective speaking was bothering her, she didn't show much indication of it.

After Steve came through and they found the correct platform, the two stopped just before the yellow boundary that marked the end of the floor before the tracks. Maggie stood up on her tip-toes to peek over the edge a bit, before turning her curious gaze back on Steve. "The train goes there?"

"Yes, it does," he answered blankly, hardly sparing her a glance before returning his gaze to its wandering cycle around the station, evaluating its environment. "So, make sure to stay behind the yellow part whenever you're taking the subway, or you might get hit by a train."

Maggie looked wide-eyed at that, and took a generous step backward, away from the platform's yellow edge. Despite himself, Steve found the reaction a bit amusing, and felt satisfied that Maggie already had some common sense in her.

When the train came, Maggie practically threw herself behind Steve at the sudden loud noise and wind it brought. He knit his eyebrows together in slight surprise as his eyes followed her movements, and she grabbed tight fistfuls of his shorts as she pressed her small body against his leg.

"It's scary," she decided as it slowed down, looking up at her father for an opinion on her judgment. "It's really loud, and really fast, and really close."

A person's first contact with a subway _could _be pretty intimidating, as some trains hardly slowed down when they rolled into the station they were due to stop in. Despite that, though, the subway system was completely safe.

But Maggie was only five; she wouldn't understand that at first. It would definitely rattle her a bit. "It's _normal_," he corrected her. "Millions of people take the subway trains to work and home everyday."

Without another word, Steve boarded the train, with Maggie trailing behind after she released him. It was already a bit crowded, so they had to stand. Steve grasped one of the metal bars sticking out from the ceiling while Maggie curiously examined the crowd inhabiting the train.

Because she wasn't really paying attention, the sudden jerk forward of the train caught her off guard, pushing her into Steve's side. Instinctively, he reached an arm down to catch her, and hold her in place against his body from the motion of the train.

"You have to hold onto something when the train starts moving," he informed her, keeping a hand on her shoulder as he resumed his stare out the window.

Maggie blinked in surprise at his lingering, gentle touch. "Okay."

The rest of the ride was silent for them after that.

* * *

Times Square was still incredibly overwhelming to Steve, despite the amount of time he spent there over the years. From 'team bonding sessions' with the Avengers to dates with Natasha, Steve knew the area quite well. It seemed each part of it brought back a memory, which he tried to ignore.

Maggie looked up in awe at the bright screens as they walked a few blocks down from the subway station, coming upon the area of massive lit-up screens and huge stores. "Why are there so many TV screens?"

Steve often wondered that over time as well. "They need lots of places for signs and advertisements. It looks a lot brighter at night, almost like daytime," he explained.

"There's a lot of people," Maggie observed next, glancing around at the swarms of people walking to and fro, weaving through crowds and crossing the streets in huge hordes. It was almost as overwhelming as the colorful, bright screens.

"A lot of people have places to go," Steve shrugged as they resumed walking. He let Maggie walk in front of him so she could set the pace, but he nearly knocked her over as she suddenly stopped with an elated expression and whirled around to face him.

"They have a Disney Store!" she announced, pointing at the store on their left with an excited bounce in her step. "Can we go in? _Please_?!"

This must have been what Pepper was talking about - Maggie was going to drag him into a good chunk of the stores here, Steve sighed. But, he had to uphold his end of the deal: suffer through the horrors of spending a few days in the city with a five year old, then they would both be spared from each other (Maggie deserved better, and Steve was seeing to that).

"Fine," he relented, letting Maggie run into the store as he followed at a much more relaxed pace.

* * *

Maggie's energetic personality was made known to Steve during their time in the Disney Store. She was easily excitable when prompted with something she heartily and fully enjoyed, as she happily led Steve around the store and explained basically _everything _to him, from her favorite shows to her favorite movies.

There was a large display upstairs for a movie called _Frozen_, which was apparently one of her very favorites. Maggie told Steve to take a lot of pictures because, supposedly, Pepper was _also _a big fan (he would have to ask her about that later). Taking a page out of the CEO's book for once, Steve sent Pepper a picture of Maggie with the large plush moose-_reindeer_, Maggie corrected him-character, named "Seven," or something.

"It's _Sven_, Daddy," Maggie nonchalantly corrected him over her shoulder as she colored, after he told her he was sending Pepper the picture. She hardly paid him any other mind besides correcting him. "Aunt Pepper said it's different 'cause he's from Norway, like Anna and Elsa."

But Steve wasn't fully attentive after her initial statement, as he was taken off guard - she called him _Daddy. _

She'd hardly addressed him by name before, and the evasive habit never bothered him, since he scarcely spoke to her. Now that she _did _address him directly, with such an affectionate title, he found himself shifting uncomfortably in the seat he had taken a few feet away from the table Maggie was sitting at with a few other kids.

His instincts told him to run. Flee. Find shelter elsewhere.

"Maggie, are you finished?" He stood abruptly, a bag of items she had grabbed for purchasing in his arms. "It's time to go."

The small redhead looked up at his announcement with a sad and surprised frown. "But I just started!" She gestured to her partially colored picture.

"If you want to see the rest of Times Square, we have to leave. Now." His voice had a fragment of his hard 'Captain America' tone in it before he could think to retract it. He knew it was his defense mechanism going into effect - Maggie's casual "Daddy" call was a jab at the walls around his mournful soul.

She looked a bit confused as to what she did wrong to make him react so negatively so suddenly, but grabbed her coloring page from the table with a small nod as she averted her eyes. Without another word, Maggie followed him downstairs to the checkout area to pay for the various items she had grabbed both for herself, and for gifts for others.

* * *

Maggie's mood rebounded fairly quickly after a trip through Toys R Us. They explored _each _floor, much to Steve's disdain. From hefty purchases to more lectures on fictional characters and franchises to explanations on video games and the other Avengers' gaming preferences (apparently, Stark was a home-console gamer while Barton was handheld, whatever that meant; Steve wasn't sure Maggie quite knew herself) to arcade game playing, Maggie kept Steve on his toes and busy.

Then, there was the Ferris wheel. After some persuading and pleading (on Maggie's part, of course), the father-daughter duo boarded some cartoon-themed cart, Steve sighing as he had to carry the huge Disney and newly acquired Toys R Us bags with him. Maggie obediently stayed seated during the ride, but looked around the massive store with an awestruck expression on her face, accompanied by an excited babble on what she saw. Steve simply offered nods and "uh-huh"s when necessary.

But then they stopped at the top, and, suddenly, Maggie wasn't having fun anymore. She gripped the sides of their small cart nervously. "We're, uh… Really high up."

Steve raised an eyebrow in surprise at the sudden lack of enthusiasm from her voice, as it drew his gaze back to her face, which now held a more fearful expression. "That's how Ferris wheels work; they gotta load more people onto the other seats, so, we have to stop a lot."

"They should be faster," Maggie decided, unable to rip her gaze from the intimidating distance between them and the ground. "I don't like it anymore."

"You were having fun a second ago."

"It's really scary."

There was a note of fear in her voice, and Steve couldn't help but feel a bit bad for her. "Are you afraid of heights?"

"What does that mean?"

Ah. Right. Five year old. "Are you afraid of being really high up?" Steve amended.

Maggie shifted uncomfortably in her seat before nodding. "I didn't think the Ferris wheel would be _this _high."

Again, five year old, Steve reminded himself before exasperation could kick in. "Well, it'll be over soon."

A few more moments passed before Maggie looked ready to burst into tears. _She's only five years old. _It had become a bit of a mantra in Steve's head now. Five was only one more than four, only two more than three - Maggie was barely more than a toddler, in a sense, which was barely older than an infant.

The world was big and scary, she was small and fearful. That's how it worked.

Which was why, a voice in Steve's head reminded, she needed strong support and guidance: parents. So, that's why she needed Pepper and Tony more than she would need Steve - he was too much of a mess to give her what she needed and wanted.

"Hey, it's nothing to cry about," Steve tried to calm her down, when he saw water building up in her wide eyes. "You just need to be brave."

"I'm _trying_," Maggie insisted stubbornly, wiping at one of her eyes with a tight fist.

Oh. Maybe that was a bit too harsh. She was a child - she should be allowed to show her fears. "Well, it's okay to cry sometimes," he amended. "It doesn't mean you're not brave."

There was a small sniffle next, followed by a weak, "Auntie Pep said that. So did Uncle Clint."

It didn't surprise Steve they would encourage her to display her emotions openly like this; after all, Natasha, the two godparents' mutual best friend, hadn't been given this 'privilege' - or, more accurately, a human _birthright. _Steve found himself sharing a similar sentiment.

"You were brave to go on the Ferris wheel, despite being afraid of heights." _And not realizing you would have to face your fears by coming on here, for that matter. _"If you close your eyes, it won't feel like you're up here anymore."

Maggie followed Steve's advice, and was visibly placated a moment later. Then, the Ferris wheel lurched back into motion, and completed a couple full revolutions. His words stuck with Maggie, Steve noticed, as her eyes slipped close each time they came upon the top of the ride.

With his fears sitting right in front of him, Steve related giving Maggie to Tony and Pepper to permanently closing his eyes like Maggie was doing now.

* * *

Maggie was wiped out by the time they made it back to the subway, hours later. They had walked around the area all afternoon, making trips to the M&amp;M's World store and even traversing to the Rockefeller Center area so Maggie could enjoy the Nintendo World store, in which she resumed her explanation on the Avengers' gaming habits along with her own.

Luckily, this time around, a few seats cleared up on the train after a few stops. All throughout the ride up to that point, Maggie had been weakly holding onto a pole with one hand, and wiping at her sleepy eyes with the other. Steve could relate to the crushing exhaustion.

As soon as they sat down, Maggie relaxed against the cool seat with a yawn. Steve briefly wondered if she were going to fall asleep then and there, until she surprised him with small talk.

"Did you have fun?" she inquired, genuinely curious about whether or not he had nearly as much fun as him.

And honestly? Steve had expected the day to go worse. Sure, he was worn out and had plenty of dull moments where he found himself ready to call it a day, but it hadn't been that bad. Maggie, while energetic and quick, wasn't too hard to handle, personality-wise. No, what drove Steve away from her all these years had been the past and anxiety - nothing that actually had to do with Maggie's character, despite the similarities he was starting to find between mother and daughter.

"Yeah, I did," he answered a heartbeat later, looking down at her tired expression. In that moment, he realized, Maggie had never looked more like Natasha to him: completely worn out, ready to lie down and sleep for a month, while still having a sparkle of _something _lively in her eyes. Steve quickly focused his gaze on the window across the small space from him instead at that, swallowing back the constant pain that lived in the back of his mind at all times. "Did _you_ have fun?"

"Uh-huh! I can't wait to go back," Maggie answered happily, not noticing Steve's sudden reaction.

They fell into silence after that, as Steve didn't try to continue the conversation. Maggie, on the other hand, wanted to keep talking.

"Um, Daddy?"

There it was again - _Daddy. _That was the second time that day, this instance having Maggie's full attention to what she was doing and saying as she was directly addressing him. Earlier, she had been coloring and throwing the title at him over her shoulder, her mind clearly absorbed elsewhere. Now, though, it was completely intentional and obvious, and she didn't seem to make much of a move to guard the word, as it was completely bare and unaccompanied by anything other than "um."

Steve tried to take it as casually as Maggie had said it. "Hm?"

"Can you tell me…I want to know…" she struggled to find the words for a moment, but Steve was, as he had been all day, pretty impressed with her vocabulary and speaking skills for a kid her age. Benefits of being raised by a handful of geniuses and secret agents, he supposed.

"I...what was Mama like?"

It was almost comical, how things were timed - he was so taken aback by her words, he barely managed to stop his large self from barreling into Maggie's small frame as the subway suddenly slowed and stopped at a station. She was still looking up at him expectantly, though, as he re-settled himself in his seat with a frown.

Everything in him was screaming at him to run away and never look back at this moment. Talking about Natasha with Maggie… His heart was pounding at the thought, awful grief starting to nip at the edges of his mind. There was no way…

"Why don't you just ask Aunt Pepper, or Uncle Clint, or any of those guys?" Steve answered instead, a bit harshly. It wasn't his place to tell Maggie this information, he told himself. No way.

Maggie visibly deflated at his evasive answer. "They won't tell me a lot. Only a little bit."

That was...not what Steve was expecting. Natasha's best and closest friends brushing off Maggie's questions about her? Sure, _he _was very guilty of this action and more (like, _caring _for their daughter himself), but he thought Pepper, Clint, and everyone else to be better than him, which was why he was ready to give Maggie up permanently to them.

She continued, "Uncle Tony says everyone misses Mama a lot, but you do the most, so you gotta be the one to tell me the most about her."

_Mama. _Steve could have cried at the address; it was what Natasha had wanted. No 'Mommy,' or 'Mom,' (at least, not until Maggie was older and wanted to make the adjustment) or 'Mother' - Natasha had been pushing for 'Mama,' and had referred to herself as such whenever Steve caught her rambling to her baby bump.

Pepper had probably been the one to continue where Natasha had left off. The woman had made sure Maggie knew from day one who her parents _really _were - Steve appreciated it not for his sake, but Natasha's. The spy wouldn't be forgotten and nonexistent to Maggie, which was comforting to Steve.

Finally, Steve found his voice again, as his gaze on the dark blurs of the underground walls in the subway window hardened considerably, as did his tone. "No."

Maggie looked, again, confused by his sudden icy attitude. "Why?"

"I just don't want to," he explained. "Ask your aunt and uncles again. Tell them I wouldn't tell you."

He kept his eyes straightforward as he saw Maggie, in his peripheral vision, sink further down in her seat and wipe at her tired (or wet?) eyes once more.

* * *

Things started off much more slowly the following day, as both Steve and Maggie fought through the negative note they had left off on their adventure the previous day. Steve just ignored it as his generally sour mood continued, while Maggie spoke and acted much more carefully around him.

They couldn't mope around all day, though, as they had ferry tickets that morning. Pepper had booked them for both the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Both locations meant something to the two different parts of Steve: the Statue of Liberty basically symbolized what Captain America fought for, while Ellis Island was the gateway Steve's family had to travel through to move to America before he was born.

As expected, Maggie wanted to sit outside on the upper deck of the ferry, so she could see everything. Steve couldn't fight her on that - he, too, preferred a better view.

"The Statue of Liberty is the green lady, right?" Maggie inquired as they began their trek onto the water, wind whipping through her hair, causing her to speak louder than normal.

Despite himself, Steve chuckled at Maggie's description. "Right. The green lady. She was actually brown at first."

Suddenly, Maggie looked as present and curious as the previous day, as her eyes lit up with questions. "_Really_? How did she turn green?!"

While Steve explained the science behind the saltwater's effects on the copper over time, the ferry neared its first stop of Liberty Island. People quickly swarmed to the side rails of the large boat with cameras and cell phones and tablets, all desperately trying to capture the moment via lens to take with them back home.

Maggie was too invested in Steve's explanation to notice, until it was too late for her to find a spot she could see the statue. She frowned as she and her father walked up toward the railing, only to find a horde of tall people crowding it.

Briefly, Steve thought of Natasha, and all the times she had cursed her tiny height. He would usually laugh at and tease her for it before helping her accomplish whatever had triggered the sudden self-distaste of her height. With Natasha on his mind, Steve thought back to his conversation with Maggie on the subway the previous day.

He now found himself feeling guilty for being so cold about it. Maggie couldn't understand his emotional turmoil over it - she was far too young, and had no memories of Natasha to make her _miss _the spy as badly as everyone who _had _known her.

So, to appease both Maggie's struggle to see the Statue of Liberty (despite her wobbly tip-toed position at the present moment) and Natasha's past struggles with her tiny size, Steve bent down next to Maggie.

"Do you want to see better?" he offered.

She looked back to him with an eager nod. "Yeah! All these people are too big."

A few seconds later, they found their solution: Steve quickly had Maggie sitting on his shoulders, holding each of her ankles as she rested her hands on his head. He now knew she was scared of heights, but hoped his sturdy form helped ease her worries.

And, it seemed to have been a successful move, as Maggie gasped joyfully not a moment later. "I see it! I see the green lady!"

"The _Statue of Liberty_, Maggie."

The short exchange elicited a few good-natured laughs from some of the people around them. Maggie was beaming as the island came closer and closer.

"Don't forget to take a picture for Aunt Pepper!" she happily reminded him, lightly tapping his head with her hands for emphasis. The fast rate at which Maggie could cheer up impressed Steve.

"I won't forget."

* * *

The trek up to the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty started roughly. Maggie had been visibly upset when she had to put the small backpack she had brought into a locker before they could start their ascent. Steve had packed snacks and water for them in the bag, which Maggie took to customizing by adding some toys into (he didn't bother fighting her on it), including her prized stuffed husky, Stella. Said plush toy had made it into quite a few of their pictures from Times Square the previous day, and Maggie was bummed she couldn't do the same at the Statue of Liberty.

Steve would have suggested she just bring the husky plush with her if he wasn't nervous about her dropping it and losing it forever, which sounded like it would be detrimental. From what he had learned about the toy, it had been around for as long as Maggie could remember, and had been a gift from Clint years ago. The archer had named it 'Stella,' 'star' in Latin, as a tribute to Natasha's multilingual skills, or something.

So, he instead suggested Maggie just buy a new toy at the gift shop before they entered the stairwell to the pedestal. She examined each choice closely for a few minutes before Steve grabbed an orange, striped cat plush.

"How about a cat?" he offered as he held it up to Maggie by one of its limp limbs. "You'll have a dog and a cat together, then."

Honestly, there was no reason the gift shop at the Statue of Liberty should have a stuffed animal selection, but Steve attributed it to the trend of 21st century materialistic culture. Clearly, parents would buy the kids anything they wanted when they dragged them to the historical site, probably to appease them. In a way, that was what Steve was doing now.

Despite the fact Maggie had been thoroughly spoiled with higher quality toys and purchases the previous day, her face lit up as Steve offered her the cat. She quickly gave her approval, taking the new addition to her personal collection with a huge, beaming smile. Her gratitude when Steve paid for the cat easily outweighed all she had offered him the previous day, which took him by surprise.

"Do you have a name for it?" he inquired as they finally were cleared through the entrance to the stairs and began their ascent.

She shook her head as she held the plush close to her chest, her grip suggesting an eternity of affection for the inanimate object. "I want you to name him."

"Me?" Steve stopped between stairs, stepping off to the side in a platform between two sections. Maggie nodded as she stood beside him. "Why me?"

"Uncle Clint came up with a cool name for Stella. Can you come up with a cool name for my kitty?"

It was a simple request that Steve found himself turning over and over in his mind as he offered Maggie a half-hearted "I'll think about it" before returning to their stair-climbing.

* * *

His name idea came in the form of the sun suddenly making its appearance known, shining brightly in his eyes after it found a hole in the clouds that were covering the rest of the sky that day. He and Maggie were back on the ferry after walking up to the pedestal of the statue and wandering around Liberty Island for a while, Maggie already a bit worn out from all the walking.

"How about 'Sol'?" Steve suggested as he sat down with her, taking her by surprise.

"Sol?" she echoed.

"Yeah, Sol," he gestured to the plush kitten who was now joined by Stella in Maggie's arms. "'Stella' means 'star.' 'Sol' means 'sun,' also in Latin. They go together, don't you think?"

Maggie mulled it over for a few moments, studying the orange cat thoughtfully before nodding. "That's a good name! I like it. Stella, this is your new friend, Sol! Sol, this is…"

As Maggie began playing with her two stuffed animals, Steve watched on, amused. The way she gave life and personality to the two toys reminded him of himself, back in the days long ago he played with the few toys he was lucky to have as a child.

Steve had to wonder - did the other Avengers and Pepper ever play pretend with Maggie and her toys? They must have, he thought, as, otherwise, Maggie probably wouldn't be this comfortable doing it in front of him.

Soon, he found the newly named 'Sol' placed in his hands. "Sol wants you to hold him so he can see the Liberty Statue when the boat starts moving."

Maggie's explanation made about as much sense as could be expected of a five year old, but Steve found himself nodding and accepting without protest (though, he wanted to correct Maggie again on the fact it was the _Statue of Liberty_, but she had at least gotten two of the three words right, so he didn't bother).

Somewhere, deep down, Steve knew he was starting to fall for Maggie. Just as he had with Natasha.

* * *

Maggie listened intently to Steve's stories and explanations of his family's immigration over a hundred years ago, before Steve was born, while they wandered through Ellis Island. Though it was awkward and a bit uncomfortable at first, Steve found himself able to gradually open up more beyond his initial "my family came through here a long time ago."

There were childhood stories shared, delightful memories of his delightful mother recalled verbally, followed by an explanation as to why Maggie would never be able to meet the woman. The truth depressed Maggie, as she wanted to have a grandma who loved her like all the other kids; Steve wished there was something he could do about that.

_Whoa there, Rogers, you're not Maggie's wish-granter. After Friday, you'll be gone for good. Don't try to win her over now. _

He clamped up a bit after that thought, as Maggie was visibly exhausted. They decided to call it a day.

* * *

Steve knew something inside of him was changing. By the third day into their 'adventure,' the constant sight of Maggie's face throughout the day had grown normal. She acted more naturally around him, and he felt less threatened by her general presence. There were still things he would run at the sound of - like any mention of Natasha, any signs of affection, and any statements directed to 'Daddy' - but everything else had grown..._normal. _Maggie was just a normal little girl that happened to be his daughter. Something like that.

His demeanor relaxed around her, his walls only remaining to keep the pain of the past and affection away. Things came naturally and instinctively to him - catching Maggie when she stumbled, taking her hand in extra crowded areas, finding ways to dodge tears when she grew upset.

Honestly, it frightened him, because Maggie may be starting to grow attached to him.

She persisted in trying the things that made him uncomfortable, even murmuring an 'I love you' when he carried her half-asleep into her bedroom the night before. It had only been the _second night _with him out of a five year lifetime of his absences, and Maggie was already offering her love to him (which he knew he didn't deserve). How could she not understand he avoided her purposefully, even if it meant hurting her, and then still forgive him for that?

Who even said he wanted her forgiveness at all?

He spent a lot of time thinking over these things on their third day, as they strolled through Central Park. Maggie was happily playing with Sol the cat, opting to leave Stella in her backpack for once, as they walked.

Eventually, they came upon an area with some flat rocks on a hill where other kids were climbing and playing, and Maggie had all but begged to run off to join them.

Steve waved her off, promising to join her soon after taking some time to rest (though he didn't need it, because he was a _super soldier_, for goodness' sake) in a shady spot on the grass he had picked out nearby so he could watch her (since that's what responsible parents do, right?). She left her little backpack with him before running off, Sol clutched tightly in hand, and pushing herself up onto the first rock she saw.

It was a cute sight, Steve had to admit - Maggie climbing a huge rock. Maggie herself was cute, Steve had to acknowledge, and he had no doubt she had the rest of his teammates and coworkers wrapped around her fingers. Thankfully, though, Maggie wasn't a brat, and deserved that kind of affection and attention from others, in Steve's opinion.

Just...not from him. Because if he gave her that, she would return it, and...well, _Steve _sure as hell didn't deserve that, and it seemed that such a shared love with him could only result in disaster (see: leaving his loved ones behind by going down into the ice and Natasha dying when trying to bear his child).

"Steve, I know you're a punk, but, come on, you can't _really _be this much of a punk."

Steve jerked in surprise at the voice, having been caught off guard with his mind deep in thought. He nearly fell over as he whipped his head up to see the newcomer. "...Bucky?"

Said metal-armed man merely offered a smirk as he gestured to the Avengers-patterned blanket Steve was sitting on (because, apparently, they made Avengers-themed picnic blankets, which Maggie had insisted on bringing with the suggestion of having dinner in Central Park). "May I join you? Oh, forget it, I'm inviting myself."

As he insisted, Bucky seated himself on the blanket beside Steve, turning his gaze to the plethora of kids playing on the grass and rocks ahead of them. "Hm, so, yours is the redheaded one, right?"

"She's...not really…" Steve struggled with words for a moment, looking between the kids and Bucky. He frowned. "Bucky, _why _are you here? And how did you know _I _was here?"

The brunet snorted. "Got a tip from one of your Avenging pals. Something about you being a shit dad. Said announcement came with the intel of your current location."

Steve turned his eyes away at that, not wanting Bucky to see the slightly guilty expression on his face. "I haven't been...I just…" he sighed, trying for words once more. "Look. I made my choice. Maggie doesn't need me in her life when she has the others."

Bucky's eyes landed on Steve's averted gaze. "You're a real idiot sometimes, you know."

"What, for giving my child a better living situation?" Steve questioned sharply. "She's in a stable environment, with plenty of resources and more than enough caregivers available-"

"Tell me, Steve, were you not ever, shall we say, _sad_, because your father was not around?"

Right on target, Bucky silently noted with a subtle victorious expression, as Steve tensed. The former Winter Soldier continued, "I remember you being pretty upset whenever Father's Day rolled around, and all the other kids went on and on about their awesome dads. Meanwhile, sad Steven Rogers sat off to the side with nothing more than stories of his own father painting the picture of who the man was, since he was, well, dead."

Steve knew where Bucky was trying to go with this. "That's different," he insisted. "Because…"

"Because you still had your mom?" Bucky snorted again. "Steve, look, I'm not here to make you relive the tortures of having a sucky family situation."

"It feels like you are," Steve interjected pathetically. Bucky sighed.

Silence lingered between them for a few moments. "I remember, back in those days, how you tried to help your mom pull all the weight," Bucky suddenly recalled. "Which, of course, led to me also trying to help, since your skinny ass could only do so much. Anyway, the point is, you didn't let the absence of your dad get between you and your ma, did you?"

"No."

"And neither did she. So, then, what the hell are you thinking by doing the complete opposite to _your _kid?"

Steve didn't respond right away, as Bucky's logic sat in his brain for a bit, being mulled over. Bucky continued, meanwhile, "I remember Natalia-_Natasha_, I mean-when she was still young and being trained. She used to be so curious, so full of questions, and extremely driven. She asked me about her parents once, wondering whether or not they were still alive and possibly wondering where she was. But, of course, we all know the truth now - they were about as alive as your parents and mine, now. Though she wouldn't show it, she missed them, dearly. It hurt her very deeply for a very long time."

Thinking of Natasha's childhood being compared to Maggie's current situation made Steve fidget a bit. "I don't deserve this," he finally admitted, voicing his true feelings over the matter to someone for the first time. "I don't… All my life, I've just been _losing _people. My dad before I was born, my mom when I grew up, _everyone _when I went down in the ice, you multiple times, and then Natasha… Anyone I let in just _leaves. _No one is permanent for me, by some cruel twist of fate that follows me wherever I go."

Bucky let Steve's words sit in the air for a bit before dissecting them. "Your life hasn't been easy, pal, but it's not controlling the fate of others. Nature took its toll on everyone, as it was only natural that everyone from our days is long gone by now. As for Natasha, well, let my words be loud and clear for you: _it's not your fault. _

"It's _no one's _fault that she went out the way she did, no matter what anyone says. If I remember correctly, she _wanted _this. She _wanted _to give you the kid, even though she knew it may mean giving herself up. All she wanted to do was make you_ happy_-"

"Then she should have stayed here with me," Steve suddenly interrupted, finally turning his pained gaze back to Bucky.

"I'm not finished, punk. She wanted to make you happy, yes, but her choice was also for _herself. She _wanted this, more than anything, and, dare I say, more than _you. _I'm sure Nat would have given _anything _to be here still, to be able to enjoy Maggie as she has given you the chance to for the both of you. And what have you been doing these past five years?"

The truth Steve had been running from all these years was starting to crush him, each word Bucky speaking feeling like another jab at his heart. In a way, Bucky was telling Steve he was _allowed _to let Maggie and her love in, and allowed to return the sentiment toward her; perhaps that had been what he'd been lacking all along.

"Steve, really," Bucky finally sighed, leaning back on his hands with a sad expression. "I miss her, too, even though I hardly came around to see you guys back then. She died before I was really, completely, back to myself, and I never got the chance to really talk to her before then. But, look at what she's left us: she's left us with a living piece of herself, still young and vulnerable to love and shape and protect. A person who is most deeply affected by Nat's absence, because she truly never got to know her, but _naturally needs _her. I heard about the way Natasha looked content when she died, and I'm willin' to bet that's probably because she knew she would be leaving Maggie in good hands."

That did it. With a sharp side glance at Steve, Bucky had penetrated everything Steve had convinced himself of for the past five years. What the hell was he even _doing_? God, what would Natasha _say _to him if she saw how he'd been treating Maggie, how he'd thrown her aside so _selfishly_?

_You're an asshole, Rogers_, he could practically hear her say. _Get your damn head out of your ass and _think.

His mental Natasha-admonishing-him voice was right; he had been given a mission years ago, and he was failing. Badly.

Part of the reason he now believed Maggie deserved someone better than him was the cold shoulder he had been giving her her entire life, but, Steve realized, continuing to ignore her existence wouldn't fix it; it would only make it _worse. _

The _real _solution, as Bucky pointed out, was stepping up to the plate and being there for both his own fatherly obligations to her and the motherly ones Natasha couldn't respond to.

"I'm an idiot," Steve finally muttered, hands running down his face as he swallowed a lump in his throat and felt tears pricking at his eyes. Because, really, he was _truly _and _thoroughly_ an idiot.

"Then fucking _fix this_," Bucky hissed, and Steve had to admit: best friends were great at beating the other into shape when they didn't have their heads on straight. "She's still young, and I'll be damned if you let her grow up thinking she doesn't have parents like Natasha didn't."

Before Steve could even think of a reply for Bucky, Maggie's sharp cry of, "Daddy!" interrupted their conversation.

Looking up, he saw the small girl wading through grass toward him, an upset expression on her face. Bucky gave him a warning, but encouraging, smirk that seemed to say, _This is your last chance to fix this; use it wisely_, as he stood up and quickly stalked away from the blond soldier, before Maggie reached Steve.

Maggie, as she wiped her eyes, didn't seem to have noticed Bucky's sudden appearance and disappearance. She stopped in front of Steve with a sad, crestfallen expression. Steve immediately noticed the scrapes covering her hands and legs, suggesting she had been clambering over the rocks in a rush. He wondered if she was upset because she had fallen while climbing.

"Maggie, what's wrong?" he questioned as she sniffled, standing in front of him sadly. "Are you hurt?"

"Daddy...I lost him," Maggie confessed softly, her voice thick with emotion and her eyes averted, as if she were nervous for his reaction.

Steve didn't understand, as he tilted his head to the side. "You lost him? Who, Maggie?"

"Sol," she answered, her voice even quieter than before. "I can't find him."

She sounded ashamed, almost, as if she were scared Steve would get mad. He frowned. "It's okay, Maggie, if we look around, we'll find him."

He got up from the blanket, and followed Maggie back to the area where the other kids were. She walked quickly, but he was able to keep pace with her easily.

They split up, and searched every crevice of every stone imbedded in the ground. Some kids had offered to help Maggie along the way, but, as the sun was starting to set (he and Maggie had gotten a later start that day, opting to spend most of the day resting before heading out again), their parents whisked them away to go home. The number of kids in the area gradually decreased in the time Steve and Maggie spent searching for the stuffed cat, who, by this point, Steve was convinced had disappeared without a trace. He figured a kid snatched the plush toy, or something.

He had long since shed his 'disguise' accessories, stuffing the baseball cap and glasses in their backpack as he broke a sweat from the constant bending over and climbing. Since there weren't nearly as many people around, he felt comfortable exposing his true self.

Finally, after about an hour, Bucky's advice echoed once more within Steve's mind. _Love Maggie for both yours and Natasha's sakes. _Though he'd held that sentiment in the back of his mind for so long, Steve found it nearly impossible to carry out.

But, upon the sight of Maggie angrily wiping tears from her eyes when he finally rejoined her at one of the rocks, Steve realized the only thing stopping his relationship with Maggie was himself.

"Maggie," he called softly, standing behind her as her small hands frantically dug through another small opening in the rock, "I don't think Sol's here anymore. Another kid might have taken him."

"No, we have to look still!" she insisted, her demeanor growing more upset. "He's here, I know it."

Steve sighed, knowing patience was key here. "If he was, we would have found him by now. Look, I'm sure we can buy you a new cat stuffed animal somewhere else-"

But she shook her head determinedly. "No," she repeated, more driven this time.

Mulling over the different options he had here, Steve crouched down to her height beside her, gently pulling her scraped and cut hands from the rock. "It's no good to look around here anymore. I can buy you a new one," he offered once more.

The look Maggie gave him - Steve had to take a moment to compose himself. She looked so..._distraught_, an expression he recognized as the one he wore for many days after Natasha's death. He silently wondered why Maggie was so attached to this one cat (God forbid she ever lose Stella, who had a five year relationship with the girl compared to Sol's twenty-four hours, Jesus...) as she struggled for a few moments against his grip before relenting with a sad huff.

"Maggie, please," Steve insisted now, "tell me why you're so upset."

It took her a moment to find her voice. "...You picked Sol out for me...Sol was my first present from _you_," she explained quietly, lowering her eyes to the hands he was carefully holding hers in. "My first gift from Daddy."

Suddenly, it hit Steve like a ton of bricks: All the time he had spent _failing _Maggie. All the mature emotions his absences forced her to develop so early on. All the instances she probably asked Pepper or Tony why her daddy didn't want or love her. All the birthdays (Natasha's death day) he missed. All the times she needed him, her living connection to Natasha and half of her parentage, and he wasn't there.

Steve had picked the stuffed animal out for her. Sure, he had paid for everything she asked him to buy for the past couple days (a lot of which had been gifts for her other 'relatives,' anyway), but the plush cat marked the _first time _he looked at something, made the connection to Maggie and how to make her happy, and then proceeded to achieve it just for her.

He felt himself unraveling now, the tears Bucky had sparked within him coming back, as he, too, looked at their connected hands. Maggie's tiny hands, all scraped and scratched and cut because she had lost something that connected them. She was perceptive - she _knew _after their days together this week, he may be gone forever. So, she was searching desperately for a way to preserve the short-lived love she was receiving from her father, thus explaining why the disappearance of Sol the cat had left her at such a loss. It meant losing the memory and feeling of Steve's love and care for good.

"Maggie…" Steve finally spoke, his voice slightly above a whisper. In his mind, he could see Maggie wearing the same lost expression as the one she was now, but _forever. _"It must have been really lonely, huh? When I wasn't there for you?"

She didn't need any clarification or specific explanations as she simply nodded with a small noise of confirmation. He had a feeling she, too, was close to tears.

"Yeah, it was for me, too," he continued, realization dawning on him with each word. That awful feeling he'd been harboring for so many years - it wasn't just because of Natasha, it was because of _Maggie. _"I was so scared, too afraid to love you...I haven't been a very good daddy."

The last bit came out with a quiet, dry laugh, but Maggie softly wrapped her little fingers around his large index finger to disagree. "You were good this week."

Her forgiveness was enough to send him reeling. "Well, I want to stay that way...I know I haven't been very fun lately, but…" He finally mustered up enough courage to meet her troubled expression with his own tear ridden eyes. "Do you want to keep staying together?" _Forever? _

Maggie gave a small, shy nod again, accompanied with a tiny smile. "I wanna be with my Daddy."

His face broke out into a gentle grin at that, but Maggie continued, "But, now, I'm sad because I lost something important to me."

Steve wondered if this was what Pepper and Tony had taught her to do - have clear explanations for how she was feeling during any moment. Sure, there were bound to be many instances when her emotions were undefined and just _there_, and Steve was now confident he wanted to be there for her during those unexplainable moments.

So, he nodded. "I understand, Maggie."

Then, something passed over her face for a moment, and she looked at him nervously. "Is it...is it okay to cry now? I know I should be brave, but…"

Her shoulders were already starting to shake a bit with the small sobs she was struggling to contain. Steve released her hands with a nod, opening his arms a bit wider if that's what she needed. "It's okay. Go ahead."

She didn't need much more confirmation, as she quickly took a step toward him, catching his neck between her small arms. Burying her face into his shoulder, what started as small hiccups soon erupted into sobs.

It took him a moment, but, quickly, Steve had his own arms around her tiny frame, his hand on her back as a reminder of his steady presence. Though Maggie was so upset, so sad, this new parental intimacy Steve reached with her felt _amazing. _He'd never expect to find 'joy' in a crying child clinging to him like Maggie was now, but, everything just felt so..._right. _Everything was going to be okay, Maggie's actions told him; even though things hurt right now, they would get better. Maggie _trusted _him to help her reach that point beyond her sadness, to help her get through her grief. Steve realized he had been wanting this from her in return, too, ever since Natasha had died - but, instead, he had deprived himself of it, thinking he didn't deserve it.

It wasn't about deserving love from each other, it was _only _about the love. By instinct, Steve and Maggie initially loved each other - and Maggie had held onto that natural tendency. Steve was the one to try to cut the connection off, which he now realized was idiotic. But, as he held Maggie, he had a feeling they could rebuild what he had torn down.

Soon, he lost himself to his own quiet tears, as he murmured soft apologies into her hair, visualizing the moments Maggie had probably cried for him to comfort her, to come love her, and he had simply turned the other way.

_Maggie, there is no way I can ever make this up to you… _he thought. _I can never replace what you've missed all these years, but I can ensure you won't have to be lonely ever again. _

Steve wanted to start over. He wanted the little girl he had isolated himself from back in his arms to love and cherish from her first breath. Maybe Natasha couldn't physically spend forever with him, but Maggie could. And she just said that she wanted to. It wouldn't be easy, with the lifestyle he led, but it wasn't impossible for him; he'd find a way.

He pushed the schematics of it all to the back of his mind. Screw missions, screw S.H.I.E.L.D., screw Captain America; there wasn't a doubt in his mind now, as he tightly held Maggie's crying form against him.

With Maggie, Steve would be able to regain the forever with Natasha he (stupidly) thought he had lost.

* * *

On the way home via subway, Maggie sat on Steve's lap in a comfortable silence, as she simply rested her head against his chest and listened to the sound of his steady heart beating. Though he was wearing items to disguise his face once more, Steve had never felt so genuine and open around Maggie before.

She was very tired after their emotional experience in Central Park, but looked more satisfied than Steve had seen all week. After they finally broke apart from each other in the park, Steve used the first-aid kit he had packed in their backpack for the scrapes on her hands and knees. There was nothing serious, thankfully, just some stinging cuts that bled a little bit. All Maggie needed (aside from anti-bacterial foam and band-aids to follow) was physical affection from him to feel better. For once, she wasn't clutching a stuffed animal to her chest for comfort (though, Steve had a feeling keeping Stella packed away safely while they were outside the tower was a much better option now, after Maggie lost Sol). Steve was taken off guard once more by her sudden need for him and resulting calmness from his presence, but he didn't fight it.

However, there was still one barrier between them - one that he needed to break down before he let it drive him away again. Now that he was in so deep, he'd never be able to return if he ran from her again.

"Maggie," he called softly, prompting her to sit up straight and away from his chest so she could look up at him properly, "do you want to hear about Mama?"

Her face broke out into a grin so wide at the proposal, the depth of her joy in this moment countering the depth of her despair earlier. It made him smile.

"Uh-huh." Maggie nodded. "Auntie Pep and Uncle Clint will only tell me a little."

"I remember you saying that," he verified, then looked up toward the ceiling for a moment to gather his thoughts. "Hmm...what do you want to know first?"

Maggie looked thoughtful for a moment. "What was Mama like?"

_How does one simply describe Natasha Romanoff? _Hell if Steve knew. But, for Maggie, he knew he would try his best.

"She was very brave, and very smart, but also very loving," Steve rattled off first. "She was one of the most heroic people I knew, and always put others first, before herself."

"Really?" Maggie looked awestruck, and Steve couldn't help the widening of his smile at Maggie's elation. "She saved a lot of people?"

"You bet," Steve answered happily. "She just wanted to protect everyone, and make sure everyone was safe. She was also very funny, and loved to tease me and your uncles. And…"

Before he could stop it, memories of Natasha were drifting around his mind. The person he had let in closer than any other. His partner in crime. He saw her smirk as she made a sarcastic jab at one of their friends, her loving smile as she was able to confidently voice her love for him, her eyes as they shined in the sunlight even during the worst missions.

"And, uh…"

She may have seemed cold and mean to outsiders, but, inside, Steve knew Natasha was like no one else he had met before. Everyone else came before herself: that was her policy. And, when it was Maggie's life on the line, her mind was made up even in the face of impending doom.

"A-and…"

_Natasha… You should be here with us. Can you see us? Look how big our little Maggie has grown - she looks so much like you! God, she misses you, and I miss you, too, so much… _

"Daddy?"

Steve was pulled out of his brief trance by Maggie's worried voice, and he realized he had started crying. He wasn't sure when that had happened, but, upon looking down at Maggie, he was taken by the fact she, too, had soft tears rolling down her cheeks.

He chuckled, despite himself. "Hey, why are you crying?" he asked weakly, but jokingly, as he gently wiped the tears away. "Sorry if I scared you; Mama was just on my mind a bit, that's all."

Wiping his own tears away now, he focused on the joy Natasha had given him for years as opposed to her absence. "Alright, now, let's see… Mama and I met during the Battle of New York, which you probably already know the story of, yes?"

As he resumed talking about Natasha, Steve took one of Maggie's small hands in his own, giving it a gentle squeeze as he made exaggerated gestures and expressions to add emphasis to his story. She glanced once between their joined hands and back up at his face before smiling so happily and widely, Steve found himself silently questioning what the hell he had been doing for these past five years, isolating himself from Maggie's contagious, wonderful smile.

* * *

When Pepper and Tony returned to the tower the following day, they were slightly surprised by the blanket fort set up in the middle of the penthouse. Tony gaped at the sight, muttering something about lowly peasants taking up residence in his grand tower, but Pepper could detect the relief and joy in his voice at the sight.

"Auntie Pep! Uncle Tony!" Maggie's loud, happy greeting welcomed them home as she practically threw herself at them when they emerged from the elevator, wrapping her arms around their legs. "I missed you!"

Tony recovered from the sudden blow first, leaning over to ruffle her hair. "Missed you, too, squirt. I must say, I _love _what you've done with the place."

He gestured to the blanket fort Steve was now struggling to crawl out of, and Maggie giggled at the sight before turning to look back up at her guardians. "It was Daddy's idea."

The affection with which Maggie mentioned Steve, by name, told Pepper and Tony everything they needed to know about the past couple of days they had left the father and daughter duo alone. With a smile, Pepper handed her bag to Tony so she could lift Maggie into her arms and give her a proper hug. The CEO held back a curious frown at the sight of Maggie's band-aid covered hands, but kept her voice pleasant. "It's so great to see you again, Maggie."

After finally managing to pull himself out of the mess of blankets, pillows, and couch cushions without completely knocking the entire setup over, Steve pushed himself up off the ground with a sigh and a stretch. The newcomers walked up to greet him happily, Tony wearing a smirk and Pepper beaming more than Steve had ever seen before.

"I see our plan was successful," Tony proudly stated. "I haven't seen Cap glow this much since he started dating Natashalie."

The words were out before Pepper could stop them, and before Tony could think to retract them. In a way, though, they had been intentional, as this was an official testing of the waters: if Steve could handle Maggie now, he should be able to handle mentions of Natasha and how close he had been to her. And vice versa, Tony believed. (Perhaps Maggie had shaped him into a bit of a protective father figure, sure, as he knew that if Steve reacted badly here, Tony was going to fight to keep Maggie. He was attached, and he knew it.)

But, fortunately, Steve just smiled and offered a good-natured shrug. "Must be something about redheads."

"What's a redhead?" Maggie naturally turned her question to Steve, which Tony and Pepper both took quick note of. She had already grown used to having just her father around.

"It means a person with red-well, I guess, technically, _orange_-hair, like you and Mama," Steve explained.

Maggie beamed again. "I like Mama's hair."

Steve had shown her a lot of pictures of her mother the night before - their conversation about Natasha had followed them all the way back home, to the tower, and led to the construction of a blanket fort and a handful of bedtime stories for Maggie (all after bath time, of course, when Steve realized he should _probably _bathe the kid, as he hadn't done so since he had first arrived days before).

"It was very pretty, just like yours," Pepper said, setting Maggie back down on the ground. "Now, then, why don't you go help your Uncle Tony unpack while I talk to your Daddy for a little bit?"

Maggie pouted, but Tony quickly appeased her by making a comment about some 'souvenirs' they may or may not have brought back for her. That then prompted Steve to remind Maggie of the things she had selected for her aunt, uncle, and the others over the past few days, which served as incentive for her to hurry off with Tony so Pepper and Steve would be done talking sooner.

As the girl enthusiastically led the genius by hand down the hall to their room, Pepper led Steve over to the dining table in the kitchen. He sat as Pepper started making coffee. "So, how was your 'sudden business'? Or whatever it was you and Tony were doing to get Maggie and me alone."

Pepper smirked. "Fun. Southern California is, luckily, a _dream_ heat-wise compared to here. With the beach just outside from our doorstep, I'd say we had a pretty good time."

"Well, I'm glad you had some time off to relax," Steve said, the playfulness in his voice suddenly replaced with an earnest tone. "I realize now I kind of left you and Tony trapped with a huge responsibility for five years without much of a choice…"

As his voice trailed off uneasily, Pepper abandoned the coffee maker, trusting JARVIS to finish the process for her. She took a seat across the table from Steve, covering one of his tense hands sitting on the cool surface with one of her own. "It's alright, Steve. It's been very hard for you, and I can't imagine how awful you've felt this entire time. What happened is what happened; nothing can change that. All we can do now is look to the future, and focus on how to improve from the past."

Steve nodded, swallowing back a nervous lump in his throat. Pepper had (both literally and figuratively) given him a hand, and now it was time to reciprocate the gesture. No more running away. "Which is why, as I'm sure you all had been hoping, I...I'd like to take Maggie back now. I'm ready."

Pepper looked unsurprised, as Steve had expected, but also somewhat unmoved, which unnerved him. Her gaze hardened a bit. "You were right, we _were _hoping that, but, you're going to need to ease into it. Maggie doesn't adapt to change very well or quickly, so you can't push her."

He nodded once more, knowing Pepper had a lot over him in regards to Maggie right now - she _had_, essentially, been her mother for all these years Steve and Natasha had both been absent. The same went for Tony, though, in the fatherhood department, which sounded like it had been shared quite a bit with the other Avengers, especially Clint. "I understand. I don't intend to rip her away from everyone suddenly, or at all; I just want to start making the transition, hopefully, with everyone's help. After all, you all know her better than I do."

It was a jab at himself he was offering to Pepper, to see if she would jump at the chance to criticize his choices. Honestly, after all she's done for him...he deserved her cruelty, not her kindness. _Just like Maggie. _

But, Pepper wasn't about to let him go that easily. She shook her head. "You've already managed to pull more happiness out of her just by _being here _than any of us can. She's usually a grump in the morning, not unlike her mother, yet she was _ecstatic _today just from being with you. You're her world, Steve; she's been waiting for this day for years, as have all of us. Of course we'll help and support you two."

One thing was for sure: forgiveness and compassion never seemed to be in short supply in the tower these days, Steve noted with a warm, grateful smile.

* * *

"So, you'll be taking the squirt back in soon."

"Yes. Unless you have something against it."

"Nah, I can't fight you on that one. You passed my qualifying test earlier when you didn't pop a vein at the mention of Romanoff. I wish the two of you good luck with this, though, with you by her side, I don't think Maggie will need much luck for herself."

Steve gave Tony a genuine smile at that, as the billionaire lightly patted the large 'tsum-tsum' plush Maggie had picked out for him. It was a character named Stitch, apparently, from one of Maggie's favorite movies. That was already exciting Steve - he would get to construct a new list of things to catch up on, similar to when he came out of the ice, only this time, it would be movies and shows and games Maggie loved.

"This blue thing gave a good message in his movie," Tony continued with a nostalgic sigh, almost as if he knew Steve were thinking about the odd character's cinematic origins. "Something about 'family' meaning nobody got left behind. I think you and the squirt would really enjoy watching it together."

"It's on my list," Steve ensured Tony from his spot on the couch opposite the genius. They had all put the penthouse back together a little while prior. "Though, the main thing topping it right now is _Frozen._"

Tony groaned at the mention. "Damn Pepper for showing the munchkin that movie. I swear, it's on every other day around here. I'm surprised Maggie didn't drag you through the icy experience yet."

"She might have watched it at one point. We didn't spend as much time together while we were home between activities over the past few days until last night," Steve explained, then frowned thoughtfully. "Hey, did you two send Bucky after me?"

"Barnes?" Tony questioned as he now stroked the plush toy, the villainous gesture creeping Steve out a little. "I didn't. You'll have to thank Barton and Pepper for that one - they tracked him down and contacted him."

"They...wow."

"Yeah."

During the following silence in which Steve gathered his thoughts, Maggie quickly appeared in the room from the hallway and practically launched herself at her father. He reacted appropriately, despite his deep thinking moments earlier, catching her with an exaggerated groan of effort, and falling backward onto the couch cushions for dramatic effect. She giggled at his actions, which Tony smiled at. As Pepper joined them a moment later, she sat on the arm of the couch Tony was on, watching the father-daughter exchange with a happy expression.

"Daddy, Auntie Pep said me and you can stay together forever!" she informed him as she sat on his chest. "Can we really?"

Steve thought back to his previous concerns regarding field work and S.H.I.E.L.D. If it meant giving up Captain America…

He smiled as he sat up, allowing her to slide into his lap with a few more giggles. Placing his hands on Maggie's arms, he held her close, and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. She snaked her arms around his neck during the action, resting her head against his chest, just below his chin.

Seeing Pepper and Tony's matching encouraging and slightly choked up expressions, Steve then cast his glance to the entrance hallway across the room, where Maggie had run out from only a few moments earlier. He could swear he saw something flicker there for a moment: Natasha, leaning against the side of the wall with arms crossed over her chest and a smile she reserved only for him on her face.

"_Thank you," _she mouthed, before blowing a small kiss in his and Maggie's direction. As quickly as she had appeared, she was gone, after Steve blinked in surprise.

He didn't dwell on it much longer, though, as Maggie pulled away to look up at him once more, her gaze expectant as she waited on his answer.

"Yes, Maggie. I'll always be with you, from now on. I promise."

* * *

**A/N: **Aaaaand, I return from New York City! ...*pauses to assess possible damage done by this chapter* Uh, yeah, about that...

Here we have Steve's ultimate Father's Day chapter! I don't feel too bad about missing out on a _literal_ Father's Day oneshot with him since I did one last year, so, here, have random angst instead. Also, fun fact, it's taken me about a year to actually write this chapter. This was my original idea for Father's Day last year, though I can't credit it all to myself as I drew inspiration from one of my favorite animes (same with Natasha's equivalent chapter from last month, 'Snowfield'). Anyway, I slaved on a version of this for a while last June, but it never really picked up, so I gave it up. I tried working on it on and off since then, and there have been a plethora of different versions - similar to my struggle with the Red Room chapter from the fall (the longtime struggle with that one comes second only to this one!).

Basically, in this world, Steve left Maggie with Tony and Pepper (Clint is still Maggie's godfather, but Pep and Tony are chosen because they're the ones with the most stable living situation), after Natasha passes away, and then kinda throws himself into field work like hella. Yeah, not exactly healthy choice there, Rogers.

I know the direction I took with Steve here may be a bit unexpected, as I wasn't sure initially if I would be able to run with it, too. Because, honestly - between Nat and Steve, we'd all expect Nat to be the one to run away like Steve did here, and I know she does in a lot of other works others have written when put in similar awful situations (which doesn't make her a bad character; it just means she's flawed, and, therefore, human). But, I decided to do some character/role reversal here between her and Steve, and I hope I pulled it off alright! Part of my issues with this one was covering so much ground in one little oneshot, so, maybe in the future, I'll do little drabbles about the time Maggie and Steve spent on their little 'adventures' here, like on Ellis Island or in Times Square or something else I just kinda glossed over here sometime. I dunno.

Anyway, I CAN SAY I OFFICIALLY DID ON-SITE WORK FOR THIS CHAPTER HAHA. With my family's New York trip, I pinpointed the locations I thought Maggie and Steve may visit. Though, as I mentioned earlier how I had to gloss over some things, I _did _spend a fair amount of my time while walking through the city brainstorming plot bunnies and trying to picture Maggie and Steve in some parts of it. Like, the Statue of Liberty ferry struggle? TOTALLY HAPPENED TO ME LAST FRIDAY BECAUSE I'M ONLY 4'11" IN HEIGHT. Though, I'm not five, so I wasn't able to be hoisted up on my dad's shoulders like Maggie, unfortunately...

I also recreated some pictures from the MCU movies/shows while there, so, uh, I guess if you want to see my face and me trying to recreate feels with said face, check the links in my bio? Awesome, I'll stop rambling now, hope you all enjoyed!


	57. The Cat's Out of the Closet

**A/N: **I don't know how this one got so long...? All I know is I had about a quarter of it written, like, two months ago, and kinda left it sitting until over this past weekend. Not only is this one for one last Father's Day hoorah, but also because of the Supreme Court's decision last Friday! For those of you who don't know, same-sex marriage was legalized across all 50 states in the USA, and I was struck with inspiration to write more about Maggie's bisexuality for it. :D So, hooray! Time to come out to the rest of the Avengers (and Pepper)!

Thanks for all the faves, follows, and reviews! And congrats to all of you who will now be able to marry who you love. :)

* * *

Maggie was on a mission, an extensive operation, she told her parents.

At the news, the two Avengers just cast each other glances of mutual worry, curiosity, and exasperation all mixed into one. Maggie was known to cause days of mischief during her 'operations,' namely her pranking stunts, so they weren't sure what to expect.

But she just rolled her eyes at their reaction. "Not _that _kind of operation."

They looked back at her, intrigued. Natasha raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Really? Why do I feel like you're just saying that so I'll let my defenses down?"

Maggie gave an exasperated huff. "Why do I feel like you never trust me? Seriously, and I've been _such_ a good teenager for three years! I may just go out and do some drugs now," she threatened.

"No, you won't," Steve sighed, already worn out by the conversation. Maggie had that effect on him. "You always say that, but you never do it."

"Not to mention I'm not even sure you would know where to purchase drugs," Natasha added as she loaded the dishwasher. They had just been finishing dinner when Maggie made the sudden announcement about her 'mission.' "Pretty sure we took out the nearest drug ring on a mission a few years ago. Right, Steve?"

Steve thought for a moment before answering. "Right. I think I remember that."

"You guys are missing the point," Maggie groaned. "I have a _very _important mission once we get out of school for summer break."

"Spend more time with your girlfriend?" Natasha asked in a singsong, mischievous voice.

Maggie's face immediately flushed, and her cheeks were definitely redder than usual. "_No!_ I mean, yes, I mean… No! Well, _yes_, but…"

Her voice trailed off in a defeated sigh. Steve pat her shoulder comfortingly. "Alright, we're done teasing now," he assured her.

"Oh, maybe you are, but I'm not," Natasha grinned as she closed the dishwasher and started it. Her voice raised in volume over the sounds of the machine turning on. "Maggie and Christie, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

Maggie dropped her forehead to the table in embarrassment. "Mama, quit it!" she dragged out against the wooden surface. She turned her head to eye Steve from the side. "Are you sure _she _isn't the child in this family?"

Steve shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine."

"Okay, okay, I'm done teasing now," Natasha promised as she sat back down at the table. "Sorry not sorry."

Maggie sighed, lifting her face, which bore a skeptical expression. "Do you really expect me to believe that?"

"Would you like me to sing another verse?" Natasha challenged her, her tone of voice suggesting she was not joking.

She shook her head vehemently, and tried to brush it off with nervous laughter. "A-haha, funny, Mama! Oh, I love you, thanks for dinner, you're the greatest mom ever!"

"Ah, yes, that's what I wanted to hear." Natasha sat back with a content sigh. "I love you too, Лапушка."

Maggie looked like she was going to make another smart comment, but thought better of it, and snapped her mouth shut.

Steve just watched the exchange, amused. Only Maggie managed to bring out this mischievous and childish side in Natasha, and he always found it quite entertaining to watch mother and daughter butt heads over the silliest things. "So, what's this 'mission' you keep trying to tell us about?" he prompted the teen.

"Oh, yeah, I almost forgot," Maggie sat up straight once more, looking between her parents with a sudden determination in her expression. "This summer, I gotta come out to everyone!"

She looked hellbent on this, and it was clear she had already made up her mind. But, at the same time, there was a faint hesitation and reluctance in her expression that definitely tugged at Natasha and Steve's heartstrings.

"Define 'everyone,'" Natasha replied a moment later, back to her 'normal' self. "Like, the other Avengers, or everyone at the Triskelion, or-"

"_Everyone_, everyone," Maggie insisted. "Go big, or go home."

"That's a lot to take on at once," Steve commented, worried. "I mean, I'm sure everyone will take the news happily, but if it makes you nervous or uncomfortable…"

"That's why I gotta do it, Daddy," Maggie pointed out. "I don't wanna have to lie about having a girlfriend. I want her to know that she'd be accepted by my family, because they already accept me."

"Well, why don't you take it on in phases?" Natasha suggested. "Maybe start with the Avengers first. Then work your way out to the others."

Maggie thought it over for a moment before nodding. "That's a good idea. Plus Aunt Pepper, though."

"Can't exclude her," Steve agreed. "She'd be pissed if you did."

Maggie suddenly looked unsure. "Hope she won't be pissed about this, then…"

"Hey," Natasha took one of Maggie's hands, sitting on the table, in her own, giving the appendage a comforting squeeze. "I can assure you none of the Avengers, or Aunt Pepper, will love you any less for this. If they do, they'll be answering to _me._"

"_And_ me," Steve added with a frown. "Though, Mama's probably right. I don't think any of them will be mean about it, and I'm sure you'll find some of them can't honestly say they're one hundred percent straight, either."

"Really?" Maggie asked, looking between her parents with a nervous, but hopeful expression.

Natasha and Steve both nodded.

"Who do you want to talk to first?" Natasha asked softly.

"Hmmm… Probably Uncle Clint, and then Aunt Pepper right after," Maggie answered thoughtfully. "I feel like they should know first."

"Sounds fair," Steve commented. "So, do you want us to be around when you do it, or…?"

Maggie shook her head. "I wanna tell each of them in private."

"That's probably the best way," Natasha approved.

"What will be the name for this operation?" Steve inquired, knowing how much Maggie loved coming up with crazy names for her secret missions.

"Operation: Termite," Maggie answered simply. When both of her parents stared at her in confusion, she rolled her eyes and elaborated. "If I named it Operation: _Closet_, it would have been _so _obvious what it was. So, I went with something that you could find in closets, but not super common. Termites like to eat wood, so if you have a wooden closet, there could be termites. Duh."

"Well, that works, I guess." Natasha just shook her head in exasperation. "I'm in."

"Me, too," Steve added.

Maggie beamed. "Then, after I get out of school for summer break, let's start!"

"Don't forget to spend time with your girlfriend, though, and go on lots of romantic dates," Natasha cheekily added, and Maggie glared at her.

She turned to Steve with a frustrated expression. "Father, sir, may I be excused from the dinner table to get revenge on Mother for her inappropriate commentary?" she asked formally, though the dangerous undertone to her voice was clear.

Natasha had already jumped from her seat and bolted out of the room by that point, and Steve just sighed. "Go knock yourself out."

"Thanks," Maggie barely replied as she was out of the room in less than a second.

"COME BACK HERE!" Maggie's yell could be heard down the hall next, and Natasha's laughter followed shortly after.

Steve stood from the table with an exasperated expression. What _was _he going to do with those two?

* * *

About two weeks into her summer break, Steve and Natasha were assigned a new mission that would take a few days. When they informed Maggie, she knew it was time to start Phase One of Operation: Termite.

"Are you sure you're ready, Лапушка?" Natasha asked when riding up the elevator with Steve and Maggie, to see their daughter off before leaving for their mission. "You don't have to do it if you don't want…"

"I'm ready," Maggie insisted, then paused for a moment. "I think."

Steve reached over and squeezed her hand. "I think you're ready, too."

Maggie nodded gratefully. As the elevator doors opened, the three returned to looking as casual as ever.

Pepper was there to greet them with an excited expression. "Hi, guys!"

As the family exited the elevator, Maggie's entire 'casual' resolve crumbled. Panic began to set in as she looked at Pepper's happy smile. _What would Aunt Pepper say? Would she be mad? Please don't be mad!_ Any plans she had come up for explaining herself with beforehand flew out of her mind as she suddenly threw herself down to the ground in front of Pepper, kneeling before her with a look that the CEO identified as...begging for mercy?

"Alright, Aunt Pepper, you got me, you got me! I give up! _I'm dating a girl!_" Maggie confessed loudly, while Steve looked both concerned and exasperated, and Natasha just rolled her eyes (because, really, Maggie was well-known for her theatrics around here). Pepper just looked confused, and slightly worried at Maggie's spontaneous and distraught behavior. "I'm _bisexual!_ Please don't hate me… Oh, you're wearing cool shoes today, by the way; are they new?"

So much for telling Clint first.

* * *

"Oh, so _that's _what that whole thing was about?"

After the awkward silence that had followed Maggie's dramatic and impulsive confession, Pepper led Maggie and her parents over to the couches to sit down and actually, well, _explain. _The family of three went all the way back to Maggie's fifth grade year, recalling the time of her first crush on a girl, and how it hadn't come up for five years since then. Natasha and Steve both made sure to let Maggie do most of the talking and lead the conversation, though, since Maggie _had _initially wanted this to be a one-on-one conversation with her godmother.

As the two parents had expected, though, Pepper was completely supportive and understanding, and Maggie couldn't have been more relieved. Pepper had an arm around Maggie's shoulders, and pressed a light kiss to the side of her head.

"Trust me, Maggie, I could _never _hate you, no matter _what_," Pepper said sternly, but affectionately, as she rubbed the teen's arm. "And I'm so _happy_ for you!"

Maggie took a deep, calming breath at Pepper's words. "Now, you're making me feel silly for worrying so much." She then looked to Natasha, who seemed to be holding back a comment, based on the way she was smirking. Maggie knew her mother's expressions - Natasha was about to burst at the seams if she had to continue withholding whatever she wanted to exclaim, and Maggie sighed as she knew what it was.

"Alright, Mama, go ahead, let it out already… Give me your '_I told you so._'"

Pepper also seemed to have had an idea it was coming, as she smirked in Natasha's direction. Steve just shifted a bit out of the way on their shared seat, allowing Natasha to jump to her feet with a proud, singsong, "_I told you soooo_!"

She was even pointing a finger at Maggie and everything, who just facepalmed at Natasha's gesture. "I think _I'm _rubbing off on _you _a bit too much."

Steve raised his hand immediately at the remark. "I agree."

Natasha just rolled her eyes, sitting back down next to him with arms crossed over chest. "You two need to loosen up a bit. I'm just compensating for where Maggie's been lacking these days."

"Because I've been trying to plan my _coming out _to the _Avengers_!" Maggie reminded in protest, gesturing wildly to Pepper. The woman just patted her arm sympathetically.

"Well, I know it's really nerve wracking, but your mom - I hate to say it, _don't give me that smirk, Natasha_ \- is right," Pepper said, eying Natasha sharply from the side. "Maggie, you'll have everyone's love and support, I promise."

Maggie giggled at the way Pepper dismissed Natasha. "Thanks, Auntie Pep. Deep down, I think I knew you wouldn't be mad, but, on the surface, I'm pretty nervous, I guess."

"That's natural, Mags," Steve assured her from the other couch. "We have yet to see the day where people don't have to 'come out' for their attractions."

"Seriously, some day, hopefully soon, people are just going to love who they love, no labels or terms needed," Natasha shrugged, leaning back on the couch. "It won't be all about boy-girl relationships anymore."

Pepper nodded her agreement, and Maggie smiled. "I hope that's soon, too."

As the conversation came to a pause, Steve pulled his phone out of his pocket, checking the time. "Well, I think Mama and I better hit the road so we don't get there later than we already are."

"Nothing wrong with being fashionably late." Natasha stood with a stretch, offering Maggie an encouraging smile as she did so. "Good luck, Лапушка, and, remember: you don't have to push yourself if you're not ready."

Maggie stood next, walking up to Natasha and hugging her. "I know, Mama. Thanks again." She was not only thanking her for her advice, but also her support for the past five years. Natasha kissed her cheek knowingly.

Steve ruffled Maggie's hair after he stood, and kissed the top of her head. "We'll be back in a few days. I love you, and I'm so proud of you."

She gave him a mock salute at that before hugging him, Pepper having already caught Natasha in a quick embrace off to the side.

"Maggie!" Pepper's sudden shout nearly gave Maggie a heart attack as she released Steve. "I want to hear all about this girl, Christina; I want _every detail!_"

Maggie rolled her eyes at Pepper's insistence, fishing her phone out of her pocket to find a picture of them together to appease her gossipy godmother.

_Though it wasn't as I had planned, I've got one down. Next is Uncle Clint. _

* * *

"I'm surprised you haven't given up yet, Uncle Clint; I'm starting to lose faith in this."

Maggie's arms shook as she tried to steady the bow, pulling the string back with an arrow. They had learned in the years since Clint had started teaching her that she was definitely _not _the best archer in the world.

He shook his head. "I'm not giving up on you yet, kid. I think that, as my goddaughter, you should at least be able to defend yourself with a bow and arrow as a last resort in battle."

She released the arrow, watching as it entered the target, landing on the edge of the outermost ring. With a sigh, she looked back at him in exasperation. "I doubt that'll _ever _happen."

"And I doubted that Captain America and Black Widow would ever have a kid together, let alone _date _each other, but look where we are now," he replied with a smirk, and she laughed.

"I guess I am pretty special, huh?" Maggie took another arrow from his arms, and loaded the bow once more. "Though, it would be nice if my specialness extended to my shooting skills."

Clint shrugged. "Not everyone can shoot straight, but I'm sure you'll get the hang of it."

_Am I really going with this? I'm really going with this. When else will I have the chance to make this joke? _Plus, _Christina will laugh her _ass _off when I tell her I came out to someone like this! Oh, here goes nothing._

"Well, too bad shooting isn't the only thing I can't do straight."

There was an ominous silence following her self-revealing quip, penetrated only by the sound of the arrow hitting the target, a few centimeters closer to the center this time.

The archer just blinked, looking first at the target, then back at his goddaughter. Maggie appeared proud of herself for a few moments, but upon seeing his surprised stare, looked down at the ground, worried. She bit her lip nervously.

His eyes narrowed slightly, curiously evaluating her. "Are you being serious?"

Maggie looked back up at him with a cautious expression. "Well, depending on the tone of your voice right now, I may or may not be willing to retract my previous statement…"

Clint blinked once more, now looking less intimidating. His expression softened. "Maggie, are you trying to come out to me?"

His question was gentle and earnest, and a sympathetic smile had formed on his face.

She averted her gaze once more, blushing lightly as she scratched the back of her head. "I may or may not have a girlfriend now, um…"

Next thing she knew, there were arms around her, hugging her tightly and holding her close. She dropped Clint's bow in surprise, the clatter of it hitting the floor filling the silence in the room for a moment.

"I'm assuming the hug means I'm not about to be tossed out onto the street," Maggie joked awkwardly, trying to break the confusing pause in their conversation.

Clint pulled away from her, looking serious, but kind, once more. "This hasn't changed anything between us, Maggie. I promise."

Maggie released a huge sigh of relief. "Oh, thank goodness… I was so afraid for a second there."

"Are you kidding? I'm so happy for you!" He looked genuinely giddy, and it kind of freaked Maggie out, if she were being honest. "How long have you been with her? Who is she? Do I know her? How does she feel about the Avengers? Am _I _her favorite? Please say 'yes' so I can rub it in Tony's face later."

Maggie laughed at Clint's flurry of questions, wiping at her wet eyes with a fist. She hadn't realized when she started tearing up, but now that the air and mood were light again, it became obvious. When she had come out to Pepper earlier, it had been so sudden and less herself-against-the-world-feeling, since her parents were still there, so Maggie hadn't gotten the chance to get emotional. Now, though... "Um, we've only been dating for about a couple of weeks now. Her name's Christina, and she's in my grade and a lot of my classes, but you've never met her. She doesn't have one specific favorite Avenger, but she's definitely a fan."

Clint smiled, hugging Maggie once more. "I'm sorry, Mags, I didn't mean to scare you. Of course I still love you; there's no way I could ever not."

She sniffled against his shoulder. "I'm so glad…"

"Are you only attracted to girls? Or do you still like to look at boys?" The latter sounded less appealing to Clint, judging by the tone of his voice. He _still _didn't trust anyone with Maggie, _especially_ boys.

She giggled into the fabric of his shirt. "I'm bi, so I like both."

He gave a groan, but it wasn't very convincing. "That leaves only more people to come take you away from me…"

"Don't worry, I'll choose wisely," Maggie assured him.

Clint pulled away, his expression intrigued. "Tell me more about her - this 'Christina.' What's she like? Does she have some of the same interests as you?"

"_Well_, for starters," Maggie began as Clint threw an arm around her shoulders, and they began walking away from the archery range, "Christie's planning on getting purple highlights in her hair for the summer."

He gave an audible, excited gasp at that. "Oh my God, keep this one, keep this one! I love her already."

Maggie laughed, leaning her head into Clint's side with a joyful expression.

_Maybe this won't be so bad after all!_

* * *

The following day, after Maggie finally rolled out of bed at the glorious time of noon (because she was a teenager, it was summer vacation, and the late night hours always drew her to Tony's seemingly endless selection of movies and TV shows), she couldn't find Tony anywhere. He was who she had been intending to talk to next, but, she gave up after wandering through the rooms of the communal floor for ten minutes. With a huff, she finally threw herself down on the couch beside Bruce, who was reading a book. Something science-y, Maggie quickly noted as she looked at the cover.

He noticed her curious eyes as she read the title, and he lowered the book so he could properly see her face. She just made a face at him at the sudden eye contact, and Bruce chuckled. "You're up bright and early today."

Almost as if on cue, Maggie yawned, stretching her arms above her head. "Oh, I _know_, I managed to get up in time for, like, eight and a half hours left of sunlight! What a wonderful, beautiful morning."

At her comment, Bruce just rolled his eyes, leaning back against the sofa with a sigh. He had arrived at the tower somewhat late the previous night, and hadn't seen Maggie since before school ended, so they still had some catching up to do. "So, how was school? Finals go okay?"

Bruce knew Maggie stressed herself out a _lot_ over school and grades, and finals week always seemed to put her on an anxious edge almost equivalent to when she woke up from bad nightmares, in Bruce's opinion. He tried to help as much as he could, because Maggie often needed reminders that she didn't have to hold herself to such high standards (so high that her best efforts hardly reached it, in her own opinion, and she usually beat herself up over it; Steve and Natasha were often very worried), which he knew was hard for her since she lived with two brilliant minds for parents and had very smart relatives.

So, he made sure to put aside time in his schedule at the end of every May and December, trying to schedule any crazy trips or missions or what-have-you around and outside of those time frames so he could be in constant contact with Maggie if needed. Though she never said anything about it, Bruce had a feeling she knew he had been doing it quietly, as there was always an extra appreciative glint in her eyes for it when he came to her rescue while studying.

"I think so. I haven't checked my grades yet, because, well...I've had some, uh, _other _things going on…" Maggie replied awkwardly, almost nervously, as she ran a hand through her head of disheveled curls. Classic teenage bed-head look.

He raised a curious eyebrow at her wording. "I don't mean to pry, Maggie, but… '_Other_ things'? That's kind of ominous."

She squirmed a bit under his studious gaze, now lowering her hands in her lap and looking down at them nervously. "I just…um…" God, _why am I so_ nervous? "Look, I, uh…" _Come on, Rogers! _she mentally yelled at herself. _It's just Uncle Brucie! __Spit it out already! _

"Maggie?" Bruce's voice held a note of concern in it as it pulled her out of her thoughts, and his expression looked more serious. "Is everything alright?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, just super-duper, y'know, like, I saw this _great _movie last weekend with some friends, I think I've almost convinced Mama and Daddy to let me buy a kitten, I've estimated that I'm about forty percent gay, and I beat this new video game the other day…"

Why the hell was she so bad at these 'coming out' things? First there had been the weird, impulsive encounter with Pepper, then her poorly timed pun with Clint, and, now, an awkward laundry list of otherwise irrelevant information? (Except the kitten thing, though; that was really fucking exciting.)

At some point during her trailed off statement, she had squeezed her eyes shut, fearing the next time she opened them she'd be greeted by, like, the Hulk or something (even though the infamous Other Guy apparently really loved her and wanted to protect her). But, instead, there was a small chuckle, followed by arms wrapped around her, as Bruce pulled her into a warm embrace.

"Is that all? You had me really scared for a second there, Maggie," he laughed softly against her ear. She finally opened her eyes at the apparent lack of green transforming, and hugged Bruce back. He rubbed her back a bit. "Thank you for telling me."

Maggie relaxed in his arms with a sigh. "Thank you for being, like, a decent human being." She paused. "Wait, I take that back - you're _more _than just a _decent _human being, you're, like, one of the _cooliest _and greatest people _ever_, and-"

"I get it, Maggie, I get it," Bruce assured her, amused, as he released her. He met her relieved expression with a joyful smile. "I know that must have been scary for you, but, really, I mean it: this doesn't change anything."

She nodded gratefully at his words. "I love you, Uncle Brucie."

"And I love you, too," he replied happily. "Who else have you told?"

"My parents have actually kind of known for, like, five years… Long story, but, basically, I kinda-sorta-maybe had a crush on this girl in fifth grade that, like, blew up in my face." Maggie gave a displeased huff. "_Totally_ over her, by the way, if you were gonna ask that. Anyway, I'm actually dating a girl right now, her name's Christina, so, then I officially came out to my parents as bisexual last month, though they already had had a general idea for a while. Then, yesterday, after I got here, I came out to Auntie Pep and Uncle Clint, and now I'm out to you, so, congratulations for being third in line in my six-person mission!"

She waved her hands a bit for dramatic flair, and Bruce chuckled. "Congratulations on the girlfriend, who I'm definitely expecting to hear more about," he offered in reply.

"Trust me, you will," Maggie assured him happily. "But, first, I was meaning to find Uncle Tony, and Uncle Thor if he's around. Do you have any hints for me?"

"Well, _pretending _that there isn't an A.I. system in this entire building that could give you the answer in less than a second, I last saw your Uncle Tony in his workshop, doing the usual work on his suits," Bruce answered. "Your Uncle Thor, I'm not so sure about. That's definitely a JARVIS question."

"Duly noted." Maggie nodded, then stopped. "Wait. Should I come out to JARVIS? Or does he already know?"

_"I have heard your previous conversations with the others, Miss Rogers," _JARVIS cut in, _"so, I do know already. Though, if you'd like to officially say something to me, feel free to do so." _

Maggie glanced at Bruce, who shrugged. She thought for a moment. "JARVIS, I'm bisexual."

_"That is quite alright, Miss Rogers. Thank you for alerting me to your identity, and, I can assure you, this changes nothing between us." _

"Thanks, J. Man, some days I wish what my life would be like if it were _normal_." Maggie shook her head, then stood and pressed a quick kiss to Bruce's cheek. "I'm going to go finish my quest so I don't have to keep talking about Christie a million times to each individual person; it's very repetitive… Enjoy your boring science book!"

Bruce scoffed as she sauntered away. "It's not _boring_, it's about thermonuclear-"

"Don't care! Bye!" she called in reply without turning back toward him, as she was already almost to the elevator. Bruce just shook his head in amusement and picked up his 'boring' book to resume reading.

* * *

"Screwdriver."

Maggie withheld a sigh as she placed the requested screwdriver in Tony's hand, propping her head up against the table with her hand. As soon as she had entered the workshop (with extensive permission from Tony, and even a God damned phone call to Pepper because the resident power couple _still _childproofed the Tower for her, even at the age of sixteen), Tony put her to work in handing him things.

"Uncle Tony, are you done yet?"

"Nope, sorry, munchkin. Can you hand me the blow torch?"

She rolled her eyes as he dismissed her question. Was he even paying attention? Despite her irritation, she complied, handing him the desired tool.

Then, another idea struck her, similar to how she made an impulsive plan to come out to Clint. _I wonder if texting him and having JARVIS read them out loud to him will get his attention. Definitely another funny coming out story I'll be able to share later. _

"Uncle Tony, I have to pee. I'll be back in a few." She was nothing if not blunt with Tony Stark.

He didn't even look up. "Yeah, yeah, whatever, have fun."

Because people obviously went to the restroom to have fun. Maggie shrugged his dismissal off as she walked out of the workshop, only to actually stop just beside the door so she would have a clear view of his reaction.

With a mischievous grin, she began texting, hoping Tony would at least pay attention to JARVIS.

Inside the lab, Tony was still tinkering, and JARVIS cut through his loud music to announce a new text message alert.

"Who's it from and what's it say?" Tony sighed, a bit annoyed his work was interrupted. "Please tell me I'm not missing an important anniversary."

"_Not quite, sir. It's from Miss Rogers." _

He raised an eyebrow at that. "What is she, stuck in the bathroom? Out of toilet paper? 'Cause she's gonna need to call Pepper for those situations. My days with her in the bathroom are long over." He returned to tinkering.

"_No, sir, I believe it's more important than that. She says, and I quote, 'I know how much you hate boys, so, I thought you'd like to know I'm actually super hella gay.'" _

He dropped one of his tools at that, cursing loudly as it fell on his foot. Meanwhile, outside, Maggie was laughing, hoping JARVIS was filming this for later blackmail material her mother could use (because Natasha had this, like, archive of blackmail and prank material for her fellow Avengers that she had quickly recruited Maggie to help contribute to at a very young age). Not to mention, hearing JARVIS read her text out loud in his automated, British accented voice was just _hilarious. _

"She _what?!_ She drops something important on me _that way_-"

"_Oh, she also says, 'just thought I'd like to add I'm not only super hella gay, I'm still super hella straight. I only like girls a little bit. Maybe forty percent. An argument could be made for forty-five. Anyway, boys are still in my interests. Close-parenthesis'." _

Maggie laughed even harder at the way JARVIS read her emoticon, ':)', aloud. _Boy, _she couldn't _wait _to tell her godparents about _this. _

"What the _hell, _JARVIS! Tell her to get her ass back in here _now!_"

"_As you wish, sir." _

In moments, JARVIS' voice had joined Maggie outside. _"Miss Rogers, Mr. Stark requires your presence back in his workshop." _

She giggled. "No problem-o, JARVIS!" she sang as she waited a few moments, to make her 'bathroom trip' more believable, before waltzing back into the workshop like she had done nothing wrong.

Tony was standing there, tools and current project left abandoned on the table, while he had his grease and oil covered hands on his hips. On his face, he held a thoughtful expression, carefully watching Maggie as she innocently reentered the room.

As she stopped in front of him, hands behind her back, he gave her a sweet smile that kind of freaked her out. "Dear, do you have something you'd like to talk about?"

"Um, not particularly, Honey," Maggie played along, her tone matching his in casualty. "I mean, unless being bisexual is kind of a big deal-"

Tony cut her off with a sudden hug, and she found herself quickly smiling into his shoulder. Maybe she'd forgive him now for his annoying work ethic from earlier.

"Oh, squirt, thank you for telling me! Now I know to keep my eye out for both males _and _females around your age whenever we go out. None of them are allowed to touch you. Or look at you, or interact with you, or breathe the same air as you, for that matter," he insisted as protectively as always, pulling out of the hug and instead holding her by the shoulders, a very serious expression on his face. Normally, Maggie would have shrugged him off because, _ew_, who would want oil or grease on their clothes? But, today, she found herself smiling like an idiot at the gesture because it was very sweet, and because she was about to burst Tony's bubble.

"_Wellll_, about that," she began, drawing out her "well" in such a way that Tony knew he was about to have the rug pulled out from under his feet, "I actually kinda-sorta have a girlfriend now, which is, like, the main reason I've been going on my 'coming out' tour around the Tower lately. I know, I know, I just dated a boy a few months ago; crazy, right?"

It looked like Tony needed to sit down at the sudden news, so Maggie carefully pushed him onto a nearby stool. He gaped at her, opening and closing his mouth a few times, before finally sighing and shaking himself out of his slight daze.

"I didn't take you for the serial dating type, munchkin, I'll be honest," he commented, prompting her to roll her eyes. "Please tell me you're dating someone better than that John kid."

"First of all, his name was _Jack_; second of all, I'm dating a girl who's been my close friend for a while now, Christina."

"_Christina, _eh?" Tony tried the name out on his tongue. "Show me a picture and I'll tell you right here and now if she's better than Jacob."

Not even bothering to correct Tony about Jack's name once more, Maggie pulled out her phone and showed him a recent picture she had taken with Christina. Tony just grumbled something about them being too cute of a couple for him to criticize them, and Maggie took it as a victory.

Then, the billionaire perked up. "Hey, I want to show you something cool and historical."

He pulled up a holographic screen, and typed a few things into Google. Maggie tilted her head to the side with a curious expression, reading aloud the information Tony was researching.

"June 26th?" Maggie thought for a few moments, recognizing the date but not quite sure why yet. "2015... That's...the date is really familiar, but I can't remember why."

"June 26th, 2015, was the day the Supreme Court made marriage equality a Constitutional right," Tony explained, pulling up some pictures from the day. There were rainbows _everywhere_, and many happy faces as people received the news. "It really was a fantastic day. Millions of people were so happy, and a ton of them got married. See, even the White House was celebrating! I knew that President Ellis guy was good for _something._"

Maggie looked upon the picture of the rainbow-patterned light effect on the White House in awe. She thought of how much that must have meant to her father, who probably never thought he'd live to see this day during his pre-World War II life. "Daddy must have been really happy."

"Oh, believe me, he was. If I'm not mistaken, I think he actually dragged your mom out of the house and into D.C. that day to go join the huge impromptu Pride parade," Tony chuckled, then turned to Maggie with a happy, but thoughtful expression. "You're a real wonder, squirt. You're part of the generation who never knew their country when marriage was limited."

"Mama was saying something like that yesterday, before she left," Maggie recalled. "She thinks, over time, the labels and terms will all just disappear, and people will just be attracted to people, regardless of gender and such. What do you think?"

"I think she's probably right," Tony admitted, then threw an arm around Maggie's shoulders. "Though it's been almost seventeen years since we gained marriage equality, I still wanna say, congratulations, munchkin, on having the freedom to marry, truly, anyone you love; girls are better than boys, anyway, at the very least."

Maggie giggled and leaned her head against Tony's shoulder as he pressed a gentle kiss to her hairline.

* * *

"Of _course_, Uncle Thor would be the one to be MIA. Of course."

Tony, Clint, Bruce, and Pepper all watched from the dining table as Maggie paced through the kitchen repeatedly, waiting for either her parents or Asgardian uncle to show up. She didn't want to leave before finishing Phase One of Operation: Termite, but who knew when or if Thor was coming?

"He's probably the one you have the least to worry about," Tony dismissed her concerns with a wave of his hand. "I'm sure on Asgard they don't worry about things like this."

"How can you know for sure?" Maggie stopped briefly to look at the billionaire, before shaking her head and resuming her routine of walking up and down the small room. "I mean, he talks like _Shakespeare_! And...and Shakespeare was from the _old _world, super long ago! There were probably _no_ queers during Shakespeare's time...right? Or, at least, not in an actually-taken-seriously romantic way there are today! Ugh..." she moaned as she pulled at strands of her very long hair, holding them at her sides for stress relieving purposes.

Pepper and Clint shared a knowing look. "Mags, I _think _you might be overreacting a bit. _Just _a bit, nothing more," Clint quickly amended, knowing Maggie may react wildly at being told she was being too dramatic (it had happened many times before). "Like, maybe _twelve_ percent of your reaction is _over_reaction."

"That twelve percent is right to be worried! Like...what if _Siffy _hates bisexuals? What if...what if Siffy just hates _queers_?! What if Siffy even hates _straight people_-"

"Maggie," Pepper exhaled loudly, cutting the redheaded teen off, "now you're just being irrational."

Maggie stopped, and gave her relatives a pointed look. "_Me_? _Irrational_? That's the most _irrational _thing I've heard all day!" she protested, arms crossed over her chest with a huff. "I am _perfectly _rational, mind you-"

"_Mr. Odinson has just landed on the roof, sir." _

"_Eep!_" Maggie actually _squeaked_, before crawling under the table with a long string of Russian curses muttered under her breath. Clint debated telling Natasha about Maggie's selective Russian-speaking, just to watch _that _conversation unfold. (He'd imagine it would include Natasha actually _lecturing _Maggie in full Russian, while the teen would still only be able to come away from the conversation being able to mimic nothing more than the swear words.)

"Thanks, J." Tony stood, and walked away from the table, ignoring Maggie's protests of, "_No! I need you to come stand in front of me and hide me!"_ as he looked to the other three adults. "Who would like to accompany me?"

"I will," Bruce quickly volunteered, knowing Pepper and Clint were amazing when it came to talking to Maggie, and they would be able to coax her out from the table.

* * *

"Come out."

"No."

"Maggie, come on, come out already!"

"_No!_"

"What are you so afraid of?"

"Well, right now, the two different definitions of the phrase, 'come out,' are giving me the same fear of facing my Asgardian uncle."

"Now is not the time for your Goddamn puns, Maggie."

"_Language_, Clint!"

"Haha, screw you, Uncle Clint! Auntie Pep just _busted _you!"

"That doesn't take the focus off of _you_, Maggie."

"Awww…"

"Come out before I force you out."

"Of the closet, or this table?"

_"MAGGIE."_

Bruce just sighed as he heard the conversation unfold, walking back to the kitchen with Tony and Thor in tow. Tony was just snickering, while Thor was excited about getting to see his niece. Bruce felt somewhat sympathetic for Maggie, knowing she her nerves would be calmed once she got to just talk to Thor.

So, he decided to try and help soften the blow. "Now, Thor, when you go in, you may find Maggie is in distress-"

"Lady Margaret!"

Thor had just rushed straight past the scientist, into the kitchen, probably scaring the shit out of the already skittish teen, Bruce knew. He just sighed and scratched his head while Tony, reading something on his phone, walked straight into him; Bruce rolled his eyes at the typical Tony behavior. Both of them looked up in the direction of the kitchen at the sound of a scream, lots of scrambling, a phone ringing, a _thump!_, and, finally, Maggie crawling out of the room and stopping at Bruce's feet.

"Uncle Brucie, _help_!" she pleaded, pushing herself back up to her feet. However, before Bruce could even react, Thor reappeared, and snatched Maggie up from behind her back.

"Ha! I have acquired you, Lady Margaret!" he cheered, hugging her affectionately. Normally, Maggie was all for the Big Thor Bear Hugs, but, today, she just thrashed around weakly before giving in after a few moments.

"That's it, I give up, I can't fight it anymore," Maggie sighed, falling limp in defeat in Thor's grasp, who didn't seem to notice. Behind them, Pepper and Clint finally emerged, the former engaged in a phone call and the latter bearing an ice pack, which he then proceeded to hold against a spot on Maggie's head. (That must have been the source of the _thump!_, Bruce realized.)

"Really, squirt, you should just spit it out now and be done with it," Tony advised bluntly, already back to fiddling with his cell phone.

"Spit what out?" Thor suddenly released Maggie, and she stood before him with a frown as Clint adjusted his hold on the ice pack. "Lady Margaret, are you sick? Do you require a bag of dogs?"

"Who the hell taught Thor what a 'doggie bag' was?" Clint questioned, and Tony raised his hand with a _giggle_. Bruce rolled his eyes once more. Typical.

Maggie huffed in slight irritation, swatting Clint's hands away as she took the ice pack into her own hand with a deep breath, looking up at Thor with a determined expression. "Uncle Thor, I have something to tell you. It's important."

The demi-god blinked, not sure what to make of that, then smiled. "Ah, I understand now: Lady Margaret _is _sick-"

"No, Uncle Thor, I don't need a 'bag of dogs,' or whatev-"

"-with _love_!" Thor finished with a loud, triumphant cheer, causing an instantaneous chorus of loud protests.

"What?!" Maggie demanded immediately, then blushed profusely. "How would you just _know _that from looking at me-"

"Wait!" Tony interjected, suddenly not absorbed in his cell phone at all as he crossed his arms over his chest with a scowl. "You're in _love _with her?! Squirt, _how could you?! _I thought what you and I had was _special!" _

"_What?!_" Maggie repeated, louder and more frantic this time as a blush crept up her cheeks and she turned to face Tony with an upset expression. "I am _not _in love-"

"Really? Why're you blushin' so hard, then?" Clint teased with an eyebrow raised.

Maggie whirled back around, pointing an accusatory finger toward the archer. "You're not helping!"

"So, it's _true_?!" Tony continued with a hurt expression.

Maggie groaned, leaning her head back and balancing the ice pack on her eyes, squeezing them shut. "When I count to ten and open my eyes, you all _better _be out of my sight, or, _so help me God_, I'll-"

"_Enough_!" Pepper quickly silenced the commotion, gesturing to her phone. "I'm _trying _to have a conversation here."

"Just go to another room, Pep, Jesus," Tony shrugged, but Pepper glared.

"It's Natasha. She wanted to know how _everything _is _going._"

Everyone just gave her blank stares in reply to her vague comment, and she rolled her eyes. The CEO made some gestures with her hands that made little sense to everyone else in the room, but it apparently had something to do with Maggie and...throwing up? (Pepper sucked at explaining things with just her hands.)

"Pepper, we already established that Maggie isn't actually sick," Bruce assured, causing Pepper to just facepalm.

"Not _vomiting_," she hissed, repeating the gesture of moving her hand forward from her chest outward once more, "I'm talking about _coming out._"

"We _need _to work on your signalling skills, Pepper, because they are just _not good_." Clint was shaking his head in disappointment, but stopped as Pepper hit his arm.

"No, no, Natasha, there's nothing to worry about, no one's vomiting, _unfortunately_," Pepper muttered the final word with a sharp glare at the lively group, walking away. Clint then glanced to Tony and Bruce, gesturing (much better than Pepper) for all three of them to leave Maggie and Thor alone, which they quickly did.

Finally left somewhat alone, Maggie let her ice pack resume its spot on top of her head, just off center near her hairline, as she sighed and looked up at Thor. "Okay, seriously, though, I _do _have something to tell you."

"My ears are open for you, Lady Margaret," Thor assured her. "I shall listen to anything you have to say."

Maggie nodded, appreciating the sentiment. _The most normal coming out I'm going to have in this group of people is with _Thor_? Jesus Christ, what is my _life_?! _"Okay… So, I'm going to go out on a limb and assume you don't know what 'bisexual' means."

"Is that not what your father is?" Thor questioned, brow furrowed, and Maggie was surprised

_I didn't realize Daddy came out formally to Thor! Unless someone else told him about it and explained it. I'll just have to ask Daddy later. _

"You're right on that one, Uncle Thor; Daddy _is _bisexual," Maggie confirmed, then gestured to herself, "and, so am I."

Thor blinked. Maggie blinked. Thor blinked. Maggie blinked.

After a few more moments of blinking, he realized _she _was waiting for _him _to say something. "Oh! Am I...what am I to say to that, Lady Margaret? On Asgard, we don't worry about such trivial things."

From the kitchen (because her other three uncles thought they were just as good as her mom at spying on her, ahaha, no, as cute a thought as that was, Maggie totally heard they were eavesdropping the whole time), Tony loudly exclaimed _"I TOLD YOU!", _which was followed by a round of shushes. Maggie just rolled her eyes at the obvious cover.

"It is normal, in my realm, for many different kinds of people to like each other, even if they both come from the same...what do you Midgardians call it? 'Gender'?"

"Yeah, gender," Maggie answered, then gave Thor a one-armed hug. "That makes it so much easier. Thanks, Uncle Thor. I love you to Asgard..."

"...And back." Thor returned the embrace happily, though he was still a bit confused. "Um...you're welcome, Lady Margaret. However, I do have an inquiry for you: the others argued over whether or not you are in love, and, it leaves me wondering, who has captured the wonderful Lady Margaret's heart?"

"Oh, yeah, I owe you and a couple of other people a full back story on Christina…"

* * *

When Steve and Natasha returned later that day, they were, literally, tackled by Maggie as soon as the elevator doors opened.

"Guys, guys, guys, guys, guys!" She was pretty much bouncing with each step toward them, then holding both Avengers in a tight grip that kept them trapped in the elevator. "Guys, guys, guys!"

"What, what, what, what?" Natasha mimicked the younger redhead, giving her a half-hug and kissing her cheek in greeting. She had talked to Pepper on the phone already, and had an idea as to what this enthusiasm was all about.

"I did it!" Maggie cheered, now jumping up and down in place. Natasha was pretty much dragged along, up and down, for each hop as well, since she was more vulnerable to Maggie's superhuman strength because of her short height and small frame, compared to Steve, who was pretty much unmovable. "Phase One of Operation: Termite was successful!"

"Yes! I _knew _you could do it, Maggie!" Steve dropped the bag he had been carrying onto the floor so he could wrap his arms around Maggie, both to congratulate her and spare Natasha from more secondhand jumping. He held his daughter close, pressing a kiss into her hair. "That's my girl."

"Judging by your happy demeanor right now, I'm going to guess everything went smoothly," Natasha assumed, and chuckled as Maggie gave her a rapid nod as a response.

"Yep! Though, the only one who got a normal, straightforward conversation was Uncle Thor. The others...not so much. Though, I guess I was pretty straightforward with JARVIS, though that one doesn't count because it was JARVIS..."

"It must not have been too bad if you're happy, though," Steve pointed out after she trailed off, finally releasing Maggie.

"You're right about that! And you were both right about everyone being hella chill about it, and super loving. I was acting _quite _silly, I will admit it." Maggie nodded thoughtfully, before gesturing to Natasha with a content expression. "You may now proceed to gloat and yell and sing, or whatever, in my face. I'm too happy to protest."

"Nah, I better save my energy since it looks like you've gotten yours back," Natasha shrugged, grabbing the bag Steve had dropped and carefully maneuvering out of the elevator. Steve and Maggie trailed behind at a slower pace, linked by their arms.

"I'm so proud of you, Maggie, I know this wasn't easy," Steve said softly as they followed the spy. "Even if it's our closest friends or family, it's _never _easy."

"You got that right!" Maggie agreed with a wide-eyed expression. "I literally _hid _under a _table _when JARVIS announced Uncle Thor's arrival. I'm sure Uncle Clint and Aunt Pepper can tell you more."

"Trust me, knowing you, I don't doubt it," Steve laughed, even further amused by the very mature way Maggie stuck her tongue out at him afterward.

* * *

**A/N: **Hello, again! Just wanted to say down here that I hope I did everything, in regards to Maggie's sexuality and her coming out, okay. I know that as far as people's attractions go, usually when they're attracted to more than one of the genders, it's not always split up completely evenly, hence why Maggie was saying she thinks she's forty percent into girls (implying that the other sixty percent of her is into boys). I know this one was pretty all over the place personality-wise since I was trying to keep it lighthearted and fluffy, and just generally true to Maggie's more goofy nature, so I hope you all enjoyed it. :D


	58. Mutual Fears

**A/N: **Happy birthday to Steve Rogers! ...Oh, and it's a national holiday? Haha, just kidding - happy Fourth of July, _and _the date of Steve's birth! I'll be honest with you guys that I didn't actually know Steve's birthday at this time a year ago, hehe, hence why I never addressed it...anyway, here's a little update to celebrate the occasion. :D

Thanks for all the faves, follows, and reviews! You all are even brighter than the moon! (Was that a reference to Katy Perry's celebratory, patriotic hymn, "Firework"? Yes, yes it was.)

* * *

Maggie had mixed feelings about the Fourth of July. On one hand, it was exciting, because she was, well, _American_, and it was her father's birthday! If there was anything she loved more than her own birthday or Christmas, it would be her parents' birthdays, because they gave her a chance to show Natasha and Steve how much she loved them, and how grateful she was to have them in her life.

On the other hand, though...Maggie _hated _fireworks.

Sudden loud noises had never really been her thing - and after what happened to Natasha when she was six, they just reminded her of gunshots. Hearing fireworks in the distance since then usually sent her cowering under her bed (though that gesture had its own slew of problems, considering she'd hid under the bed from Alexei) or running to Natasha.

Little did she know Steve shared the same sentiment in regards to the fiery displays.

"Mama, when's Daddy gonna be home?"

"In a little while, Лапушка," Natasha assured Maggie, who was taping small American flags to _everything_. She had attacked every visible wall, it seemed, as each way Natasha turned, she caught a glimpse of _at least _one flag. Natasha just shook her head in both exasperation and amusement, deciding to leave the clean-up duty on this one to Steve. "I think that's enough flags, don't you?"

"No," Maggie answered immediately, _of course_. Sure, she was only eight, but Natasha could _swear _there was a hint of underlying mischief in her voice. It was like Maggie knew how much of a sight this would be to take in - and she knew _someone _would have to clean it up later. "There will never be enough flags for Daddy!"

"I don't think we left enough flags at the party store," Natasha murmured to herself with a sigh. If there was anyone who could be more patriotic than Steve, it was Maggie, eager to please her father.

Maggie yawned a bit as she continued her tour around the living room, using her forearm to hold up a flag against the wall as she applied a generous amount of tape to the plastic handle. It was early - too early to be awake, in Natasha's opinion, she didn't even bother looking at the clock when Maggie dragged her out of bed - but Maggie insisted on surprising Steve when he came home from his morning jog. "I wonder if he's running with Uncle Bucky or Uncle Sam today."

"Maybe," Natasha replied, smirking a bit at the thought of the two super soldiers lapping Sam for an hour. Whenever he ended up back at their house after the morning jogs, he made sure to give Natasha an earful about Steve "on your left" Rogers running circles around him, _literally. _While she would listen to his complaints, Steve would make side comments via stage whispers to Maggie, who would just giggle. "I'm sure Uncle Sam will be tired afterwards if he's running with both Daddy and Uncle Bucky."

"Yeah, he's slow," Maggie teased with a little giggle. She looked up from her pile of flags and tape, grinning at her mother across the room. "I think I'm faster than him!"

"It wouldn't surprise me," Natasha shrugged, taking a sip of coffee from her mug.

Maggie continued working in silence for a few minutes, working her way through her stash of flags. Natasha made a mental note to never buy another American flag again, seeing how they had so _many _now. She wasn't even going to bother warning Maggie about letting them touch the floor, or whatever the American tradition was, because that would only result in dramatic panic from the eight year old.

After the silence occupied the room for a while, Maggie spoke up again. "Hey...Mama?"

"Yes, Лапушка?"

"Are we gonna...later tonight...do we have to go watch the fireworks?"

The hesitation and slight fear in Maggie's voice was evident, and it made Natasha's heart ache a bit. She knew why Maggie didn't like fireworks, and it always made her feel a little guilty. Crossing the room, she lowered herself to the ground beside Maggie, giving her a hug.

"We don't have to," Natasha assured her, resting her cheek against the top of Maggie's head. "It's okay."

"But it's Daddy's birthday," Maggie protested quietly. She turned one of the small American flags over in her hands, inspecting it as if it would provide a solution to the predicament. "I want him to be happy, but I don't like the fireworks."

"I know you don't, and he knows, too." Natasha placed a gentle kiss to the top of her head. "He wouldn't want you to be scared."

"I'm not scared," Maggie insisted, looking up at Natasha with a frown, "I just don't like fireworks."

Natasha withheld an amused smirk at Maggie's insistence. Of course her daughter wouldn't admit to her fears. "It's okay to be scared, Maggie."

"I'm not," Maggie repeated, pulling away from Natasha's grasp with a huff. She returned to sifting through her remaining supply of flags, silently counting how many were left.

"Maggie," Natasha scolded softly, "Daddy doesn't want you to be upset on his birthday."

"I'm not upset." Maggie didn't spare a glance back at Natasha as she returned to taping one of the flags on the walls.

Natasha watched Maggie silently for a few moments, deciding she wasn't going to continue picking this fight with her. She stood up, offering Maggie an "alright," then walked away. Maggie's frown deepened at Natasha's absence, and she applied the tape on the wall with a bit more force than necessary.

After returning to her spot on the couch, Natasha turned the TV onto whatever programming was on Disney Channel at the time, letting the sounds of the show fill the otherwise quiet room.

* * *

When Steve finally arrived home, sweaty and smelly (as both Natasha and Maggie would usually comment on his appearance after his jogs, anyway), it took him a moment to adjust to the patriotic decor of his house. Of course, he knew who was responsible for the decorations, but frowned when he found her brooding on the couch, sitting completely opposite to Natasha.

Natasha just shrugged at him when their eyes met, indicating she couldn't do much to change Maggie's mood at the moment. So, that must have left the job to Steve.

"I like your decorations, Maggie," Steve finally said aloud, pulling Maggie out of her grumpy trance. She looked up at him and smiled, but there was still a hint of something negative in her eyes. "Thank you."

"It's for your birthday!" Maggie explained, hopping off the couch so she could give him a hug (despite his sweatiness). He gave a dramatic, surprised inhale as she collided with his waist, her arms catching him in a big hug. "Happy birthday, Daddy."

"Thanks, Mags." He wrapped his arms around her smaller body, leaning over to kiss the top of her head. Though he was sure whatever had pushed her into a bad mood still needed to be addressed, Maggie looked as happy as ever. He lifted her with an exaggerated groan of effort. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Maggie giggled into his chest as her arms caught his neck. "Even though you're all sweaty, ew."

_And there's the comment I was expecting. _Steve grinned. "Oh? Is that gross?"

His hold around her tightened, causing her to laugh as she was pushed farther into his torso. "Ew, Daddy! Your sweat is getting all over me!"

"Alright, Rogers, that's enough," Natasha greeted as she finally walked up to them, pecking Steve on the lips (to which Maggie appropriately responded, "Ew, that's grosser than Daddy's sweat!"). "If you keep this up, _both _of you are going to need a shower."

"Noooo," Maggie protested, leaning back so she was hanging upside down from Steve's arms. She had always trusted him to never drop her, though he was unsure of himself the first time she tried this. "I already took a shower last night! I like baths more."

"Baths are messy, though," Natasha argued, looking down at Maggie, whose head was hanging upside down near Steve's feet. "Why do you want to sit in dirty water?"

"Because they're more _fun_," Maggie responded. "There aren't any fun toys to play with in the shower! Showers are lonely."

"I'm offended," Natasha scoffed, because they were still at the stage when transitioning Maggie into taking showers, she needed someone to shower _with _her, to wash her hair and such. Naturally, the job fell on Natasha's shoulders, since she was the only other female in the house. At the very least, though, when Natasha was absent, Steve would just stand outside the shower stall and wash Maggie's hair, then let her wash her body, though that method resulted in getting water _everywhere. _Many times, Steve found himself changing his clothes afterward, since he'd get soaked from the free-ranged spray of the shower. Maggie liked to tease him about that. "Лапушка, _I'm _in the shower with you."

"But you don't want to play, you just want to shower," Maggie pointed out, and Natasha rolled her eyes.

"Alright, alright, I'll go take a shower," Steve relented before this 'shower v. bath' debate could turn into a day-long struggle between the two redheads (because it very well could, Steve knew from personal experience). He carefully waddled over to the couch, mindful of Maggie's long hair touching the ground just near his feet, and laid her down on the furniture. She laughed as he tickled her feet a bit, and sat up when he turned to walk away.

"Good, you were starting to make the room smell," Natasha commented, crinkling her nose for extra emphasis. Maggie copied her mother, and Steve sighed. Always victimizing him, those two were.

"I get it, I'm going," Steve reminded as he retreated from the room, leaving Maggie and Natasha giggling at some joke Natasha probably made to Maggie when he was out of earshot.

* * *

Maggie seemed to have gotten over whatever was plaguing her mood that morning by the time Steve was done showering. He decided he'd leave it alone, then, until it resurfaced (because he had a feeling it would).

And it did, just after lunch, when he and Maggie were playing outside. Natasha was inside, cleaning up, while Maggie and Steve were playing with water guns (so much for his shower that morning). It was hot, making it the perfect weather for outdoor water play, much to Maggie's excitement.

They weren't really playing a specific game or competition with rules, as Maggie just liked hitting her dad with blasts of cold water. He always made some sort of surprised noise when she did, while she would just laugh when she was hit.

Just as she was about to assault him with a large blast of water, the sound of a firework going off sounded from a distance, and Maggie froze. Her eyes widened slightly, and she tried to shake off the panic she was starting to feel. _It's Daddy's birthday, don't freak out now! Nothing bad is gonna happen! _

"Maggie?" Steve straightened up, his own water gun attack forgotten as he took in her suddenly uncertain appearance. "What's wrong?"

"No...nothing!" Maggie immediately tried to brush it off, cursing the way her voice seemed to rise in octave, giving away her fear. "I'm fine!"

Steve knew that tone of voice anywhere. He stepped closer to her, and went down on one knee before her. "You don't look fine, Mags. You can tell me what's bothering you."

"Nothing's bothering me," she mumbled, averting her eyes. Unfortunately, another firework sounded - _Why are they doing this now? It's not even dark yet! _Maggie protested silently - and Maggie gave into her fear, as she quickly latched onto Steve's wet shirt, water gun falling to the ground, long forgotten. She pressed her face into his chest, squeezing her eyes shut.

Setting his own water gun on the ground, Steve wrapped his arms around Maggie, concerned. He had a feeling of what this was about. "Hey, it's okay, Mags, it's just a firework."

"I know...but it sounds like a gun," Maggie whispered in reply, and Steve frowned. He thought Maggie had defeated this fear last year, when she sat with Tony through a firework show, both with headphones on blasting music (because that was, apparently, how the billionaire fought through his own fears and triggers in regards to the loud explosions of the fireworks). Since Maggie was still so young, Steve thought her mind would heal differently, as it was still developing so it would just...overwrite her triggers, or something.

But now he knew how wrong he was. He rubbed her back. This would explain her less than pleasant mood this morning, since she knew the Fourth of July was all about fireworks and loud noises and what-have-you. "Trust me, Maggie, I know it does. I don't really like fireworks either."

She raised her head at that, pulling away just enough to look up at him, awestruck. "Really?"

"Yeah, really," he confirmed with a nod. "They used to remind me of what it sounded like to be in World War II. You know, gunshots and explosions everywhere, hurting people."

"Why do so many people like fireworks, then?" Maggie asked sadly, her expression sympathetic as Steve revealed his personal feelings. "They just sound like scary things."

That was a good question, Steve had to admit, but he knew the answer. "Well…most people haven't been to war. Or, they've never had to hear a gunshot. Most people are lucky for that."

And it hurt him to know that his daughter was not so lucky.

"Oh," Maggie deflated at his words, probably also thinking about her lack of luck. Sensing she was calmed down now, Steve released her, and she looked at him curiously. "If you don't like fireworks, why do you still watch them?"

Another good question. "Well, they're pretty to look at," Steve answered earnestly. "And I like all the colors."

"They're pretty," Maggie agreed, but then looked sad again. "But I still don't like them."

"And that's okay," Steve assured her, placing a hand on her arm. "You don't have to like them."

"But it's your birthday," Maggie argued. "You should get to see the fireworks on your birthday so you can see the pretty colors."

Maggie's selflessness always scared Steve. As great of a quality as it was to have, he could already tell she would do whatever she could to make others happy, and show them how much she loved them. He feared for the day when she'd get taken advantage of, the day when someone evil would hurt her by using her own generosity against her. "I don't want to, if it makes you sad. I'd rather have a happy Maggie than fireworks."

At his words, Maggie appeared conflicted. Guilt crossed her face. "But then won't you be sad because you missed the fireworks?"

"I'll have plenty of chances to see fireworks on other days for a long time," Steve reminded, raising his hand to her cheek. She leaned into his touch, her smaller hands wrapping around his wrist. "But, I'll only have so much time with you when you're little."

He wasn't sure if the words were correct, and they came out a bit prematurely. The usual filter he placed on his thoughts before voicing them to Maggie, because she was so young, wasn't as quick to respond this time; he was basically confessing to being sad about Maggie growing up, even when she was still only eight years old and standing in front of him right now.

"Didn't you say I'll always be your little girl?" Maggie asked softly, and he laughed.

"I did, didn't I? It's true," Steve said, gently brushing his thumb across her soft cheek. "You always will be."

Maggie smiled, then stepped forward and embraced Steve. He kissed her temple as he wrapped his arms around her small body, standing up and setting her at his hip. "Come on, let's go hug Mama in our wet clothes," he offered.

She giggled against his shoulder. "Mama will get mad."

"She might, but she can't stay mad forever; it's my birthday," Steve assured his young daughter as he walked back toward the house. He decided he'd deal with the water guns later.

The short trek back to the sliding glass doors was silent, father and daughter simply enjoying each other's close presence. Stepping inside of the house, Steve could still hear Natasha in the kitchen. He paused for a moment, turning back to shut the door.

Then, "Daddy?"

"Yeah?"

"Happy birthday."

Steve smiled, gently patting Maggie on the back. "Thanks, Maggie." _You've given me more than I could have ever wanted.  
_

* * *

**A/N: **Hi, again, just here to warn you that the next two consecutive chapters aren't gonna be happy. I'M GOING TO STATE RIGHT NOW THAT YOU SHOULD BLAME **INDEPENDENTALTO **WHO HELPED PLAN THEM AND MAKE THEM VERY SAD. They'll be a bit darker than what we've seen so far, so I just thought I'd warn you all...Also, I need to know how many of you know the basics of/like Pokemon (this is for scientific purposes and just plain curiosity). XD HAPPY 4TH!


	59. Boats (Part 1)

**A/N: **Alright here it is, folks...a particularly dark arc, part 1. As in, it's time for H.Y.D.R.A. to take a stab at grabbing Maggie while she's young...AGAIN FOR THE RECORD, I BLAME LIKE 55% OF THIS CHAPTER AND THE NEXT ON **INDEPENDENTALTO**. SHE CAME UP WITH SOME OF THE V UPSETTING PARTS. INCLUDING THE PLOT TWIST IN THIS ONE. ALSO I AM APOLOGIZING TO EVERYONE WHO WANTED MORE BUCKY IN THIS FIC RIGHT NOW. YOU CAN GO BLAME **INDEPENDENTALTO **FOR HIS ROLE IN THIS AS WELL.

PLEASE DON'T HATE ME, I LOVE YOU ALL. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT OF THIS STORY.

**trigger warning(s): **child abduction, vague mentions of torture, just a lot of scary and dark things okay (I mean, not nearly as bad as plenty of the other whump fics you can find on here, but darker than the other chapters in this story...okay I'm going to shut up now)

* * *

"Uncle Bucky! Guess what?"

The metal-armed man turned his head to meet Maggie's excited expression, amused. She had this habit of suddenly changing topics when an excited thought struck her. He reached over to grab her plate, stacking it on top of his, and handed the two off to Steve, who was helping Natasha clean up after dinner.

"What, baby punk?"

If Steve was a punk, that made Maggie a punk by inheritance, obviously.

Her smile grew at the term of 'endearment.' "I got a new set of action figures from Uncle Tony in the mail!"

Natasha rolled her eyes as she loaded the dishwasher. "He spoils you too much, Лапушка."

"That's not my fault," the eleven year old pointed out. "He just likes to give me stuff!"

"So, these new action figures of yours," Bucky finally responded, looking curious, "do they include a certain one-armed Avenger? Who has a metal arm?"

"No," Maggie sighed, disappointment on her face as she answered. She looked at Bucky apologetically. "I don't think you have any cool action figures yet."

"Not fair," Bucky huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Let it go, Buck, being a toy isn't the coolest thing in the world," Steve reminded, watching his friend's behavior with an amused expression.

"Says you. You're the one with your face on, literally, _everything_," Bucky pointed out.

"That's very true," Natasha added, and Steve rolled his eyes.

"You two are always so dramatic," he commented, as Maggie jumped out of her seat and pulled Bucky with her.

"Come on, come on, come on! We gotta go play with them!" she insisted, dragging Bucky out of the room before he could protest. Steve chuckled.

"Will Maggie ever slow down?" he wondered aloud as Natasha closed the dishwasher and pushed a few buttons to start it.

"Doubt it," she answered with a lighthearted scoff.

They resumed cleaning and putting everything away, Natasha reorganizing things on the counter and Steve taking care of everything that went back on shelves (he _was _the taller one, after all). After they finished, they both sat back at the table with a mutual sigh, now able to relax.

"So," Natasha began, propping her elbows up on the table and leaning forward, "it looks like Bucky's back to normal."

"I knew he was the moment we found him," Steve agreed, looking relieved. "There's no way they could just reprogram the Winter Soldier in a few days."

A few weeks prior, Bucky had been captured by H.Y.D.R.A., most likely to be brainwashed again to resume his role as the Winter Soldier, carrying out missions for them. Steve immediately led the Avengers on a mission to find him, leaving Maggie with Phil and May while they were gone (because, yeah, _that _happened, and Maggie was sworn to secrecy about their relationship with everyone else aside from her parents). It was stressful, and Steve hardly let himself rest because there was _no way _he was going to lose Bucky to H.Y.D.R.A. again. Natasha had also been worried, but much calmer about it than Steve. The contrast led to some tense moments between the two parents, but they knew it was just because of the high tension of the situation.

Plus, it appeared everything was back to normal now, anyway. Bucky, as Steve had been sure of when they found him, didn't appear to have been brainwashed back into the Winter Soldier. He knew he had been held captive for a bit, but he insisted he didn't remember any brainwashing going on. Upon returning home, he passed all of his psych evaluations with S.H.I.E.L.D., so, even Fury was confident he was normal. Natasha, on the other hand, wasn't so sure.

"I don't know, Steve," she decided to take the leap, knowing Steve would probably go on the defensive. "They could have done _something._"

"Well, we just spent a whole day with him," Steve reminded her. Bucky had been over at their house since lunch, practically, hanging out with the two Avengers and playing with Maggie. "If something was off, we'd notice."

Natasha bit her lip thoughtfully for a moment. "He _did _slip and call me Natalia earlier."

"He does that all the time."

"Not really. _Used _to, yeah, but not in recent years."

Now, the two Avengers were staring intently into each other's eyes, silently challenging the other. They hadn't played tense mind games like this with each other for years, until the recent Bucky mission had left them at odds with each other.

Maybe that disagreement was still lingering.

"What are you saying?" Steve asked carefully, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"I'm saying, I don't think Bucky came out unscathed," Natasha spoke slowly, so Steve could absorb every word at whatever pace he desired. "H.Y.D.R.A. doesn't mess around. People who brainwash people don't mess around, either, for that matter."

They were nearing dangerous territory now, since Natasha knew, firsthand, what brainwashing was like. Steve didn't reply because of this.

Finally, Natasha gave in with a sigh. "Look, Steve, I'm not trying to antagonize either of you - I promise, I'm not - I just…I can't shake the feeling of something being wrong here, you know? I mean, _why _take Bucky back so abruptly in the first place? I figured they would have given up on the Winter Soldier program by now. Also, don't you think it was a bit…easy to get him back?"

She was being completely earnest, Steve could tell. Natasha was genuinely worried, but Steve still thought her to be a bit paranoid. After all this was his _best friend _they were talking about. At least, that's what made Steve more biased than he'd ever let on, and Natasha knew it.

"It'll be fine, Natasha. I think you're overreacting a bit," Steve ventured, expecting her to throw some defensive comment back in reply.

Instead, she gave him a weak smile in return, as if to show she wasn't going to fight him on this any longer.

"I hope you're right."

* * *

Maggie rambled and ranted about each of her new Avengers figures for a while. She was so absorbed in her words, she practically forgot Bucky was there.

Which only made what he was there to do easier.

He quietly closed the door while Maggie spoke, and she didn't notice.

Instead, she was ready to actually _play _with the action figures.

"Okay, Uncle Bucky," Maggie addressed him, holding out the Captain America figure, "you can be Daddy. I wanna be Mama. And Uncle Clint."

Bucky chuckled, taking the miniature plastic Steve with an amused expression. "Thanks. Who are we trying to save?"

"Stella," Maggie answered as she deposited said husky plushie on top of her dresser, behind some Pokemon figures - Bucky was able to recognize one as the 'Pikachu' character. "The evil Pokemon abducted her! We have to defeat them!"

The crossover was creative, Bucky thought. "Alright. Avengers, assemble!"

As he made the call, Maggie pushed the rest of her Avengers figures toward Bucky and the Captain America figure.

Thus began their mission - "Operation: Alaska," Maggie called it, because Stella was an Alaskan Husky, apparently - and it was nothing short of dramatic. There were some close calls, some near 'deaths' with some of the Avengers (Maggie was definitely her father's kid for her similar dramatic habits, Bucky decided), but, in the end, they defeated the evil Pikachu and his hench-Pokemon, saving Stella and the whole world, as Pikachu had apparently intended to take it over.

All of this from an eleven year old's mind - Bucky didn't try to explain it, he just rolled with it.

"Now that we're done, there's one more monster you have to defeat," Bucky suddenly alerted Maggie, who looked around curiously.

"Really? Who? Where?" she asked, but received her answer when Bucky began tickling her.

She shrieked in laughter. "Uncle Bucky! Stop!"

The words came out a bit jumbled through her giggles. After a few moments, Bucky only had his metal hand still on Maggie, carefully holding her down. She always took a few seconds to 'un-feel' the tickling sensation when someone tickled her, so he knew he had time to reach behind him, into his pocket and retrieve the syringe.

Maggie seemed to notice he was doing something as her laughter dissipated. "Uncle Bucky? What are you doing?"

He didn't reply as he fully revealed the drug - whatever it was, Maggie didn't recognize, but she immediately knew something was not right in this situation when she saw the needle.

"Uncle Bucky? Uncle Bucky!"

Her voice was raising in volume and worry now, so Bucky knew he only had a few moments before Steve or Natasha overheard Maggie's yells (though, they'd probably assume Maggie and Bucky were just playing, until Maggie started to call for one of her parents specifically). She started trying to push him away, and Bucky knew he would have to be cautious - the serum was starting to set in her now, according to Steve a few weeks prior, so Maggie sometimes experienced spontaneous bursts of superhuman strength.

Luckily for him, though, this time was not one of them, as he was able to shift his hold on her to inject her arm with the knock-out drug. The dosage was strong, as the H.Y.D.R.A. doctor who gave it to Bucky wasn't sure how effective the serum was in Maggie's body yet in terms of her metabolism. It appeared to work perfectly, though, as her movements immediately slowed and her words slurred.

"Uncle Bucky…what...?"

Maggie's protests died out, and she fell completely limp, her eyes slipping closed. The last thing Bucky noticed about the blue orbs was the trust Maggie still held in them; she believed he was doing this for a good reason.

Naivety like that was fatal in their world - Maggie's unconscious form now proved that.

* * *

Natasha ended up dozing off on the couch, curled up into Steve's side, while Maggie and Bucky were playing in her room. After their conversation in the kitchen, both Avengers dropped the topic, not wanting to discuss it any further when the subject of the discussion was still in their house.

Steve was reading a S.H.I.E.L.D. file - because, really, when were they ever _not _working and reading files - when he heard Maggie laugh and tell Bucky to stop. He was probably tickling her, Steve figured, as that was something Bucky was infamous for with Maggie. She continued yelling a bit more, but then fell quiet. Steve shrugged it off, thinking they finished their little 'tickle war.'

He was wrong, though, as, suddenly, a crash from down the hall startled both of them, waking Natasha immediately. She and Steve made confused eye contact silently for a moment before practically hurling themselves off the couch and running toward the sound.

"Maggie!" Steve called as they rushed down the hall. "Bucky!"

Natasha wasted no time in throwing the door to Maggie's room open, revealing their answer: a broken window.

The room, meanwhile, was completely empty. Maggie's toys were strewn everywhere, indicating she had been playing with them, and it looked as if nothing bad had sole indicator of something transpiring was the completely shattered window across the room from the doorway. Combined with the absence of the man and girl, it was made clear that what had broken the window was Bucky and Maggie jumping through and out of it.

The only thing about that, though, was, _why? _

Natasha thought of all this as she quickly crossed the small room, looking around outside the space where the window had once been. Cursing under her breath as she didn't see either of the two missing persons, she jumped out of the small square herself, looking around in every direction once outside. Up, down, left, right - _nothing. _

Steve quickly joined her outside, snapping Natasha out of her momentary shock and panic. "I'll go down left, you go the other way."

He wasted no time in following his own instructions as he ran around the house and up the street. She felt herself nod before taking off in the direction Steve told her, down the street, hoping to find why the _hell _Bucky would break Maggie out of her own room through the window. It just made no logical sense to her, she thought, as she turned right at the first intersection. Unless…

Unless that was, in fact, Bucky getting into a dark-colored unmarked van with an unconscious Maggie in his arms just a couple hundred feet down the street from her.

She ran faster than she ever thought she had before. There were no clear thoughts in her mind, no words forming on her lips, nothing - it was just her and the scene in front of her in that moment, the only other thing existing in Natasha's vision being the dark van.

But, it was useless, as it sped off before Natasha had even come close to it. She continued running, though, trying to keep up with it, but falling behind fairly quickly, and losing sight of it completely once it turned down a random street much farther up ahead of her.

By the time Natasha reached the street, the van, and any traces of it - or Maggie - were gone. She finally skidded to a stop, her heart beating erratically in her chest, her lungs hardly filling with oxygen, her eyes burning.

Maggie was gone. This time, Natasha hadn't expected someone to be after her daughter. This time, Natasha wasn't able to take a bullet for her to protect her. This time, Natasha had little to no control over what would happen to Maggie.

This time…Natasha _failed. _

* * *

They immediately went to the Triskelion, via Steve's bike so they could weave in and out of traffic to get there as quickly as possible. Along the way, Natasha barked orders into her phone, telling the Avengers to get their shit together and assemble, convincing Fury to put everything else on the back burner, warning Phil Coulson to get his own goddamn team together.

Maggie was going to need everything if H.Y.D.R.A. took her.

Steve was eerily quiet ever since he and Natasha met back up again at the house. It was clear that Bucky had betrayed them, for whatever reason…Bucky was with H.Y.D.R.A. again, they _had _managed to brainwash him.

At least, that's the belief Steve was holding onto, and what Natasha hoped was the truth. Otherwise, they weren't sure they could handle the man _truly _being a villain.

When they arrived at the Triskelion, Natasha and Steve hardly exchanged words; they simply didn't need to because they knew what to do. From the garage, they went straight to Fury's office, where Maria and Fury were already waiting.

"The Avengers are on their way; they'll be here within the hour," Maria immediately informed the soldier and spy upon walking in. "We just pulled Barton from his mission, so he'll be along a little bit later, but he's coming."

"Good," Natasha responded stiffly, her expression as hard as ever, as she and Steve stopped in front of Fury's desk.

"Coulson is also on his way up with his team," Fury reported. If he was at all worried about what was happening - which he damn well _should _be, Natasha flared - he was doing a good job at hiding his concern.

"Thank you." Steve's voice was quiet, indicating how defeated he felt, as he stared down, off to the side. It was then, Natasha remembered, this wasn't the first time he had to go through losing Maggie to the unknown; the only difference was, this time, Bucky didn't appear to be acting on the side of 'good.' So, even if Maggie was with him, she wasn't safe, unlike when she was hiding away from the Red Room with Natasha.

Not a minute later, Phil arrived with May, Skye, and Bobbi, and a promise of FitzSimmons returning home from their current mission ASAP. They all looked how Natasha felt: _terrified. _Though, of course, everyone tried to keep their fear in check and out of their expressions, Natasha could detect it in the way they breathed and blinked and just stood there.

"Tasha, Steve," Phil spoke sympathetically, his expression softer than normal, as he approached the two crestfallen Avengers, "what happened?"

Steve appeared to be in no shape to talk, as he was still zoning out, so Natasha took the initiative. "We had him over for dinner - Bucky - and he took off with Maggie, about an hour ago now. They were playing in Maggie's room when we heard a sudden crash. We got there, and her window was taken out completely, and there was no sign of either of them. We ran after them separately, and I saw them getting into a black, unmarked van. They took off and I lost them."

It was a very short, brief explanation, but still held the same amount of detail that Natasha and Steve knew about the situation: _very little. _As far as they knew, Maggie was taken by Bucky in a black van, most likely headed to H.Y.D.R.A.. That was about it for their leads.

Natasha could only hope they found more.

* * *

When the rest of the Avengers arrived, plus a frazzled Pepper Potts, it was incredibly overwhelming. Tensions were high, as it only took one wrong word to set the group off into an argument.

Steve remained silent through most of it, only talking when prompted. Natasha, meanwhile, was trying to take charge of the entire situation, because she knew everyone involved was compromised; no one was looking at this as a simple mission because they were all emotionally invested. If they let that get to their heads, they would get nowhere, and Natasha legitimately feared that.

Skye and Tony were hacking. Fury and Maria were researching. Phil and May were guessing. Pepper was pacing. Bruce was helping Tony and Skye. Clint and Bobbi were brainstorming. Thor wasn't present. Steve was _hardly _present. Natasha was stressed out.

At this rate, H.Y.D.R.A. could be taking Maggie anywhere, if they weren't already somewhere. If they were settled in some place, Natasha could only imagine what they would do to her. Take blood samples for sure. Human experimentation wasn't out of the question. Brainwashing and torturing…

Natasha shook her head, forcing herself to focus. That's right - she needed to _focus. _Worrying over what exactly could be happening to Maggie at that moment would not help.

For once, she needed to put Maggie away and out of her mind, and look at it like finding a H.Y.D.R.A. base. She could worry over putting Maggie back together _after _saving her.

...Was there really a happy ending to this?

At this point in time, Natasha wasn't so sure.

* * *

When Maggie woke up in a bed, she decided she didn't like needles very much.

Bucky, whose appearance prompted the decision (the last time Maggie saw him, he jabbed her with a needle!), was standing at the foot of the bed, but, upon staring at him more intently, Maggie decided that couldn't have been her Uncle Bucky; he would _never _bring her to such a scary place.

The room _was _pretty scary, too. The bed she was in looked like a hospital bed, but one of her hands was cuffed to the railing on the side. The other was free, but had some kind of thing hooked up to her arm. Thinking hard for a few moments, Maggie was able to remember Bruce calling it an "IV" once, but he had said it was for people who were so hurt they couldn't eat or drink anything by themselves. So, why was _she_, a perfectly healthy person, hooked up to one? The idea of the line connected to her arm containing something other than nutrients never crossed her mind.

The rest of the room was pretty dark, despite the dim glow from the ceiling light above her, a contrast from the mass of white sheets she was sitting on. It almost made the bed light up, in a way, with the rest of the dull room as the backdrop. There was a door behind the Bucky doppelganger, she made out after squinting her eyes. The space around them was empty, but it didn't matter much because it was an already tiny room.

Finally, she sat up, and her eyes fell back on the mysterious, fake Bucky; she voiced her theory. "You're not my Uncle Bucky."

She silently cursed the small note of fear in her voice.

If Bucky noticed it, he didn't say. Instead, something strange passed over his face for a moment, before he narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "Yes, I am."

"No, you're not. My Uncle Bucky would never give me a shot and then take me somewhere." She paused, the memories of the events that led to this trickling into her mind. "Where are my parents?"

Were Natasha and Steve aware that she had been taken? Did they _know _she would be taken? If Bucky was taking her somewhere, they would know ahead of time, right? Or had they been surprised, too? Maggie was so confused.

"At home, still," the metal-armed man answered shortly.

Uncomfortably, Maggie looked down at the IV in her arm, before looking back up at Bucky again. "Um, my mom said only my Uncle Brucie is allowed to give me shots or take my blood."

"Well, your Uncle Bucky is now allowed to as well," Bucky replied dryly, almost looking bored.

Maggie felt sickeningly anxious, all of a sudden, as it hit her: _kidnapped. That's _what happened to her. She had learned about it from Clint, once, long before - back when she was little, and he taught her where to kick a bad guy if they tried to hurt her. It worked, too, since she kicked Alexei Shostakov in the spot Clint had told her to when the Russian man had attacked, but, now that she was restrained to a bed, Maggie didn't think she'd be able to do it to Bucky.

Said man's insistence on being the actual Bucky unnerved Maggie. She knew a _little _about what had happened to him, and how H.Y.D.R.A. was the reason he had a metal arm and was still alive eighty years later than he should been, but that was pretty much it.

"If you're my Uncle Bucky, then," she decided to quiz him, "what did you give me for my eighth birthday?"

That had been a fun birthday, three years prior. Unfortunately, the reflection on the feeling of her family surrounding her and showering in love on that day didn't make Maggie feel better; it just made her sad and a little homesick. God, she already wanted nothing more than to go home.

Bucky smirked a bit at the question. "I gave you a new Nerf gun and Nerf crossbow. After you opened it, we ambushed your parents when they weren't paying attention."

_Darn. He really _is _Uncle Bucky. _

"I told you, kid, I'm your Uncle Bucky."

Suddenly, Maggie felt angry, her face hardening as she met Bucky's gaze coldly. "Then why did you _kidnap _me?"

"I was just following orders," Bucky answered earnestly, which scared Maggie. Who would order Bucky to do _this_? The same people that Maggie's _parents _worked for? Surely, Fury wouldn't authorize him _kidnapping _her!

She pulled on her cuffed hand, gritting her teeth as her wrist protested in pain due to the metal digging into her skin. Steve's serum was in her blood, she could be _strong_ sometimes. Why couldn't it happen _now? _

"Give it a rest, kid," Bucky scoffed, walking from the spot he was standing up to the side of the bed, where Maggie's right hand was cuffed to the railing. "Super soldier serum or not, these cuffs won't give."

Maggie broke for a moment, releasing the breath she had unconsciously sucked in when beginning her escape efforts, as she let her hand fall back to the bed, limp. She looked back up at Bucky defiantly.

"If I try hard enough, I can do it."

He raised an eyebrow, an unfamiliar look passing in his eyes for a moment, before he gave a small smile. If he thought hard enough, he could remember a seemingly similar little girl who said the same exact thing, her voice just as determined and strong as Maggie's.

"Just like your mother, huh?"

Like her mother? Maggie looked at him curiously at that, taken aback by his sudden allusion to Natasha. What was _that _supposed to mean?

Maggie didn't get a chance to ask, as the door opened, and a few men walked in. Recognizing none of them, she was immediately able to determine they were all bad guys. She tried to appear strong, sitting up a little straighter and meeting their gazes with her own cold (at least, she _hoped _she looked mean) eyes.

"Welcome to H.Y.D.R.A.," the tallest man greeted, his voice both warm and cool at the same time; it sent chills down Maggie's spine. "Sorry about the restraints, we just wanted to make sure you didn't run away."

She tried to cover the paralyzing fear she was truly beginning to feel. _H.Y.D.R.A. _The bad guys from everyone's stories. And that's what Maggie had begun to think of them as, too - nothing more than the villains from her parents and relatives' stories; people who existed in the _past. _

Maggie decided to verbally address the newcomers after a few moments. "Are you the people who told my Uncle Bucky to kidnap me?"

The tall man regarded her curiously before replying. "Yes. But, you're right, he's not just your Uncle Bucky anymore; he's also the Winter Soldier."

_The Winter Soldier. _That name sounded familiar… Then, it clicked in Maggie's head: the bad guy from the story about her parents falling in love when S.H.I.E.L.D. fell!

She had asked them what happened to the Winter Soldier after he disappeared, but both Steve and Natasha would just brush off the question, and dismiss it with a vague answer of not knowing. Were they really _lying _to her all along?

Or were these H.Y.D.R.A. men lying?

Faith in her family led her to come to the latter conclusion. "You're _lying._"

But, the man just raised an eyebrow at her inquiry. "Am I?"

He didn't deny it, but, somewhere, deep down, Maggie had a feeling they weren't lying. After all, that explained why Bucky would kidnap her and take her to H.Y.D.R.A. Looking back up at the supposed 'Winter Soldier,' Maggie's expression fell. She really _was _alone in this, now.

She fought down the feeling of rising panic as the tall man continued. "Anyway, we just had some questions about the super soldier serum - you know what that is, yes?"

Maggie just nodded quietly, looking down in her lap, still shaken by Bucky's betrayal. Had he really been a bad guy for her _whole life? _Did he really _never love her? _She quivered a bit at the thought, feeling more vulnerable than ever.

"Your father, Captain America, was injected with it before World War II. We just want to know if you've experienced any of the effects of it." The tall man approached her, now, stopping at the side of the bed opposite of Bucky. He leaned down, more to her level, making direct eye contact. "If you tell us now, it'll make things a lot easier than what we'd have to do to find out."

Was that a threat? It rattled Maggie a bit, but she steeled herself. Something told her if H.Y.D.R.A. was the person asking, she shouldn't tell them the answer. Thinking about it more, that made sense - the Red Room had wanted her for similar reasons, if she remembered correctly. Of course H.Y.D.R.A. would also be curious.

So Maggie stayed quiet. She didn't acknowledge the men at all, simply choosing to avert her gaze from the tall, scary man and return to staring at her hands in her lap. All the serum had ever done was bring her grief; it led bad guys to her, and caused her to hurt others and destroy things unintentionally. She hated it.

The man sighed, standing up straight. "You're only making this harder on yourself. We'll have to test your limits for you if you don't tell us what they are."

She had a sinking feeling that, either way, they were going to hurt her. What was the point of giving up supposedly valuable information, then, if she wasn't going to get out of this perfectly okay anyway?

Maggie tried ignoring them as they began to move, setting up things in the room and explaining what they would be doing to her. Her shoulders sagged sadly, as she looked back up at Bucky with a sorrowful expression. With a deep inhale to calm herself, she realized she still trusted him, and tried to convey it to him in her gaze.

Instead, he just wordlessly turned and walked out of the room with the tall man - he had introduced himself as 'Grant Ward,' which Maggie recognized from the stories Phil's team had told her. Before she could speak up and ask him why he betrayed everyone and hurt Skye and Bobbi so deeply, he was gone, leaving Maggie in a room of complete strangers now.

She tried fighting back as they hooked up more things to her arms, but it ended up being useless, as her other hand was soon restrained. Then, things started hurting, and the world became less clear.

The only thing Maggie could register from that point on was calling for her parents through the tears she couldn't hold back.

* * *

Natasha was getting anxious. It had been two days since Maggie's abduction, and there were barely any leads. She paced around a lot - a nervous habit she usually saved for behind private doors, but had now adopted to practicing out in the open.

Everyone else was also distressed, which left their overall ability to work in shambles. It was hard to focus and compartmentalize. No one could sleep or eat, only stopping to do one of the two things after someone forced them to or it just happened.

On the third night, for example, Skye didn't realize she had fallen asleep until she was woken by the sound of her cell phone.

She sat up quickly, unconsciously registering the fact she was in the middle of a…lounge area? Her laptop was sitting on the coffee table in front of her, still on, and Natasha was sitting across from her, still typing away on her own computer. The redhead paused at the sound of the phone ringing, though, as her gaze drifted from the screen to the small device sitting on the table.

According to the device, it was just past four in the morning. Shooting Natasha a confused expression as the Caller ID informed Skye it was an unknown, but private, caller, she picked up the phone and answered the call anxiously.

"Hello?"

"_Well, if it isn't my good old friend Skye." _

Skye visibly paled at the voice, her face going blank and the hand holding the phone trembling. Natasha noticed immediately, her focus shifting from her laptop to Skye's nervous form.

So many things entered her mind at the sound of his voice. His betrayal, his crimes, FitzSimmons plummeting to their near-deaths from the plane, Bobbi's torture… It took a moment of calming herself, but, finally, Skye was able to find her breath again. "Ward."

At that, Natasha shut her laptop closed, and forced Skye's hand to do the same with her own. She then grabbed the brunette by the arm, quickly dragging her down a hall.

On the way, Grant Ward continued speaking. _"It's been awhile - years, most likely. How many do you think? Six, maybe?" _

Skye didn't reply, momentarily focusing again on the real world as she found herself standing in Phil's office, Natasha pushing her into a chair in front of his desk. The senior agent simply watched the redhead curiously from his seat, casting his own stack of files aside curiously. "Tasha?"

Steve and Clint also looked up from the other spots they had been in the room, having been sifting through files of known H.Y.D.R.A. locations and putting together teams of agents and other Avengers, like Sam, Rhodey, and the twins, to scope out possible locations of the base they were holding Maggie at. The two men slowly got closer to where Natasha was standing over a very timid Skye, who was on the phone.

"Why are you calling me?" she questioned Ward sharply instead, knowing that Maggie's age paralleled with the years since the last time Skye had encountered the former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent - when Skye had finally allowed herself to relax and return home, instead of scouring the world for Inhumans to find a place she felt she belonged (she always belonged at S.H.I.E.L.D., Phil had pointed out, as it was her first real home). That was when she met Maggie, who was five years old. Now, the girl was eleven, and kept Skye coming back to S.H.I.E.L.D. every day; Skye promised to help Maggie out when she grew up and joined the agency, and Maggie had already managed to convince Fury to let Skye be her supervising officer (Skye had no idea when or how that conversation happened, but she didn't question it).

As thoughts and memories of Maggie cluttered her mind and triggered her emotions, Skye fought down the quickly rising panic and anxiety and fear and sadness. Ward calling her for the first time in, well, _years_, as he pointed out, and Maggie's kidnapping had to be related for _sure. _

So, Ward was probably with Maggie, then.

"Put him on speaker," Natasha ordered quietly, and Skye quickly followed the command as Ward replied. She set the phone on Phil's desk.

"_-just want to call an old friend to catch up? Is that a crime?" _

Phil frowned at the voice, appearing to be just short of seething at the sound. Clint's eyes narrowed thoughtfully, as he remembered the time Bobbi had been rescued from this man (she had been awfully shaken up, and rightfully so). Steve stepped closer to Natasha, almost protectively, but also to both seek and offer comfort. Phil leaned over, handing Skye his tablet, so she could try to trace the call (though, they were sure Ward wouldn't leave a trail that was easy to pick up).

"We aren't friends," Skye assured him, coldly, as she began tapping away at the screen of the tablet. "You lost that privilege when you turned on us."

Ward took the answer in stride. _"That's unfortunate, then, because I have something here that only a friend would lend me." _

The two parent Avengers stiffened at that, and Skye fought down the urge to quake her phone then and there, as if it were Ward himself. She looked between Natasha and Phil, as if asking how to reply.

Surprisingly, Clint answered for them, as he now had arguably the most emotional control over himself in the room - he only knew Ward from the stories he'd heard and Bobbi's traumatic homecoming, and he wasn't one of Maggie's parents (though, he came in at a close second to that as far as his bond with the girl went), therefore making him (in theory) the most level-headed person in the room at this point. Skye made a mental note to later thank Bobbi, once again, for teaching her sign language during their downtime between missions years before, as Clint signed, "Ask him what he's talking about. Don't let him know you're attached."

"What are you talking about, Ward? Just cut to the chase already," Skye questioned, hoping her voice truly was as strong as it sounded to herself.

"_Why, I'm talking about little Maggie Rogers here. You know, the 'secret' daughter of Captain America and Black Widow?"_

Natasha's blood ran cold.

* * *

Maggie tried to suppress a fearful tremble as the ex-S.H.I.E.L.D. agent said her name in such a teasing tone.

Ward wore a casual expression as he looked down at her, sitting at his feet. She was leaning against a wall, her knees pulled up to her chest with her arms on top, as she stared up at him. He could tell she was trying to look brave, but she shook nervously, and her eyes held a blank, but fearful, stare. She had been like this ever since Ward had left the scientists to work on her the day before, and was now incredibly weakened from the different chemicals running through her veins, which had led Ward to just letting her sit against the wall without needing restraints to hold her in place. He knew she wouldn't be strong enough to do anything, so he just pushed her along down the hall when he decided to call Skye.

When Ward first met Maggie, though, and after Bucky recalled his interactions with her before and after taking her, Ward was surprised by how emotional she seemed to be. She was easy to excite and enthuse, but cold and angry when someone wronged her; she sympathized with others, and tended to wear her heart on her sleeve.

Natasha Romanoff must really be a softie, then, if her daughter turned out as the shivering mass of emotions plain as day below him. He thought someone so infamous for her emotional manipulation and cold-heartedness would shut down her child's emotions, rather than encourage them; it was odd, but interesting, and spoke volumes about Romanoff's true character.

"Really, Skye, you're a hacker; I thought you would know this by now," Ward teased. "And, you're a huge fan of the Avengers, aren't you? That, with being able to hack, means you should have known since the moment this girl was _conceived._"

"_That's none of my business." _

It was a weak reply, Ward knew, and he had a feeling Skye, and whoever was in her little audience huddled around the phone (because, really, Skye would put important calls like these on speaker) were aware of that, too.

So, Ward sighed. "You're lying, Skye. You know this girl; pretty well, I'm going to guess. When I said your name, she looked a little relieved; I'm curious. Here, let me put her on."

He bent down, holding the phone out between himself and Maggie. She looked at the offered object anxiously, wondering if this was a trick.

* * *

Natasha never lost her cool. She never showed any sign of weakness. She was always in control. _Always. _

But, despite that, her hand found Steve's at some point during the phone call, and now they were connected by a death grip. It tightened with every word Ward spoke, it seemed.

And now he was going to put Maggie on the phone. Natasha willed herself to stay strong, and she had a feeling Steve was doing the same.

"_Alright, Skye, you're on speaker now. Maggie? Any words? Now's your chance." _

Maggie didn't speak at first, which scared Natasha. Was this some sort of torture for her - was she somehow unable to speak? Her mind raced with different fears as to how this could all be one giant mind game Ward was forcing them through, but Skye's voice cut through that.

"Maggie, kid, it's okay, you can talk now," Skye spoke calmly and softly, but still clearly and loudly so Maggie could understand every word. "I'm right here."

"_Skye?" _

It was one word, but it was Maggie's one word. Natasha released a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding; even though this was very little in the grand scheme of things, it meant Maggie was still alive. _Thank God. _

"Yeah, kid, it's me," Skye assured her, her voice shaking a bit from the emotion threatening to spill over. She bit her lip, not sure what else to say, until Clint, with hands trembling from his own feelings, signed, "Tell her Tasha and Steve miss her."

"Your parents miss you a lot," Skye followed Clint.

"_I miss them, too… I miss everyone. I-I wanna go home. My head hurts, and I'm too tired to stand up, and everything hurts. I don't l-like it here, Skye." _

There was a slight tremble to her voice, and she sounded exhausted. Steve frowned, wondering what they could have done to her so far. Her head hurt - that could mean anything from dehydration to brainwashing, knowing H.Y.D.R.A. It was the same for the exhaustion part, but 'everything hurting'? That unnerved Steve much more than he'd like to admit, and one glance in Natasha's direction told him she was feeling the same.

"I know you don't, kid, I know," Skye confirmed, pulling Steve from his thoughts. "Just hang on for a little while longer. We'll be coming soon."

But, Maggie made a small noise of disagreement. _"Agent Ward says I have to say 'bye.'" _

"Okay, just do what he tells you, and-"

"_He said I have to say 'bye' forever." _

Natasha and Steve shared looks of slight horror, knowing this conversation was about to get a million times worse.

Skye gave a small, nervous laugh. "Maggie, that's silly, we'll see you again. Really soon, I promise."

"_Can you please tell Mama and Daddy that I love them a lot?" _

Phil snuck a glance up toward the two Avengers, still connected by their hands. Natasha was staring at the phone Maggie's voice was coming from, her expression hard and unreadable, while Steve's gaze was focused on something else, off to the side. Once Phil noticed the wetness of Steve's eyes, he quickly averted his gaze, feeling intrusive.

Skye was starting to lose her cool, too. "Maggie…"

"_I don't remember the last time I told them, Skye." _

It seemed with each word Maggie continued to speak, Natasha and Steve's expressions fell farther, and their bodies grew tenser. Clint clenched his jaw, crossing his arms over his chest with a tight, upset frown.

Soon, Skye found herself nodding, though Maggie wouldn't be able to see the gesture. "I will, Maggie."

"_I just don't want them to be sad. Tell them they were the best parents ever. Please." _

Natasha could feel herself slipping away from the present moment. When emotions ran too high, she fled; that was her coping mechanism, her compartmentalization. Now, as it sounded Maggie may be facing death head-on, Natasha found herself feeling both nothing and everything at the same time. On one hand, she wasn't crying, just trembling; on the other hand, she wanted nothing more than to act out of pure emotions: she wanted to hug, kiss, and cuddle Maggie for the rest of eternity out of love; she wanted to kill Grant Ward out of spite; she wanted to cover her ears and block out Maggie's 'dying words' out of fear.

Skye had to wipe her own quiet tears away now. "I'll tell anyone anything you want me to, Maggie."

_"Okay, um… Tell Uncle Clint I love him a lot, too, and Aunt Pepper. They were always really fun." _

Everyone resisted the urge to look at Clint, who just stared out the window, looking down at the lit city of D.C. against the night sky, with a blank, but tight, expression. His hands were clenched in tight fists against his upper arms, his knuckles whitening from the pressure.

"_Tell Uncle Tony I forgive him for not playing with me last week, and that I'm sorry I bothered him. I still love him, too." _

Natasha had a feeling that man would be living with a dark shadow of guilt hanging over him for the rest of his life if Maggie didn't come out alive.

"_Let Uncle Brucie know I love both him and the Hulk. Tell Uncle Thor I wish I got to go Asgard for real. Make sure everyone knows I love them all and miss them, okay, Skye?" _

How could Maggie be so calm right now? Steve admired her ability to speak clearly and calmly for someone of her age in the situation she was in. When he was going down into the ice, he panicked, and made plans with Peggy over the radio to distract himself; Maggie, on the other hand, seemed to accept her fate, and was able to calmly talk about it to Skye over the phone. What did that say about whatever she may be enduring at the H.Y.D.R.A. base - was dying a true privilege compared to living in that moment for Maggie? The thought truly rattled Steve to his core.

"I will, Maggie, I promise, I swear on Avenger's honor, everything," Skye was crying now, her voice shaking from sorrow.

There was some shifting on the other end of the line, which everyone assumed to be Ward switching the phone back to normal. _"That was very touching. I applaud everyone with you right now for their ability to stay silent." _

Skye's voice turned angry, distracting from the sadness in it. "You're a _monster_, Ward. Why are you even doing this?"

"_A couple of reasons. For one, it's not fair." _

Skye didn't ask him to elaborate, but he did, anyway.

"_Romanoff is a _murderer. _She's killed God knows how many innocent people, yet, look where she is today. She's an Avenger, she has someone who loves her, and she even has a kid - a whole _family_. Why?" _

Natasha wasn't about to let Ward's words get to her, but they still chilled her. After all, these were questions she asked of herself and fate a lot over the years, too. How come _she _got a happy ending?

"_Meanwhile, I was manipulated and abused into what I did. Does that justify my actions? No. Yet, none of you ever gave me a _chance _to redeem myself. I was cast away immediately, and lost my chance at happiness. I'm just returning the favor." _

Before Skye could reply, everything seemed to stop as Maggie's voice sounded in the background.

"_My mom is _not _a murderer!" _

Natasha's eyes widened and her heart froze in her chest. She prayed Maggie hadn't just aggravated her captor, who held her life in his hands.

* * *

Maggie's gaze was strong, suddenly, as she stared up at Ward defiantly, similar to their first encounter, and very different from her countenance five minutes ago. He looked down at the now feisty girl beneath him, intrigued by her sudden burst of energy as he raised his eyebrows curiously.

"You're a bold one." He offered her a smirk. "You're talking out of turn."

"You're saying bad things about my mom," Maggie shot back, unwavering. "She's _not _a bad guy!"

Suddenly, Ward raised the hand that wasn't holding his phone, which held a gun instead. It had been there all along, as that was what had been ensuring Maggie stay in place the entire time, even though she was too weak to actually go anywhere on her own. He crouched down to her height, looking at her intently. "Are you sure about that? She killed people for _money. _No one was spared - she even murdered little girls like you."

"She's different now," Maggie insisted, meeting Ward's eyes coolly. It almost reminded him of Romanoff's own unwavering gaze. "She's a good guy. I love her."

"Then, enlighten me," Ward said dryly. "How come _she _gets to be happy, but _I _don't?"

"You're still a bad guy," Maggie pointed out. "She's been a good guy for a long time."

Ward weighed Maggie's words for a few moments. "So, you're saying, I deserve another chance?"

Maggie blinked, her expression looking slightly warmer than it had during the entire encounter. Maybe Ward wasn't so bad after all. Maybe he was just like her mom - hurt and confused, trying to find a new life away from all of the violence and evildoing. If that was the case, Maggie should be encouraging Ward. She thought, perhaps, if she could convince him to pursue this, he would have a change of heart and take her home.

"If you stop hurting people, then, yeah," she answered softly.

He slowly stood back up to full height, his expression thoughtful. Maggie swallowed nervously, wondering if she had really convinced him.

* * *

Natasha was holding her breath. She was somewhat aware of it, but she couldn't control it. She knew the moment she tried breathing again, she'd probably panic, because Maggie may have just angered Ward. That was very, _very _dangerous, considering how unbalanced he was; Natasha had no idea what he would do if he was bothered.

_She's too loyal for her own good, _she silently criticized her daughter. _Maggie, don't be an idiot. _

"_Well, this has been fun, but you didn't listen to my rules: you're only allowed to talk when I say you are. Apparently, you still have to learn how to comply and behave. Guess we'll have to go the old-fashioned way." _

_Who is he talking to? Maggie? Are they forcing her into compliance through brainwashing?_ Natasha's head spun from all the questions and what they could mean. Steve seemed to be thinking similarly, as something in his breathing changed. Skye swallowed a lump in her throat, worried as to where Ward was going with this.

"_I'll tell you the other reason I'm doing this right now, Skye: we were curious if the super soldier serum, when passed down genetically, was still as strong and effective as when injected into the subject. Maggie doesn't seem to want to comply or tell me herself, so, we'll just have to test that now."_

Everyone heard Maggie suddenly gasp.

Followed by a gunshot.

The line disconnected.

* * *

The instance Maggie was shot, Natasha could swear she herself was shot, too.

For her, it struck her gut, an agonizing pain that probably stemmed from the anxiety and dread she had been feeling for the past couple of days. The gunshot was the tipping point, and Natasha lost it.

Now, she was curled up in a ball on the couch in Phil's office Maggie usually occupied when she was there, trembling as the sound of the sudden gunshot replayed in her ears over and over again. She wasn't sure where everyone else was; they all left her after the phone call. Well, except for Phil, who was patiently sitting at his desk, waiting for her to float back down to earth.

Natasha had been paralyzed by fear and flashbacks several times before, but this was a new experience. One of the last instances she was like this was when Bruce - the Hulk - chased her on the helicarrier. Another had been after Wanda's magic gave her flashbacks during the Ultron event, but, once Maggie was back in her arms, Natasha immediately felt somewhat okay again. This time was worse, though; much, _much _worse, because _Maggie _was the one who was hurt and scared (if she were still alive and able to feel emotions, that is). Skye tried telling her maybe Ward shot something else, just to psych everyone out - but Natasha knew better.

This was a man who was in the same boat as her - abused and manipulated into batting for the wrong team. The only thing different about them was Natasha had already achieved her redemption, while Ward had yet to be given a complete chance. He was upset, and it was understandable. Natasha would be, too, if it were the other way around.

That's how she knew the feeling of a bullet striking her in that moment meant that a bullet had actually struck Maggie.

Steve seemed to get his head on straight at the same moment Natasha lost hers - it was ironic, but that was what made their partnership in missions and relationship work: where one stumbled, the other one rose up and took charge. He pointed out that H.Y.D.R.A. needed Maggie alive for her blood and to brainwash, as awful as it was, but, at the very least, it meant they had time to find and save her. But Natasha still wasn't so sure; if Maggie was misbehaving and refusing to comply like Ward implied she had been for a while now, they could just kill her off and use her blood then.

Natasha started crying at some point, she thought. Honestly, she didn't know how long it had been since the call - minutes? hours? _days? _\- she just knew she broke down in front of practically _everyone. _They all shuffled out of the room looking as if they had seen a ghost as a result, no one sure what to do to help her.

Maggie was so stupid. So, _so _stupid. Why would she do that - put herself in the line of fire _just _to sass her captor (and, now, possibly murderer) over the alignment of her mother? It made Natasha hate herself more than ever before, now knowing she had Maggie's blood on her hands, in a way.

Natasha knew she was in no shape to help find Maggie now - she had to wait for this mental episode to pass before she could even _see _properly, let alone do her job. She just needed to take a little break, and let Steve take over the search for a bit.

* * *

**A/N: **Okay, not gonna lie, I'm probably going to look back on this in a year and laugh because I totally went for the stereotypically dramatic 'oh no, my family got hurt by my enemies' trope here. Also not going to lie about the fact that writing Bucky's 'betrayal' (HE WAS BRAINWASHED AGAIN I'M SORRY) was so painful I _literally typed it out with my eyes closed. _I'm sure you all can imagine how silly that must have looked. On the brighter side, though, I'm actually really fantastic at typing, as I made very little typos! HELL YEAH!

To lighten the mood...I thought I'd start asking fun questions for you readers to answer at the end of each chapter! As I'm sure you all can see, I suck at actually replying to reviews, as I've become a bit withdrawn socially on the Internet over the years. But, I want to get to know all of you! So, for starters, where are all of you from? I'm from California, in the US. :D

Alright, now, the second half of this chapter should be up next week...IT ALL GETS RESOLVED I PROMISE. AND WE ALL KNOW THAT MAGGIE ISN'T DEAD BECAUSE SHE LIVES PAST THE AGE OF ELEVEN. OKAY I'LL STOP TALKING NOW BYE


	60. And Birds (Part 2)

**A/N: **And here's part 2! These two chapter titles were named after the song, "Boats and Birds" by Gregory and the Hawk. It is referenced later in this chapter, so if you're curious, I encourage you to check it out. It's a super sweet song that I listen to a lot for writing scenes with Natasha and Maggie. :)

Thanks for all the faves, follows, and reviews! You guys are awesome. :D It was so interesting to see where you guys were each from in the last chapter. Amazing! You've definitely all made this Californian very happy with all your support of this story. :)

* * *

Tony slammed his hands down on the table angrily after they finished listening to the playback of the phone call. He understood, now, why Natasha was in the unresponsive state she was in, and why Skye opted out of listening to it again. After pulling it up for them, the brunette Inhuman quickly fled the room with her laptop, insisting she'd work in a different room until it was over. Tony could see why now.

_Tell Uncle Tony I forgive him for not playing with me last week, and that I'm sorry I bothered him. I still love him, too. _Maggie's words for him rang in Tony's ears repeatedly. He had been working on some new tech for the Avengers, and it was tedious, so, yeah, he shooed her away - if he had known he was possibly shooing her away _forever… _

"Stark, we need to stay calm," Fury reminded him gently (well, as gentle as could be expected of Nick Fury). "If we lose our heads now, we'll lose her for good."

"How do you know we haven't already?" Tony muttered under his breath in reply, shaking his head angrily. "H.Y.D.R.A. doesn't need a living subject for the serum; they can just carve into her body now."

He hated to say it, but it was true, as much as he didn't want to think of it. In his peripheral vision, he noticed Steve's expression darken, as the soldier stood beside Fury with his arms crossed over his chest, his body tense.

"Right now, we need to assume they _do _need Maggie alive," Maria interjected, her gaze icy. "Having a young super soldier in their custody is tempting. They can mold her into anything they want, but they'll have to keep her alive to do that."

"Hill is right," Bobbi spoke up from the side of the room, where she had been standing quietly during the playback of the call. "When I was undercover in H.Y.D.R.A., they sought after powered and enhanced people for experimentation. Maggie's different - they _know _what kind of abilities she has, because they know what Cap can do. So, for her, it's just a matter of figuring out how to awaken those skills within her, and see if they can somehow transfer it to other people, too."

"Building a super soldier army," Steve commented dryly.

"Probably. Which means they need to be somewhere remote, but roomy," Bobbi continued. "Some place abandoned, in the middle of nowhere, so no outsiders will see or hear anything suspicious." They had already figured out as much already, but Bobbi voiced it anyway.

"Guys, I found something," Skye suddenly burst into the room, May by her side. The senior agent had left to bring her back inside after the playback of the call ended. "Ward's phone was a no-go, as expected, but I was able to track some recent H.Y.D.R.A activity. Apparently, they've been shipping and moving some things around quite a bit lately."

"What kinds of 'things'?" Clint asked, speaking up for the first time since the playback.

"Weapons, chemicals, the usual," Skye answered, setting her laptop down on Fury's desk. "But chemicals are the main thing; they seem to be transporting some more than they usually do…"

Bobbi looked over Skye's shoulder at the data as the hacker's voice trailed off, and frowned. "This is all stuff used on humans."

Everyone knew what that meant. Tony also glanced at the screen.

"We should have Bruce take a look, make sure he's…prepared, for what we may bring back," Tony advised awkwardly, but Fury nodded his agreement.

"Good idea. We'll call Banner up after this. Do you have a location, Skye?"

"A couple. It looks like their last resort for protecting specific locations of things and people is listing it at different locations," Skye answered, her fingers hitting different keys at a high, but nervous speed. Finally, she found what she was looking for, as she announced, "I've got three."

"Then let's split up," Maria decided, and everyone nodded in agreement.

"While you guys start organizing and planning, I'll go get Nat and Coulson," Steve announced, not waiting for any reply of acknowledgement before leaving the office.

* * *

Natasha had moved from where Steve had left her. Slightly. Instead of staring at the wall across the room from her, she was staring out the adjacent window, losing herself in Washington D.C. below, the city almost shining in the daylight.

The feeling of being on edge was finally leaving her, as her heart rate gradually returned to a more normal pace. Her tense muscles finally relaxed as she sat back a bit, noticing Phil watching her out of her peripheral vision.

"Natasha," he finally spoke, his voice eerily quiet and soft, "we're going to get her back."

If she wasn't feeling so shitty, she would have laughed at his optimism, like she used to. Phil must have picked it up from Steve, she decided, since the senior agent had grown up idolizing Captain America.

Surprising him, she softly replied, "I hope you're right."

It was quiet and defeated, but it was _there_.

Phil finally stood from his desk, carefully walking around it to sit on the other end of the couch. He turned to face Natasha, but she kept her gaze focused on the window. "Everything's going to be okay."

She had a feeling he would say that - Phil always said things like that. Back when she had first come to S.H.I.E.L.D., he had said those exact words, even when she expressed her disbelief that things would ever work out for her, given her past. He said it every time he or Clint or May was hurt or missing on a mission, back when they had been a powerful team of four, before splitting up into two pairs. He said it to Natasha in the wake of the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D., when she found out he was alive via the leaked files. He said it when Natasha told him she was pregnant. He said it when Natasha nearly came home in a body bag after the Red Room agents pursued her and Maggie.

Now, though, Natasha had a feeling he was also saying it to himself for once.

"Maggie is stubborn. She won't go down without a fight, as cliche as it sounds," Phil added as an afterthought. "She knows we'll find her."

Natasha finally turned to look at Phil, observing the glint of determination in his eyes. It gave her hope, and she nodded. "I won't stop looking until we do."

"Neither will the rest of us," Phil assured her earnestly, as Steve suddenly walked into the room.

His eyes scanned the office before landing on Natasha's form, looking much less defeated and hopeless as before, and he walked up to them.

"Skye found three bases they might be holding Maggie at," Steve announced, causing Phil to nod and Natasha to immediately stand.

She put her game face back on, feeling rejuvenated after her brief conversation with Phil. Some time away from all of the intel and drama and everyone also helped a lot, as she had the chance to put her head back on straight.

They _will _find Maggie, Natasha was sure of it.

* * *

Maggie was barely aware of the world around her as her shoulder throbbed in pain.

She was back in the bed from before, only, this time, there weren't a million IVs and needles and tubes hooked up to her anymore; after Ward carried her bloodied form back to the room, someone - she didn't register who, she was so out of it from the pain - did something to her arm, where Ward had shot her. There was another needle, and a drug of some kind at some point, that took some of the pain away. Then there were stitches, maybe? She really couldn't remember. And a big bandage of some sort.

Now, she was alone, one hand cuffed to the railing again, the other, on her injured side, lying limply beside her. She had never been so uncomfortable in a bed before, but tried not to dwell on it. She tried thinking over the past few days (if that was how long it had been, she had no idea) and of what happened to her. There were a lot of things poking her body at one point. She ran around at some point, too, she thought; had she been fighting bad guys? Something like that. Then a thing that made her head hurt a lot, and made her really confused; Ward said it had to do with 'compliance,' which apparently meant taking and following orders from him, or something.

But it didn't work very well, which was why he shot her, supposedly. At least, that's what he had said; Maggie really didn't know.

All she knew was they were going to try the thing that made her head hurt a lot again soon, because Bucky had said so. Maggie still couldn't wrap her mind around him actually being a bad guy; they _must _have made his head hurt like hers, too, to confuse him into taking orders for H.Y.D.R.A. Brainwashing, she thought, it was called. Natasha had talked about it once, explaining that's what happened to Clint when Loki messed with his brain before the Battle of New York.

There was no other explanation as to why Bucky would let people hurt her like this. He was supposed to _protect _her, and he promised to always do that. But, now, when he was given the chance, he went back on his promise.

Despite that, Maggie still trusted him to a degree. Especially if this was all because H.Y.D.R.A. made him _think _he was a bad guy, by brainwashing him. Wait, was that what they were trying to do to _her_? It would make sense, since it left her feeling so confused.

Her mind blanked for a second as she thought of her family, struggling for a few moments to remember them. H.Y.D.R.A. really _was _messing with her head if she couldn't think of them all immediately, and it bothered her. Were they trying to make her forget everyone? It sounded awful.

Finally, there were tears. They came after one bad shift in her bed, as she tried to get more comfortable, which only shot a stabbing pain down the entire left side of her upper body. She let out a whine at the sensation, which eventually developed into a sob. Everything hurt. Everything was a lie. Everything was so confusing. Since she was alone now, she allowed herself to cry.

Who were the good guys? She couldn't remember anymore, she realized with a start as she heard the H.Y.D.R.A. people walking by her room, probably coming back for her. She didn't want to go back in the confusing headache machine. But, it looked like she didn't have a choice.

As the door opened and people walked in, she wiped some of the tears away with her cuffed hand (as much as she could with her limited movement, at least); maybe Maggie couldn't depend on anyone else to come save her anymore, but, at the very least, she had herself.

* * *

Natasha was ruthless as she shot down H.Y.D.R.A. agent after H.Y.D.R.A. agent, feeling nothing but anger and hatred at the sight of each face. She didn't need to see Steve, who was entering the compound from another end, to know he was probably doing the same. In the end, Natasha and Steve ended up in a group together, as everyone agreed the base they were assigned to was most likely the one Maggie was in.

After some more hacking, Skye found that base contained most of the weapons, chemicals, _and _agents, because H.Y.D.R.A. knew they would need every resource to protect something as valuable as the daughter of Captain America. So, Natasha and Steve led Bobbi, Skye, and Sam there. Bruce had been a part of their group, too, as each team had a doctor on hand just in case - he was waiting in the quinjet, hoping everything would go smoothly. Sam was primarily in charge of taking out everyone outside to let the other four slip inside, from two different entrances. Skye warned everyone ahead of time she may quake things if worse came to worst.

Said brunette was actually with Natasha now, armed with a gun to watch the spy's back. It didn't seem like the redhead needed much watching, however, as Skye had yet to take out a single H.Y.D.R.A. agent herself. It was understandable, though; Skye herself was incredibly protective of Maggie, but, as Maggie's mother, Natasha's protectiveness over her must have been _unimaginable. _

The thought made Skye smile a bit as she watched Natasha effortlessly take down an agent with her Widow's Bites.

She then turned back to Skye, her expression hopeful. "Can you hear her?"

Skye's Inhuman abilities gave her a different 'hearing' sense - she could feel the world around her from its molecular level. Big things like mountains were nearly deafening, and blocked out everything else around them. Small things, like pebbles and leaves, were much quieter, but Skye had mastered the ability to detect and identify them all the same.

Humans gave off their own interesting sound, with enhanced and powered people sounding more unique than the rest of their species. Maggie was especially noticeable to Skye for this reason, because of her odd molecular combination from the two enhanced people that were her parents - which was what had ultimately led to their meeting, as Skye followed the sound out of curiosity while with Phil, walking around Central Park. They had been spending a relaxing day together in the city to just catch up, since Skye had been gone for a while. Phil thought Skye was going crazy when she talked about 'hearing molecules', but still followed her anyway. She finally found Maggie taking a light nap under a shady tree, Steve sitting beside her with his sketchbook. It was adorable, and Maggie had had Skye wrapped around her finger ever since (and the kid knew it, too).

Skye shook off the warm memories as she focused her senses more on their environment - everything from the cold, cement floor to the tiniest nails holding the entire structure of the base together. She sensed people, H.Y.D.R.A. agents, most of which had been taken out by now. Listening harder, she could even detect Steve and Bobbi on the other side of the premises, when she finally caught onto something.

Following that, Skye and Natasha found themselves walking down a narrow, dimly lit hallway. Natasha walked a little ahead of Skye, scoping out the shadows for any lurking agents, while Skye looked around, trying to pinpoint Maggie's location.

It was very gloomy, the entire place. She would hate to be kept here for more than five minutes, Skye decided. Knowing Maggie, the darkness of it all would probably only unnerve her.

As she assessed the base thoughtfully, Skye nearly walked into Natasha, who had suddenly stopped. Peering around, she saw Natasha staring down toward the floor at something, and then halted at the sight as well: blood.

Natasha crouched down, trying to ignore the rise of panic in her chest as she recognized the distance from the ground to the stain on the wall to be around the same height as Maggie when sitting. Skye's frown deepened.

"Do you think...this is where…" Her voice trailed off, because, honestly, how do you casually ask someone, _is this where your kid was shot? _

The redhead didn't answer, simply standing back up to full height. Skye looked at her, sadly, as there was very little chance that it could be anyone else's blood. Before she could speak again, Bobbi's voice came to them over the comms.

"_Skye, Nat, we found Barnes and Ward. Wilson's coming in for backup now." _

Natasha quickened her pace at that. "Copy. Where are you guys?"

* * *

Maggie wondered what day it was. She wondered how long it had been since…since something else that she couldn't remember.

There were loud sounds outside. Fighting…maybe someone punching someone else? She unconsciously flinched as she heard a gunshot, but she wasn't sure why. Since when did guns bother her? Her…someone who used to be close to her...she wasn't sure who, but, that person used to carry guns a lot, so, she wasn't usually scared of them. Wait, no, guns were scary, what was she thinking? She almost lost someone to them once…she just couldn't remember who or when.

A man yelled, followed by more voices, and more sounds. It dragged on for a while, until it lessened a bit. The first loud man stopped yelling. Then there was the sound of metal hitting metal… What did it mean?

Another gunshot, another flinch, another wave of pain from her arm. Why did her arm hurt so much? Everything was so confusing. Since when did her arm hurt? Wait, it's hurt this entire time. But, then again, how long was 'this entire time,' anyway? Her head spun at the endless string of questions.

Who even was she?

She had a feeling she knew, as she heard her name called by a person who suddenly burst into her room after the loud noises from outside ceased. He was tall, blond, blue eyed, and in a dark blue outfit. There was a shield on his arm, and the red, white, and blue color palette was _very _familiar.

He looked really happy to see her, and something inside of her told her she should be feeling the same. But, instead, as soon as he came up to her and tried to touch her, she weakly lashed out at him, fearing he was just going to poke her with more needles that had weird things in them or take her back to the confusing headache machine or hurt her like the other people did.

Then, she wasn't so sure why she did that, because he looked really sad when she did. None of the other people who poked and prodded her looked sad when she fought back - they all looked mad. Could she trust this newcomer? The last time she had trusted someone, she remembered, she got hurt. Oh, yes, she recalled, that's what made her arm hurt so much - she trusted someone, but then they hurt her.

Looking at him a bit more, she felt herself drawn to the man. Something was starting to come back… He used to hold her - he still did, sometimes, she felt - and make her feel better. Oh, this person was trustworthy! That's right. He wasn't going to hurt her like the other person who betrayed her, because this person was more trustworthy to begin with; he had been with her since the very beginning, she remembered.

She knew it because he had the same eyes as her - the same shade of energetic and curious blue. That must mean something, right? And the way he was looking at her, despite the sadness at her distrust - there was so much _love _and _warmth _in his gaze_. _She tried raising her arms out to him, out of newly remembered instinct, but one was still cuffed to the bed, while the other immediately fell back to her side, as if it were pulled back down by a weight on it, and the sudden jostling caused her to cry out in pain.

Tears pricked her eyes at the feeling. Why did it hurt so much? Oh, wait, that's right, she was hurt…but, by who? A person she once trusted, or something…

Everything was jumbled, and her head felt like it was being crushed. The sensation meant something, apparently, as her mind reset itself again, finally clearing up some of the fog a little bit, and recognition fell on her face as the man came closer to her, his eyes soft.

He crouched down beside the bed, his face just at the side of the mattress, and she managed to reach her cuffed hand out and lay it upon his cheek. It was warm, but also a little wet. Upon further examination, she realized he was crying. It was a bit odd, but, then she understood.

Her brain finally clicked back into its natural mindset of Maggie Rogers, and she was able to offer him a real smile as she gently rubbed his cheek.

"Daddy."

* * *

Natasha gunned Ward down in the fight. She felt no remorse, no regret, nothing - this man, despite being similar to her, had done an unbearably painful number on her. _He hurt Maggie. _All Natasha's mind could tell her upon seeing him was _destroy. _

Skye looked like she was torn between her instinct of doing the same, had Natasha not done it, and just capturing Ward to take back home alive for H.Y.D.R.A. intel (though he probably wouldn't share it). But, it didn't matter, anyway, since Natasha took care of it for all of them.

Bucky had been incapacitated by Steve and Sam before Skye and Natasha arrived, and now Sam was taking him to an extraction spot S.H.I.E.L.D. would be sending more agents to. Fury knew once Maggie was retrieved, Natasha and Steve had no plans on lingering around to clean up, and he didn't fight them on it.

After Bucky had been taken care of, Bobbi urged Steve to go find Maggie while she fought Ward, and he did. Now that Ward was down, Skye and Bobbi both encouraged Natasha to go join Steve, and be reunited with Maggie. She hardly fought them on it, knowing that was where she was most needed right now.

Natasha's heart stopped momentarily - this time, in a _good _way - as she stopped at the doorway of the room Steve was in. Looking in, she caught sight of Steve carefully lifting Maggie from the bed, a set of handcuffs hanging limply from its side railing, with his shield returned to its spot on his back and his expression more emotional than Natasha had ever seen before.

The spy didn't hesitate to walk up to the duo, a huge smile illuminating her face. Steve carefully adjusted his grip on Maggie, carrying her bridal style as she laid her left arm cautiously over her stomach. Based on that, and the way she flinched when Steve's fingers pushed against her left shoulder a bit too roughly, Natasha was able to locate the gunshot wound. She silently thanked whatever God existed that it hadn't been somewhere worse, and that it didn't kill Maggie.

"Лапушка," Natasha exhaled as she stopped beside them, her voice thick with emotion. Maggie's eyes met hers slowly, a little bit of confusion still in them. "You're safe now."

The words didn't seem to mean much to Maggie, as she stared at Natasha a bit harder now, before squeezing her eyes shut and curling her body closer to Steve's chest in pain. He frowned, turning his head toward Natasha.

"They…it took her a few minutes to remember me, but, even then, I'm not sure..." Natasha's heart sank to her stomach at Steve's quiet, uncertain rambling, as she looked between his upset expression and Maggie's pained one, which was probably due to her trying to figure out who Natasha was.

Suddenly, everything felt like it had been for nothing. This was a major part of what Natasha had been trying to protect Maggie from five years ago - someone playing with her brain and twisting everything. Natasha knew how that felt, and the thought of Maggie also sharing that pain…

"Um," Maggie suddenly muttered as she opened her eyes to look at Natasha once more. Things sped through her mind at a speed unlike anything else - there were many emotions, many encounters, many conversations, until Maggie's mind finally fell upon the memory of lying in a bed with Natasha, years ago, in a very dark house. It was in the middle of nowhere, Maggie soon also remembered, and they were running away...because Natasha was protecting her!

She knew who this redheaded newcomer was now, as her expression grew happier at the sight of Natasha. "Mama."

Natasha nodded, her expression emotional, but happy, as she carefully leaned over to place a kiss to Maggie's forehead. "Yes, Maggie, Любимая моя, I'm right here."

Maggie furrowed her eyebrows thoughtfully, then, looking between her two parents curiously. "Uncle...Uncle Bucky is a bad guy…he...no, wait, someone else hurt me...with a gun...Skye - no, no, not her, someone _related _to Skye...someone who hurt Skye...but, Uncle Bucky is…"

As Maggie tried to work through everything, voicing her jumbled thinking process, Steve and Natasha's expressions fell slightly. Though the effects of the brainwashing could have been much, much worse, it looked like there would still be some problems and gaps they'd have to figure out.

But each Avenger knew they could handle it. As long as they had Maggie alive and safe, they would handle anything.

Before either of them could reply to Maggie, Skye poked her head in. "Hey, Wilson said it's all clear for us to go outside."

Natasha nodded to the brunette. "Thank you, Skye. For everything."

Skye just gave a lighthearted, mock salute in return, before retreating outside. After sharing a glance, Steve and Natasha followed suit, Steve carefully turning to carry Maggie through the doorway without disturbing her injured arm.

"Skye?" Maggie asked quietly as she caught sight of the brunette, the group having begun their careful trek out of the base.

"Yeah, it's me," Skye replied softly, slowing her pace just a bit to be in line with Steve and Maggie. The young redhead beamed at the brunette.

"I remember you most." The comment made everyone a bit uncomfortable: Steve and Natasha, because, well, _they were actually Maggie's parents_, and it pained them to think Maggie remembered someone else more; Skye, because, yeah, she was pretty close with Maggie, but not the close_st_, and there were plenty of other people she thought Maggie should remember more; Bobbi, because she could already see the aftermath of this time Maggie's spent with H.Y.D.R.A., and how it may have complicated her relationships with everyone else.

The journey out of the base was silent after that.

* * *

"Stay _away _from me!"

Natasha flinched at Maggie's sudden outburst, watching as her young daughter pushed herself farther and farther into the corner of the room, away from Natasha. They were in the medical area at the Avengers Facility, as that had been the closest place to take Maggie from the H.Y.D.R.A. base days before.

And in those days, it became apparent that recovery was nothing if not a difficult process. Maggie had good days and bad days, much like a person sick with an illness that impeded on their mental abilities, especially memory. In fact, that was almost _exactly _what was going on here.

The best days were when Maggie woke up like nothing had happened to her. All of her real memories were in place, except for those of her kidnapping and time with H.Y.D.R.A. She remembered all of her family members, and everything about them.

Those days had only occurred twice so far, though. The next best thing they came close to were days when Maggie was able to remember everyone after some gentle reminding and guiding. She was nervous and timid on those days, sure, but was open to her parents' help.

Then, there were the days like this one. Maggie had some memories, but they were jumbled; she remembered a few real things, but H.Y.D.R.A.'s place in her brain was evident. She saw her parents not as protectors, but monsters; she thought she was in the Avengers Facility for further testing and experimentation, rather than protection; she hated _everyone_, because she was convinced they hated _her_ in the first place.

It was hard to get Maggie back under control after these days. She could get violent, as she had already managed to catch both Natasha and Steve off-guard with a punch or kick several times since she returned. Maggie was never one to physically lash out at people like that, which meant H.Y.D.R.A. had somehow been able to start rewriting her natural instincts.

Natasha hated the enemy organization more than ever.

"Maggie," Natasha spoke softly, causing the icy blue eyes to quickly dart around wearily before landing on Natasha's face. The spy crouched down to meet Maggie's eyes on her own level, though she was several feet away from the girl. "Everything is okay now, I promise."

Maggie suddenly looked unsure and scared, as she backed up yet another step. "Y-You're gonna send me away again."

Natasha's heart sunk at Maggie's belief. "No, honey, of course not-"

"I don't know what I did wrong," Maggie continued, looking more fearful with each word. "I'm sorry, I won't do it again!"

There were days when this lack of memory made Maggie attack anyone who got close to her. Then there were days, like this, when it made her distrustful, terrified, and remorseful. Truthfully and honestly, Natasha would take a violent day over a petrified one; at least when she was violent, Maggie didn't tear into herself like this.

"You did nothing wrong, and we never sent you away," Natasha clarified slowly, hoping her words were making sense in Maggie's brain. Somewhere. "Someone else took you away from us and hurt you; Daddy and I just want you safe back at home, with us."

"You're lying," Maggie insisted as she raised a hand to her head, a telltale sign the encounter was giving her a headache. As much as Natasha hated to see her in pain, the headaches were sometimes necessary, because it meant Maggie was actually close to remembering.

Maggie then gestured weakly to her left arm, which was still sore, but the actual wound in her shoulder was almost completely healed now; finally, the stupid serum was good for _something. _"You hurt me. You...you _let _them hurt me."

"Maggie, I swear to you, I would _never _let anyone hurt you," Natasha spoke firmly, her expression unwavering. "I didn't know they hurt you until after they did; I was too late late to stop them, and I am so sorry for that. I just want to help you feel better now, to make up for not being there."

Finally, something in Maggie's eyes seemed to change, and she looked a bit less closed-off. Noting the change, Natasha chanced a small step forward. She held her breath, expecting Maggie to either lash out at her (which Natasha wasn't even sure she'd defend herself against, as Natasha believed she deserved it), or press herself back into the corner of the room.

Surprisingly, Maggie did neither of those things, just continuing to stand where she was, but stiffening a bit as Natasha was a step closer to her.

"Maggie, Лапушка," Natasha then spoke carefully, her voice both soft and clear, "do you remember who I am?"

Maggie squeezed her eyes shut as her brain supplied an onslaught of answers, all coming from different voices. Each cry in her brain felt connected to her, and she struggled to find her own voice out of the crowd, as her mind screamed its plethora of responses to Natasha's question: _Traitor. Avenger. Liar. Hero. Murderer. Black Widow…Mama. _

Tears were gathering in her eyes now as the last word repeated itself countless times in her head, eventually building up into a crescendo that was the loudest of all the voices.

That voice, then, must have truly been her own.

While she was caught up in her thoughts, Maggie didn't notice Natasha close more of the distance between them until she opened her teary eyes to see her mother's crouched form no more than two feet away now. Maggie sniffled, wiping her eyes.

"You protected me," she finally answered, meeting Natasha's eyes with her own sad gaze. "You loved me so much. Why...why do I..._hate_ you?"

Natasha remembered believing several years ago that Maggie hating her would be justified. It was after she told the girl about her past with the Red Room - Natasha told Maggie she didn't have to love her anymore, as she now knew her mom was not all that good.

But now that Maggie was admitting to harboring such venomous feelings toward her, Natasha knew she wouldn't be able to handle living with that.

"I don't know, Maggie," Natasha finally responded, trying to swallow back the emotion she could detect was crawling up in her voice. "Even if you do hate me, I still love you. I always have and I always will."

Maggie looked more unsure of herself now. What she was feeling toward the spy - that was _hate_, right? Or was it actually _love_?

She couldn't tell the difference anymore.

Her instincts told her to approach Natasha. Maggie sought comfort and affection from the woman at an instinctual level, and it confused her to no end; her mind was warning her that this person was dangerous, and would only hurt her. Why did she seek comfort from her, then?

Natasha thought for a few moments, trying to think of another way to coax Maggie out of her fear. If physical affection wouldn't work right now, there must have been something else she could do from a distance…

She sat down completely, crossing her legs and placing her hands down at her sides. Her body language was open, as she hoped by appearing relaxed Maggie would pick up on that feeling.

"...If you'll be my star, I'll be your sky_,_" she sang quietly, hoping memories of the song Maggie used to love weren't too far out of reach for her. "You can hide underneath me and come out at night, when I turn jet black, and you show off your light. I live to let you shine."

It had been years, at least, since Natasha last sang this to Maggie. Perhaps she had unconsciously hummed it under her breath since then - she didn't know. But, as she paused after the first verse, something in Maggie's expression began to change. She looked more…at ease_. _

It was working, then.

Maggie lowered the hand that had been raised by her head, letting the appendage take its natural resting point at her side. She looked at Natasha quietly, her eyes getting a bit clearer with each blink. Natasha offered her a small, reassuring smile.

"But you can skyrocket away, from me," Natasha continued after a few more moments, allowing Maggie some time to comprehend the lullaby, "and never come back if you find another galaxy, far from here, where there's more room to fly. Just leave me your stardust to remember you by."

She paused again, watching Maggie's expression change a bit. Within Maggie's mind, the song had triggered memories that had been inaccessible to her before; she could feel Natasha's loving warmth, and hear the way she always reminded her she loved her.

Maggie's eyes widened a bit as she finally figured it out - she _had _been feeling love this whole time, not hate.

As a sign of her sudden revelation, she practically threw herself at Natasha. Biting back a sob when her sore arm throbbed in protest, she wrapped both limbs around Natasha's neck. Pressing her head next to Natasha's as a reassurance this was all real, Maggie curled up in the spy's lap, despite the fact she was much bigger now than when she used to do this (she knew Natasha wouldn't complain, though).

"I'm so sorry, Mama, everything's just so confusing," the eleven year old cried softly, her hold on Natasha tightening with her words. "When I see you in my head, you're mean to me, but that's not…"

Natasha didn't need Maggie to finish to understand what she was saying. She laid a comforting hand upon the girl's back, carding the other appendage through Maggie's hair. "That's not real. I would never hurt you, Maggie. I promise."

She couldn't believe the lullaby had actually worked. Usually, Maggie remembered the truth when certain words and gestures triggered it, but Natasha never thought a song that had now slipped into obscurity from its lack of presence in recent times would have an instant effect like this.

"And, you have nothing to be sorry for," Natasha added as Maggie's words repeated in her brain. "None of this is your fault, okay?"

Maggie mumbled something quietly in reply that Natasha didn't quite catch at first. She gently asked her daughter to repeat what she said.

"I let them have my blood," Maggie murmured again, this time a bit louder so Natasha could hear. Her body tensed up with her confession, as she feared Natasha would be angry and disappointed in her for giving up something so important. "I know only Uncle Brucie is allowed to have it for stuff, b-but they wouldn't leave me alone…"

Natasha bristled a bit at that, cursing every last damn H.Y.D.R.A. agent who had been a part of this.

Before she could reply, though, Maggie continued, "I wasn't strong enough, I'm sorry, I didn't...I didn't comply with your rules."

Suddenly, as snippets of the phone call resounded in her mind, Natasha had no regrets, whatsoever, about shooting and killing Grant Ward.

"Sshh, Maggie, that's enough," Natasha quieted her softly. "You didn't do anything wrong, okay? What happened is H.Y.D.R.A.'s fault, not yours. They forced you to do things you didn't want to, and we all understand that. You're not in trouble, I promise."

Natasha took Maggie's lack of response as contentment, and wondered what they would do now. How were they going to move on from this? Maggie's life had been mostly normal so far, because Maggie had been able to be a (relatively) normal child. Until now. Now, she had a personal tragedy that left her damaged and scarred, and it would always be there.

But, Natasha remembered, there were a few days when Maggie couldn't remember any of her time with H.Y.D.R.A. at all. If they could figure out a way to keep her brain in that mode permanently…

* * *

"Wanda, I need your help."

The brunette stopped in surprise, whirling around in the empty hallway of the Avengers Facility to face the newcomer. As she had been able to identify by the voice, Natasha was the one standing behind her.

"_My _help?" Wanda questioned, arching an eyebrow as Natasha stood there, arms crossed over her chest and looking generally closed off.

At the same time, though, Wanda could detect deeper emotional stress within the spy.

"What do you need my help with?" Wanda continued after a silent moment, letting her hands sit at their natural places at her sides to show Natasha she was open to whatever it was she needed help for. After all, if it had Natasha even the slightest bit rattled, that must have meant something was really amiss.

"Maggie," Natasha answered shortly, her tense muscles loosening a bit. Her eyes darted from Wanda's gaze to the ground, then back up again, in a matter of a few milliseconds. She really _was _anxious and uncomfortable, Wanda noted.

Wanda knew what had happened to Maggie, though, as her expression turned sympathetic and she took a step closer to Natasha. "How is she, the poor thing? I hope she's doing better now than when you first found her."

The Scarlet Witch had been sent on one of the other teams to raid a different base during the rescue mission. Her team had relatively easy success in destroying the base, and all returned unscathed. Out of everyone, it seemed Maggie was the one to return the most damaged, not critically physically, though, and Wanda was well aware of that from the moment she saw the foggy and fearful look in the eleven year old's eyes the week before.

So, she had a feeling of what Natasha may be asking her to do, right here and now.

"She's...well, she's better," Natasha sighed truthfully, finally releasing her tight arms and allowing them to drop back to her sides, mirroring Wanda's stance. "Every day is a hit and miss, honestly, so it's been...challenging."

Wanda nodded thoughtfully, knowing Natasha was skirting around asking for help because, well, that wasn't a typically Natasha-like thing to do. She was about to save the spy the trouble of tearing through her pride to request help when Natasha beat her to it.

"We could really use your help, Wanda, please," Natasha spoke quietly, her eyes and voice both intense and pleading. "H.Y.D.R.A. did things inside of Maggie's mind, things I don't know how to reverse or fix so that Maggie can return to her normal, everyday life. The only solution I can come up with is making her forget everything, so she can go back to playing with her friends, and having fun, and go back to school in August, all like a normal eleven year old girl should do."

The young Avenger blinked, taken off guard by Natasha's sudden verboseness. She was never this wordy with anything, which really emphasized the gravity of the situation. It made sense, though, considering it was about Natasha's beloved Maggie.

"You want me to wipe her memories of the kidnapping clean," Wanda summarized curiously, meeting Natasha's tired eyes.

"I can't come up with a better solution," Natasha admitted. "I just don't want her to hurt so badly anymore."

Honestly, Wanda had no qualms about it. Really, she always felt she had owed the Avengers for ten years now, since they had forgiven her and Pietro, and then saved Pietro's life. Not to mention, they were all friends, and friends help each other.

Wanda didn't know Maggie nearly as well as her fellow Avengers, or the other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents she saw taking care of the girl when Earth's Mightiest Heroes were all called in, either. She knew her, though, and knew how kind and happy Maggie was. The idea that the girl had become closed off and violent scared Wanda more than she'd like to admit.

But there was still one thing that honestly surprised Wanda with Natasha's request. "You trust me with your daughter's mind, even after I terrorized yours? And everyone else's?"

Natasha didn't reply right away, taking a moment to properly compose an answer. "What you did to us...that was ten years ago, and you were just following orders. Since then, you've proven you're not just our teammate or ally - you're our friend, and, to Maggie, family. So, yes, I do trust you."

That meant a lot to Natasha, Wanda knew. And she wasn't about to disappoint Natasha, who had pretty much become her mentor and confidante over the years as the only other female Avenger.

"Thank you for your trust, Natasha," Wanda finally said after thinking through Natasha's request for a few moments. She gave the spy a small smile. "I will help in any way I can."

And she did.

* * *

"Mama, my arm hurts again."

Natasha turned from the apple she had been cutting up into small slices, looking down at Maggie's frowning form beside her.

"Do you want some medicine?" the spy offered, carefully setting the knife down on the counter far away from Maggie's reach, despite the fact she was eleven and knew better than to just pick up something as sharp as a knife (Natasha was a mother - irrationally worrying was part of the job description).

"It tastes weird, but, yeah," Maggie sighed, and Natasha smirked. At least the girl had her priorities straight. Natasha handed Maggie one of the apple slices she had just cut, and the girl accepted it happily, taking a bite out of it without hesitation.

Maggie was, really, back to normal. After reaching out to Wanda (and, subsequently, Vision, since he was the holder of the 'mind stone' after all) for going through Maggie's memories to remove both the false ones implanted by H.Y.D.R.A., and everything else since Bucky kidnapped her until the present day, Maggie woke up the following morning as if nothing had ever happened. Natasha was able to quickly dismiss her 'sore arm' as playing too roughly with Bucky, and was even quicker to skirt over the fact that Bucky wasn't going to be around for a while…

Natasha scowled as she reached up into the cabinet, as childproofing had meant putting all of the medicines and antibiotics as far out of reach as possible. This was usually a Steve job, but Natasha was _not _about to admit that - that was equivalent to admitting _defeat_.

After retrieving the child painkillers without knocking down more than five things (Maggie always counted each thing Natasha knocked over during her stubborn missions in which she tried to defy her height; this time, Natasha knocked down two unopened boxes of tissues, two _other _bottles of pills - "_Maggie, don't touch those!_" - and a box of cereal), Natasha handed the small dosage to Maggie, giving her strict instructions to get water.

"If you dry swallow those, I'll ground you for a month," Natasha swore over her shoulder, the effort of stretching her body out once more to put things back in the cabinet evident in her voice.

Maggie just rolled her eyes as she got a glass of water. "I won't, I won't; I've taken medicine _before_, Mama, geez," she huffed. "I'm not stupid."

So, maybe Natasha _wasn't _doing so well at trying to keep things on the down-low and casual, like something big and life threatening _hadn't _just happened to Maggie. Natasha was just a little more cautious now, that's all, nothing more. Nothing was wrong, there was nothing to worry about, she told herself over and over; she was just being as protective of a mother as usual, she insisted.

As Maggie grimaced while taking the medicine, Natasha just resorted to shoving things into incorrect spots in the cabinet and letting Steve fix it later. She then walked over to her daughter, putting a gentle hand on her sore shoulder and offering Maggie a small smile. "I know you're not stupid, Maggie; I'm a mother, so I worry."

"You're acting weirder than normal, though," Maggie replied as she set her finished glass of water on the counter. Her words caught Natasha's attention for two reasons: 1) _Shit, is Maggie onto me? _and 2) _Wait, 'weirder than _normal_'? Since when am I weird on a normal basis?!_

Before Natasha could address either point with Maggie (more so the second, because, seriously, _since when the hell was I_ _weird?!_), Steve walked into the room, having just come home from S.H.I.E.L.D. It was good timing, in Natasha's opinion, because it saved her from having to explain herself to Maggie.

"Hi, guys," Steve greeted happily, offering Natasha a quick peck on the lips (to which Maggie appropriately exclaimed her distaste with a loud groan). He then wrapped his arms around Maggie for a hug, which she returned it only with her right arm; Steve noticed, but didn't comment on, as he focused more on trying to hide his sorrowful reaction at the sight.

"Hi, Daddy, Mama's trying to poison me," Maggie reported dryly, and Natasha's cheerful expression morphed into a Maggie-I-_will_-ground-you glare (recorded and titled by Steve, despite the fact that Maggie was never actually ever grounded, only threatened), which Maggie missed because she was looking up at Steve.

He just raised an eyebrow, looking between the disapproving Natasha and the now smirking Maggie. Honestly, he sometimes wondered what these two did for fun when he was absent...probably some sort of evil conniving and planning, he guessed; that sounded about right.

"I wasn't 'poisoning' you; _you _asked for medicine," Natasha reminded with a now pointed look toward Maggie. "You said your arm hurt, so I helped you. I think the correct thing to say would have been, 'thank you, Mama! I love you so much!'"

Maggie just giggled as she looked at Natasha. "_Thank you_, Mama! I love you so much!" she recited, copying Natasha's tone.

"Just what I wanted to hear." Natasha nodded her approval, pushing past father and daughter to return to her apple slicing.

Steve, meanwhile, looked at Maggie with a worried frown. "Your arm's hurting again?"

"Yeah," Maggie sighed, looking a bit crestfallen. "I guess me and Uncle Bucky played too rough; that's what Mama said, at least."

Out of his peripheral vision, Steve saw Natasha shoot a quick glance in his direction, as if to say _don't let this cover fall through. _

So, he nodded. "I'll tell Uncle Bucky to take it easy with you next time. Though, I'm sure he's just as worn out as you are."

It hurt to lie, but Steve knew, in this case, the truth would, for sure, hurt more. He had no idea when (or if) Bucky would come back to play with Maggie again. The brunet soldier was back with S.H.I.E.L.D., once again, to undo H.Y.D.R.A.'s brainwashing. Steve could only hope it would go more smoothly and quickly this time around, as it would be the second instance in only a matter of ten years.

Steve wasn't sure where he stood with Bucky now, all things considered over the past few weeks. Of course, he knew it wasn't _Bucky _who had taken Maggie - that was the Winter Soldier, and Grant Ward had been the person who hurt Maggie the most. But, the cover had been painfully convincing, only meaning that H.Y.D.R.A.'s brainwashing abilities had improved.

Which explained the 'failsafe' they seemed to have tried to implant in Maggie: her constant flip-flopping behavior after they first rescued her. She went from normal to violent to scared to innocent to miserable and back around again, not necessarily in that order, over the course of a few days. Because there seemed to be no resolution in sight, Natasha decided to go through with just wiping all of Maggie's memories of the past couple of weeks clean. Steve hadn't been too sure about doing that at first, instead feeling S.H.I.E.L.D. may be more reliable, but, as Natasha pointed out, that would just reveal all of Maggie's memories, good and bad - a part of her would still fear her parents and those who loved her, so she would inevitably isolate herself when bad memories popped up.

"He should come over again soon. We had a lot of fun playing."

Maggie's words pulled Steve out of his thinking. He wasn't sure what to say to that, though, and let her words sit for a few moments before Natasha came to his rescue.

"Uncle Bucky had to go on a mission very far away, Лапушка. We're not sure when he'll be back, so it'll probably be a while."

Talk about a ball from left field. Maggie looked confused, Steve _felt _confused, and Natasha offered them each a freshly cut apple slice.

"Aww," Maggie said pitifully as she nibbled on the small piece of the fruit. "I hope it's not _too _long; I miss him so much already!"

Little did Maggie know, so did Natasha and Steve.

* * *

**A/N: **Hey, remember that time Maggie was kidnapped by H.Y.D.R.A.? 'Cause Maggie doesn't! *runs away after making such an awful joke and isn't even sorry*

I'll be honest, guys. I got really into it when I was writing the scenes where Maggie was alone in the H.Y.D.R.A. base here, with her memories being sketchy and she's just super confused. I'm not really sure why but it was kind of interesting to write? I also hope it wasn't too confusing to follow, since I was trying to set the mood for her confusion and fading-in-fading-out-like mental state.

Again, a lot of this little 'arc' was planned with **independentalto**, so THIS ISN'T ALL ENTIRELY MY FAULT. I bounced a lot of ideas off of her, and she gave me some of her own, so this was the final product! Though, don't worry, she is reading this whole thing for the first time while the rest of you are, so she's just as plagued by feels. ;D I'VE BEEN PLAGUED WITH THE FEELS FOR THIS FOR THE PAST LIKE MONTH UGH suffer with me. As proof of her contributions to these chapters, **independentalto **wrote a similar chapter (chapter 43) recently in her fanfic, **All of the Reasons Why**, so if you want more feels you should go read that next!

So, I'm totally digging the idea of having more 'icebreaker' random questions at the end of my chapters. I've already made a list of inquiries to pose! This chapter's icebreaker question is: **What's your favorite season? **I love the spring, because the mood at school is always fresher (perks of having an outdoor campus in California, I suppose...) and it's almost time for the freedom of summer! The plants are always really pretty, too (sorry to the people with allergies).


	61. Welcome to the World of Pokémon!

**A/N: **Hello, everyone! Here's a much happier chapter than the last two we've seen. Unfortunately, if you hate Pokémon...you may want to skip this one.

This chapter is, essentially, a Pokémon AU of the Avengers kind of (it's mostly Nat-centric BECAUSE IT GOT WAY TOO LONG WHEN I INCLUDED EVERYONE ELSE LMAO) and at first I was kind of hesitant about adding it to this story, because, well, this isn't a crossover fic...but, given recent events, I've decided I am going to run with this chapter.

For any fellow Nintendo gamers out there, I'm sure you've all heard about Satoru Iwata's (President and CEO of Nintendo) passing last Sunday. I've been pretty torn up about it ever since, because he was really one of the people I looked forward to seeing most in Nintendo Digital Events, like their announcement videos (Nintendo Directs) and their E3 livestreams. He also has been leading Nintendo for most of my life, and helped bring the great success of the Nintendo DS and Wii years ago. Nintendo in its many franchises, especially Pokémon, really shaped my childhood to be fun and really memorable, and I couldn't just let Mr. Iwata go without doing _something _to celebrate the adventures his leadership at Nintendo gave me...so, here we have this big Pokémon adventure, which I had a ton, ton, _ton_ of fun writing, which I believe was a great way to celebrate Mr. Iwata's life in a happy way, as opposed to just being sad. :) So, naturally, I'd like to dedicate this chapter to Mr. Iwata; rest in peace!

As for anyone else who may, on the off chance, know/care about Pokémon, I actually attended a really cool show last Sunday! It's called 'Pokémon Symphonic Evolutions,' and it's basically an orchestral performance of songs from all the different generations of Pokémon games! I caught some of it on video and posted it to YouTube if you're interested, so you can find a link to it in my bio (it's also partially a vlog, so, if you were ever curious about what I may look/sound like...there you go...)

Anyway! I'll stop rambling now. For those of you who told me a few chapters ago that you like/know Pokémon, I hope you enjoy this! For anyone else who's willing to give this chapter a _try_ (I tried adding explanations into the narrative, I promise), here's just some basic info to get you started:

1\. Pokémon, short for 'Pocket Monsters,' are animal-like creatures with special abilities that they use for fighting each other; Pokémon battles are challenges between Pokémon trainers - people who capture and train Pokémon - in which their Pokémon fight until one is knocked out/faints (so, not to the death).

2\. Pokémon are captured in devices called Poké Balls, which are small red-and-white balls that kinda absorb Pokémon into them at contact and store them inside until the trainer calls the Pokémon back out.

3\. Aaand...that's pretty much it, haha. It's pretty simple. You see a wild Pokémon, you battle it, catch it, train it, and then use it in battle! Just do that a couple hundred times and you'll find yourself completing the game. :) If it would help you to visualize the Pokémon I mention here, you can always just toss their names into Google and they'll pop up immediately in Google Images.

Thanks for all your faves, follows, and reviews! You guys were pretty spread out with your seasonal preferences. :D I'll have another post-chapter icebreaker question at the end; even if you don't read this chapter, I'd still like to see what answers you'll have to my random questioning, so don't be shy! X) Love you all! xoxo

* * *

Natasha Romanoff looked over her appearance one last time in the mirror, deeming herself ready.

Today, she was going to be given a Pokémon.

A week prior, she had received a message from Phil Coulson, one of the assistants in Professor Nick Fury's lab, that told her they wanted to give her a Pokémon so she could go on a journey - the experience all Pokémon trainers went through. Honestly, she was more excited than she would've thought she'd be. Sure, she was hardly ten years old anymore (she was an adult), but the thought was still intriguing. She would be going on a long journey with whomever she chose today, which would lead to more Pokémon, more friends, as she climbed her way up the ladder to challenge the Elite Four and the Pokémon Champion.

As she slung her backpack over her shoulder and walked to Fury's lab, Natasha got to wondering: which Pokémon would she choose? She had three choices: Bulbasaur, Squirtle, or Charmander. Grass, water, or fire. Was she supposed to be naturally drawn to one over the other two? Or make the decision based on their appearances? They were all cute, yet powerful-looking, so she wasn't sure how that was supposed to work.

"Good morning, Ms. Romanoff," Nick Fury greeted Natasha as she walked in, pulling her from her thoughts. "I take it you received Mr. Coulson's message?"

"I did, yes." Natasha smiled politely, shaking the hand Fury then offered her. "Thank you."

"We believe you will be a valuable trainer." Phil Coulson appeared, walking into the room with a tablet in hand. "With everything that's going on in the world, all the bad things people are doing - we could use every last good trainer we can get."

"I take it you've heard of H.Y.D.R.A.'s activities recently, in the news?" Fury inquired. Natasha nodded. "We were hoping you could join the forces trying to take them out."

"Is there a formal force aiming to take them out?" Natasha furrowed her brow. "I thought S.H.I.E.L.D…"

"Disbanded, yes," Phil finished for her. "But, their work hasn't vanished; many trainers are going against H.Y.D.R.A. themselves, separately, and we hope to help them by helping new trainers out."

It made sense, and Natasha was more than willing to take out H.Y.D.R.A. She actually had had a Pokémon, once before, when she was a little girl - a Torchic, a little, orange, fire type chick. They played a lot, and were the best of friends. She knew they were rare around here, in the Kanto region, being that Torchic was typically one of the choices for new trainers as a starting Pokémon in the Hoenn region. Unfortunately, as H.Y.D.R.A.'s activities grew, she and Torchic were separated, and Natasha had been isolating herself from Pokémon ever since.

Now, though, after Phil offered her a second chance, she felt she was ready to try again.

"I'll do everything I can to help stop them," Natasha promised, without disclosing what the evil organization had done to her years before.

"And, I take it, you'll want to enter the Pokémon League?" Fury asked, and she nodded with a small, determined smile. She wasn't about to turn down the challenge of defeating eight special trainers, followed by four powerful trainers, and, finally, the champion trainer - the strongest trainer in all of the region, supposedly.

"Alright, well, the Pokémon are back here-"

"Wait up, Gramps!"

At the voice, Fury released a small groan. Phil's expression mirrored the mood of the professor. Natasha raised an eyebrow, curious to see who this newcomer was and why they had such an effect on the two men.

"Barton, I told you: I am _not_ your grandfather," Fury reminded harshly, turning to face this apparent 'Barton' character with a glare.

"Close enough, close enough," the blond man, who appeared to be around Natasha's age, shrugged with a wave of his hand. He stopped next to Natasha, looking between her and the others. "Who's this?"

Natasha answered before Phil or Fury could. "_This_ is Natasha Romanoff," she introduced herself bluntly. "I'm here to receive my first Pokémon."

"Hey, wait a minute! Not before me!" Barton protested, looking to Phil with a pleading look.

The man sighed. "Natasha, this is...well, I guess he's your rival, so maybe you already have a name for him in mind."

"Asshole," Natasha supplied with a smug expression. Barton glared at her. She appeared thoughtful and considerate for a moment. "Or, douche? Ooh, maybe ass_hat_?"

"My name is _Clint_!" he exclaimed. "I'm not just some mindless, non-playable character you can name - I _have _a name!"

"Clint, Natasha was here first, so she may choose first," Fury finally cut in. He led the group to a machine, where three Poké Balls were sitting. With a look at Phil, the man pressed a button on his tablet that immediately opened all three balls.

Standing in front of them on the ground now were Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander, as Natasha had been expecting. She frowned thoughtfully, because she still hadn't _quite _made up her mind.

"Hurry up, please; I already know who I want," Clint muttered, and Natasha resisted the urge to roughly shove him aside with her shoulder.

Bulbasaur looked disinterested in both her and Clint, like it had somewhere better to be; Natasha didn't want to have a completely _serious _Pokémon. Squirtle looked ready to play, not necessarily battle; Natasha feared she may not be fun enough for it. Finally, Charmander looked neutral.

But, looking closer, Natasha could detect something else in Charmander's eyes. It looked a little uneasy and nervous, mirroring a bit of what she actually felt inside herself at the moment. At the same time, it looked like it had a history, something that happened, probably not good, that led to it living in Fury's lab waiting to be chosen by someone.

She could relate to the orange, lizard-looking creature, she decided, and she knew she had her choice.

"I'll take Charmander," Natasha decided, gesturing to the fire type Pokémon. It perked up a bit at the news, offering her a warm smile as it walked up to her.

Natasha crouched down to its level, meeting it at eye-level with a warm smile. She held her hand out for it to take. "Hi, Charmander. My name's Natasha."

"Char," Charmander replied happily, taking her hand in both of its own. Clint made a bored noise from behind her.

"See? I should have just chosen first," Clint groaned, gesturing to Squirtle. "I wanted Squirtle since, like, yesterday, anyway."

Squirtle ran around Natasha and Charmander, stopping at Clint's feet with a happy cry. Clint smiled back at the blue turtle.

Bulbasaur merely gave a miniscule shrug as it watched. Phil crouched beside it, patting its head gently. "Your time will be soon, Bulbasaur," he promised, returning the grass type to its Poké Ball.

"Now, then, Romanoff, Barton, each of you take a Pokédex." Fury handed each of them a red, handheld device. "It will tell you what any Pokémon you run into is; its name, type, a description, everything. It keeps track of each Pokémon you encounter. Don't lose it."

"Ha! I bet I'll fill mine up faster than Tasha," Clint gloated as Natasha picked Charmander up, ever mindful of the flame burning on the end of the monster's tail.

"Tasha?" she echoed, eyebrow raised. "Who said you could call me that?"

"I did," Clint decided, looking down at Squirtle once more. "Now, then, little guy, you excited?"

"Squirt, Squirtle!" Squirtle replied, as if to indicate it was.

"Don't forget the task at hand, Barton," Phil reminded him sharply as he handed the blond Squirtle's Poké Ball. "You need to help dismantle H.Y.D.R.A."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Clint shrugged, pocketing the objects the two men had handed him. He then picked Squirtle up, holding the turtle over his head with a triumphant grin. "We're off to become the very best, like no one ever was; catching them is the real test, and training is our cause!"

"_And _dismantling H.Y.D.R.A.," Phil reminded once more, and Clint brushed him off with a wave of his hand.

"Yes, yes; H.Y.D.R.A., got it," Clint said. "And, after that, it's off to defeat the Champion!"

"You gotta get eight gym badges first, though," Natasha pointed out. She withheld a small smile as Charmander seemed to curl into her chest, the affectionate display warming her heart a little. _I can already tell you're going to be spending very little time inside of your Poké Ball, huh?_ "And, then, you have to defeat the Elite Four."

"Elite Four, shm-elite shm-four," Clint said awkwardly, as the words clearly didn't work on his tongue. "I just want to know who that Champion is!"

It was true, everyone only knew of the Pokémon trainer who currently reigned as the Champion through rumors - no one actually knew the trainer herself. Natasha had to admit she, too, was curious about her identity.

"Don't we all?" she shrugged to Clint in reply, pocketing her Pokédex and Charmander's Poké Ball.

"You are both dismissed," Fury said, looking between the two new trainers. "Good luck out there, and make sure to check in with us periodically."

"Ha! I won't need to, but, okay, Gramps," Clint laughed, and Squirtle echoed him with its own version of a chuckle. The blond lowered the turtle, instead holding it at his torso rather than above his head.

Natasha nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Professor Fury, Mr. Coulson. Charmander and I will be off now."

Charmander waved its small hand at the two scientists, offering a good-natured cry as if to echo Natasha's gratitude, as she began walking away.

She scarcely made it halfway to the door when Clint suddenly called her back.

"Wait up, Nat!"

Again with the nicknames? She shook her head in exasperation, waiting for him to explain why she couldn't leave yet.

He stopped in front of her with a smug grin. "I think we should battle."

Natasha raised a curious eyebrow at him. "Really?"

"Uh, _yes_!" Clint answered as if it were obvious, and Squirtle squirmed out of his grasp, hopping to the ground with a determined smirk. "Even Squirtle wants to go a round!"

Before she made her own decision, she looked to Charmander, since it was the one who would be doing the fighting, anyway. The small Pokémon looked unsure at first, but, seeming to sense Natasha's own strength and fighting spirit, nodded.

"You sure?" Natasha questioned. She didn't want to push the poor thing too hard too quickly - especially considering how fast she seemed to have so quickly lost Torchic years before. So, yeah, she was a _bit _nervous.

But Charmander nodded once more, looking more sure this time, and Natasha set it on the ground. It turned to face Squirtle, its friend from living in the lab, with an amicable, but rivaling, expression.

"Alright, then, let's go!" Clint cheered, and Squirtle mirrored his spiritedness. "Ladies first, Tash."

"Fine then, Barton." Natasha rolled her eyes, stepping back to give the two Pokémon a bit more space to battle. "Charmander, use Scratch!"

"Char!" Charmander lunged at Squirtle, who took the hit with a pained cry.

Squirtle stumbled back a bit, but didn't look fazed for long.

"Squirtle, use Tackle!" Clint commanded.

"Charmander, dodge!" Natasha countered, grinning when Charmander side-stepped out of the way just in time.

"Now, then, Charmander, Scratch again!"

"Dodge, Squirtle! Tackle!"

The battle continued this way for a few more minutes, both Pokémon feeding off their respective trainers' energy. Fury and Phil watched thoughtfully from the back.

"Sir," Phil looked to the taller man, "do you really think they might be the ones?"

"Not _the _ones," Fury corrected. "It's not like they're the only ones who can harness that power. There are others out there, but, I definitely believe these two have the potential for it."

Phil nodded, looking back at the impromptu battlefield. "Natasha and Charmander bonded immediately, and Clint and Squirtle look like they've been together for their entire lives. I think, when the time comes, they'll be ready."

"I think so, too," Fury agreed, and they stopped talking as Squirtle fell back from an attack, and didn't stand back up.

"Aww, Squirtle!" Clint crouched down next to his Pokémon, who fainted, meaning Natasha won. He returned Squirtle to its Poké Ball. "Good battle, buddy, good battle."

"Woohoo! I knew you could do it, Charmander!" Natasha cheered, happily picking up the Pokémon and twirling around with it in her arms. It cried out gleefully, as if to congratulate Natasha the same.

"Good battle, Nat; I must say, I'm impressed." Clint admitted. "Don't get used to it, though; I'll be much stronger the next time around."

"If you say so, Clint," Natasha shrugged as if she didn't believe him. Charmander also offered a teasing expression, but Clint took their reactions in stride.

"Whatever, I'll see you around." Clint whirled around, looking back at the people inside the lab once as he offered a wave of his hand. "Smell ya later!"

After he left, Natasha and Charmander shared a look. "He really grows on you after awhile, huh?"

"Charmander, char…"

* * *

Traveling with Charmander was more fun than Natasha had initially anticipated. The small Pokémon was very curious, very adventurous, and loyal to a fault; where Natasha went, Charmander would follow without a doubt.

Everything went by quickly after they began their journey. They breezed through the towns, and the gym leaders defending them, because Natasha knew there were more important things at stake. H.Y.D.R.A. was still out there, and it was only a matter of time before they got their hands on legendary Pokémon.

She and Charmander - who, soon after their first gym battle, evolved into Charmeleon, a larger and tougher-looking form of Charmander - did some sneaking around. And, despite how annoying he was, Clint was up to the same thing, trying to get information on H.Y.D.R.A. They teamed up on several occasions to raid H.Y.D.R.A. bases, but then went their separate ways to continue on their respective journeys.

Eventually, Natasha arrived in Lavender Town, which was pretty...creepy, to be quite honest. Standing back on the edge of the town, Natasha shared a quick look with Charmeleon, as it stood by her feet. It tried to look brave, but Natasha could detect a hint of nervousness from her Pokémon, and she could honestly feel the same anxiety gnawing at her gut.

"This place seems...nice," she said generously, to which Charmeleon just gave a small huff and eyeroll, completely aware of her overly nice comment. The sky was extremely overcast, and the town itself was completely covered in fog. "Okay, fine, this place seems like something you'd see in a horror movie. Better?"

"Char." Charmeleon nodded as they resumed walking. It was a pretty quiet place, with hardly anyone standing around outside - Natasha was almost convinced the place was _abandoned, _but, because of the tall tower in the center of the town, she knew it was not.

"Do you know what this place is? No?" Natasha sighed as Charmeleon shrugged, indicating this area was completely new to it. They then walked to the Pokémon Center, Natasha deciding to do some asking around about this place.

Once inside, Natasha walked up to the counter with a polite smile, and returned Charmeleon to its Poké Ball. "Hi, Nurse Joy, can you heal my Pokémon?"

"Sure thing," the pink-haired nurse replied happily. From behind her, Chansey, a large pink Pokémon, took Natasha's Poké Balls from her and put them on a tray. It then inserted them into a machine that restored Pokémon's health. "Are you new here?"

Natasha nodded. "Yeah, my name's Natasha; I'm from Pallet Town. I've been traveling, and my Pokémon and I just came upon this town today. It's got an...interesting mood to it," she couldn't help but comment.

Nurse Joy smiled sympathetically. "That's what everyone says when they come here for the first time. I take it you've seen the large tower at the center of the town?"

"Yeah, I was wondering what that was," Natasha admitted. "What's inside?"

"That place is called Pokémon Tower. It's where Pokémon are laid to rest, after they pass away," Nurse Joy explained. "Many people travel here to visit their Pokémon's graves and pay their respects."

_Pokémon's graves? _Natasha repeated the phrase in her mind. _I guess it would make sense, since Pokémon aren't immortal...I wonder if Torchic is still alive somewhere. _

"It's nice that there's a place they can do that," Natasha commented appreciatively, ignoring her thoughts. Even though Charmeleon would probably flip out over entering such a creepy place, Natasha was pretty curious, and thought, as a Pokémon trainer herself, perhaps she should spend some time appreciating the deceased Pokémon for their time alive. "I might go check it out later."

"If you do, be careful," Nurse Joy advised, suddenly looking a bit concerned. "I've heard some rumors lately about a ghost haunting the tower."

"A ghost?" Natasha echoed curiously, tilting her head to one side and furrowing her brow. What could that mean? "Like, a ghost type _Pokémon_?"

But Nurse Joy shook her head. "No one can identify it; it chases visitors off before they can get too close. From what everyone's said, it's no Pokémon that any of us can identify. Ah, your Pokémon are all healed up."

Before Natasha could ask for more information, Nurse Joy was returning her Poké Balls to her, and turning to another trainer approaching the counter. Immediately upon walking away and re-attaching her Poké Balls to her belt, Charmeleon burst out of its Poké Ball, glaring at Natasha; it had, clearly, overheard her conversation with Nurse Joy. Natasha rolled her eyes.

"Come on, Charmeleon, it'll be fun! Aren't you curious about what this supposed ghost could be?" she asked as they exited the Pokémon Center, stopping just outside. "It's _got _to be a Pokémon - and think of how happy Coulson and Fury will be to see that we'll manage to identify a new ghost type Pokémon!" Charmeleon didn't look convinced as it gave a huff of disagreement.

"Are you saying you don't believe in ghosts?" Both Natasha and Charmeleon jumped at the sudden voice, Charmeleon fearfully digging its claws into Natasha's pant leg while glaring up at the newcomer. Natasha cursed in Russian under her breath as she tried to pry the fire type Pokémon off of her leg.

"I'm not a big believer, no," Natasha answered, gritting her teeth as she pushed Charmeleon away, despite its protests and wary glances toward the woman who had somehow managed to sneak up on both of them. "It's probably just a Pokémon; ghost type Pokémon are the closest we come to having ghosts, anyway."

"Haha, I guess you're probably right," the woman laughed nervously, eyes flitting between Charmeleon and Natasha. "That white hand on your shoulder...it's not really there, haha…"

At that, Natasha and Charmeleon both started again, Charmeleon clinging to Natasha's leg once more as Natasha looked behind both of her shoulders uneasily. Finding nothing, she frowned, and turned back to where the woman was standing. "Hey, I don't see-"

The woman was gone.

Charmeleon gave a distressed cry, and pushed its head into Natasha's leg as if the gesture would hide it from the supposed 'ghosts' wandering around. Natasha just facepalmed.

"Alright, that's enough of that," she scolded, prying Charmeleon off of her denim pants once more. "Come on, that weird lady was just messing with us - off with you, I say!"

"Natasha?" Nurse Joy poked her head outside, and smiled when she saw the redhead with Charmeleon just next to the doors to the Pokémon Center. The nurse stepped out and faced them. "I forgot to say something. If you're really thinking about going to Pokémon Tower, I think you should visit Dr. Banner's Pokémon House first."

"Dr. Banner's Pokémon House?" Natasha raised an eyebrow, pushing Charmeleon's head away with a hand. It growled against her palm, but she ignored it. "Interesting name."

"Dr. Banner is a scientist; he does a lot of research on Pokémon, and how to take care of them," Nurse Joy informed Natasha. "He frequents Pokémon Tower quite often, so I think it'd be good for you to stop by and see what he has to say about the ghost rumors first, just to make sure it's safe."

Charmeleon stopped protesting against Natasha at Nurse Joy's words. It thought for a moment, making the connection that, surely, this 'Dr. Banner' fellow would tell Natasha it was too dangerous to just wander into Pokémon Tower - _genius! _With a relieved expression, it released its hold on Natasha's leg, crossing its arms and nodding authoritatively. Nurse Joy chuckled at Charmeleon's behavior. "It seems your Charmeleon believes this would be the correct course of action."

Natasha sighed, looking at her Pokémon with a neutral expression. "I guess you're probably right. Are you happy _now_, Charmeleon?"

"Char," the Pokémon declared, looking up confidently.

"Guess that settles it, then. Thanks for the tip, Nurse Joy; I thought I was going to have to sleep with a Charmeleon hooked onto my leg all night."

* * *

"Hello? Dr. Banner?" Natasha called as she opened the doors of the 'Pokémon House' place Nurse Joy directed her to. Charmeleon seemed to have had enough of the eerie air outside, as it rushed in between Natasha's legs, nearly tripping her. She scowled at the Pokémon, but it just looked innocent.

"Who are you?" a British-sounding speaker asked in reply. The source of the voice soon presented herself as Natasha's eyes landed on a short - yet still a couple inches taller than Natasha, _damn it_ \- brunette woman. She had a small Pokémon hanging off her shoulder - Minun, an electric type Pokémon that resembled a bit of a mouse, Natasha quickly observed and identified with her Pokédex - who looked at the newcomers curiously.

"I'm Natasha, Natasha Romanoff," she introduced herself, shutting the door behind her. "I was told I should come talk to Dr. Banner in his...Pokémon House." (Seriously, what kind of name was that?)

"Ah, well, you've come to the right place! Unfortunately, he's out at the moment," the brunette added apologetically, then shook her head with another apology. "I'm so sorry, where are my manners - my name is Jemma Simmons." At that, Minun interjected its own name with a cry, and Simmons nodded. "And, of course, this is my partner Pokémon, Minun. We work with Dr. Banner here, researching Pokémon and helping those who are abandoned."

"Abandoned Pokémon?" Natasha echoed, sharing a brief glance with Charmeleon.

Simmons nodded, a smile growing on her face. "Here, come with me, I'll show you."

Natasha and Charmeleon soon found themselves following Simmons, Minun now opting to walk on the floor alongside Charmeleon. The two Pokémon were chatting, Natasha wasn't quite sure as to what they were talking about, but it was cute, nonetheless.

They then entered a room with more people, whom Natasha could only assume were other scientists and doctors, and Pokémon. There were Pokémon in different areas of the room, and Natasha grew sad as she remembered Simmons saying they were all abandoned by their trainers. She couldn't imagine ever doing a thing to her own Pokémon; how could someone just live like that?

"This is where we keep all of the Pokémon, though some prefer to sleep in other areas of the facility at night," Simmons explained as they stopped just past the entrance. "We care for them when they come in, but we also study them to learn more about Pokémon behavior and biology. It's quite a fascinating study."

"I'm glad all these Pokémon had somewhere safe to go." Natasha lifted her gaze from the Pokémon and people scattered throughout the room, looking instead to Simmons. "All of these Pokémon were abandoned?"

"I'm afraid so," Simmons sighed, but stopped when Minun prodded her leg with a small cry, as if reminding her of something. She then appeared to remember whatever it was Minun was talking about. "There are a couple of Pokémon here who were wild, but because of H.Y.D.R.A.'s recent activities, their homes were destroyed...I'm sure you've heard of these criminals, yes?"

Natasha's blood boiled a bit at the mention, and she could feel Charmeleon placing a gentle clawed hand on her leg - not clinging to her like earlier, but more to offer comfort. She had told her Pokémon the story of how she had lost Torchic years ago - Charmeleon fought even harder in battle against H.Y.D.R.A. agents ever since then, and Natasha appreciated the way Charmeleon valued her feelings so preciously. "I have, unfortunately. My Pokémon and I have been trying to help put a stop to them, but it's a bit easier said than done."

"I understand." Simmons nodded, her expression turning sympathetic. "Thank you for your efforts, though. There are bound to be countless Pokémon whose lives were saved by your kindness."

Before Natasha could reply, the sharp cry of a Pokémon across the room caught her attention. Simmons and Minun responded immediately, as if this was a normal occurrence by whatever Pokémon had cried out; Natasha and Charmeleon shared a brief look of concern before following them.

They stopped at a corner of the room, where a small, brown and white Pokémon was backed up against the walls, glaring daggers at the human who had been trying to feed it. Simmons gently pushed the startled scientist aside, looking down at the Pokémon - Cubone, Natasha's Pokédex identified, a ground type - as it growled.

"Cubone, it's alright, you're safe here," Simmons spoke softly, crouching down to Cubone's height. "No one will hurt you."

Minun tried to help, as it stepped out from behind Simmons and stopped just in front of Cubone, repeating what Simmons said. But Cubone wouldn't listen, convinced that these people were going to hurt it, as it lashed out against the small electric Pokémon, whacking Minun away with the small bone it carried - Cubone's characteristic weapon.

Simmons quickly caught Minun as it fell back and cried out in pain, and Natasha felt bad for the frightened Pokémon. This was all just a misunderstanding - clearly, something tragic had happened to make Cubone act like this, and Natasha could relate to that feeling. After all, she'd isolated herself from Pokémon for years because of what had happened to her.

"Jemma, can I try talking to it?" Natasha found herself offering before she realized what she was doing. Even Charmeleon looked at her like she wasn't thinking straight, Simmons mirroring a similar expression when she stood up with Minun in her arms. "I think I understand its feelings."

It wasn't that Simmons and Minun _didn't _\- Natasha was sure they could tell Cubone was terrified. But, Natasha knew how Cubone felt in that moment, feeling _cornered _and _trapped. _She could sympathize with the small Pokémon.

After the British brunette finally nodded her consent, the two women traded places, Natasha then crouching down in front of Cubone. She wasn't too close to it, but not that far, either. "Hey, Cubone."

"Cu," the ground type just hissed in reply, glaring at Natasha and holding the bone in its hands threateningly. But Natasha wasn't scared.

"It's alright, I won't hurt you, even though it seems like that's not true," Natasha continued, sounding nonchalant and casual. From behind her, though, she could detect Charmeleon's protective stance, as it was probably ready to lash out at the smaller Pokémon should it try to attack Natasha. "I know how you're feeling - you're scared, right? Because some bad people did some bad things to you?"

Cubone's glare calmed a little, and it relaxed a bit from its tense stance. It was listening to Natasha's words, she could tell.

"Some bad people did some bad things to me once, too," Natasha explained, looking at Cubone sympathetically. "They took away my closest friend, someone who I loved more than anything, and that's not okay. It took me a long time to realize that, even though that happened, it didn't mean that _everyone _in the world was bad."

Cubone's eyes reflected a hint of sadness, and Natasha could only wonder what it had gone through. It was so small, smaller than any Cubone she'd ever seen or heard of - it must have been just a _baby_, the poor thing. No wonder it was so frightened.

"Now that you've gotten the chance to get to know me a little, do I seem bad?" Natasha questioned it then. "What about these other people? Have they ever been anything but nice to you?"

"Cubone…" Her words were touching it, Natasha could tell, as the Pokémon's resolve crumbled. It loosened its hold on the bone, and its muscles relaxed considerably. Natasha smiled.

"I promise you, Cubone, you don't have to be scared here. All of the people in this room just want to help you, and make sure you stay healthy," Natasha assured it. "So, even though it's scary, do you think you can be a little brave and give them a chance?"

Those words ultimately did it, as Cubone blinked, then nodded, turning to the man it had initially lashed out at. After a moment of hesitation, he crouched down once more, offering the Pokémon a bowl of food, which Cubone did not resist.

Life resumed normally in the room then, everyone returning to playing with and caring for the different Pokémon. Natasha stood up with a relieved sigh as Cubone hungrily dug into its food. Simmons applauded her happily.

"You're a natural at communicating with Pokémon, Natasha!" she praised, while Minun also looked amazed. Natasha just shrugged at the comment.

"I told Cubone the truth, about how I was hurt once by people, too. It took me a long time to trust both people _and _Pokémon again, but...look where I am now." Natasha smiled at Charmeleon, who just gave a happy cry.

But Simmons' expression fell a bit at Natasha's words, as she guided the redhead a few feet away from where Cubone was eating. She laid a hand on Natasha's arm. "You hit it right on the head with poor Cubone when you said that," she admitted.

"What happened to it? It looks so _young_, almost like a baby," Natasha commented worriedly, to which Simmons just nodded sadly.

"That's because it _is _a baby. Those H.Y.D.R.A. ruffians...they did something awful," Simmons sighed, glancing at Cubone before looking at Natasha once more. "Cubone was living in the wild until just a week or so ago, with its mother. But then some H.Y.D.R.A. agents attacked the area they were living in, and started chasing Cubone around, trying to catch it."

Natasha glanced back toward the baby Pokémon at Simmons' words, having a bad feeling about where this story was going. She swallowed the nervous lump in her throat. "What happened?"

"Its mother, Marowak, tried to protect it. While it distracted the H.Y.D.R.A. men, Cubone was able to escape. However, Marowak…" Simmons' voice trailed off with another sigh, followed by Minun climbing up to her shoulder. It pressed a small paw to her cheek with a sympathetic expression, which Simmons responded to by raising a hand to stroke Minun's head. "They killed Cubone's mother, leaving Cubone an orphan...but free from H.Y.D.R.A. That's when Dr. Banner found Cubone, and took it back here."

"Charmeleon…" Charmeleon said sadly, looking up at its trainer with a concerned expression. Natasha mirrored its worry, rubbing its head for comfort.

"That's awful," Natasha said, looking back up to Simmons. "I can't believe they would do something so cruel." Well, honestly, she _could _believe that, considering H.Y.D.R.A.'s track record before this; but, it was still a cruel occurrence all the same.

"It's the reason why Cubone's so distrusting of humans; they took its mother away," Simmons explained, leading Natasha out of the Pokémon room. "Honestly, I don't know how-"

"Jemma! Jemma! We have a situation!" Came a voice Natasha hadn't heard before. This one was male, and...Scottish?

"Fitz?" Simmons called in reply as they both watched a man, probably around the same age as Simmons, run in, a Plusle clinging to his shoulder for dear life. Minun laughed at its counterpart - Plusle being the opposite of Minun, but looking almost exactly the same as the blue and beige electric Pokémon, only with red markings instead of blue - climbing off of Simmons' shoulder to greet Plusle on the ground. Fitz stopped in front of Simmons with a worried expression and breathed heavily, like he had run from the next town over.

"Jemma, it's bad, it's…" He hesitated, searching for the words. "Those people - H.Y.D.R.A., that's them! Yes, those evil people...they've taken over Pokémon Tower!"

"What?!" both Simmons and Natasha asked in shock. Why would they take over the burial site of trainers' Pokémon?

"That's not all...they've also taken Dr. Banner hostage inside!" Fitz continued, gesturing wildly. Plusle seemed to be doing the same, as it explained what it had seen to Minun and Charmeleon, both of whom looked very worried.

"This is terrible! What can we do?" Simmons was stressing out, Natasha could tell. "There's no way you and I can save him, or any of the others…"

Charmeleon looked up to Natasha with a determined expression and nod, as if knowing what she was probably thinking. She smiled at it in reply, then turned back to the two worried scientists. "I'll go."

"What?! _You?!_" Fitz questioned, still catching his breath. He stared at her disbelieving for a moment, before straightening up and looking genuinely curious. "Wait...who are you again?"

"Oh, not now, Fitz," Simmons scolded, brushing off his confusion before turning back to Natasha. "Natasha, I know we just met, but you seem like you may be able to do this. If you could be so kind to save Dr. Banner for us…"

"Leave it to me," Natasha assured Simmons as Charmeleon did the same to Plusle and Minun, who both reflected their respective trainers' worry. "My Pokémon and I can handle it."

* * *

If Natasha had thought Lavender Town was creepy, she really should have thought more about what it was like _inside _Pokémon Tower, because it was just short of _slightly _terrifying. _Slightly. _

She hated to admit it, but Charmeleon had been right. This place was awful at night, which was, of course, the time of day they had gone. Add to it the fact that there were no living souls in the tower (Fitz mentioned H.Y.D.R.A. closing the tower to all visitors) and the previous rumors of a ghost wandering around, well...Natasha could understand now why Charmeleon had been so worried.

As if sensing her thoughts, Charmeleon huffed as it walked in front of Natasha, holding its flame-tipped tail up in front of it for light. "Charmeleon, char."

"Oh, shut up." Natasha scowled. "I know you're just as scared as I am - don't even try to deny it."

They had barely been in the tower for five minutes before Natasha decided they needed more help.

"We could use an extra set of eyes, someone who can see in the darkness," Natasha reasoned, throwing the Poké Ball containing one of her other Pokémon - Umbreon, a black, fox-like monster that had a pattern of yellow rings across its body, which Natasha knew lit up in the dark. Perfect.

When Umbreon came out, looking at Natasha and Charmeleon's matching fearful expressions, it just started _laughing. _Both trainer and starter Pokémon protested at its laughter, insisting that nothing about this was funny, that there were some _really scary things _that could be wandering through the tower at that time of night; all of which Umbreon just shrugged off, because, as a dark type Pokémon itself, the darkness didn't scare it at all.

With now two sources of light, walking through the confusing layouts of the floors of Pokémon Tower was not as tricky. They were able to weave their way through the tombstones that were _everywhere_, and continue pressing on toward the top.

Just when Natasha thought they were close, both Umbreon and Charmeleon suddenly stopped for no reason. She frowned at the two Pokémon, looking between them worriedly. "Are you guys okay?"

"Ch-char," Charmeleon stuttered out, taking a step back toward Natasha. Umbreon, meanwhile, while still looking a bit nervous, perked its ears, trying to locate whatever it was both it and Charmeleon had sensed that Natasha could not.

"You guys are lightweight freaking me out," Natasha commented, concerned by her Pokémon's behavior. "What's-"

Her answer came in the form of a voice. It was faint at first, distant and far away.

_Get...out…_

Charmeleon shuddered, Umbreon frowned, and Natasha swallowed nervously, looking around the dark room.

_Get...out...of...here…! _

"Charmeleon, char!" Charmeleon cried, as if to say it had had its fill, and it was ready to retreat for now and try again later. But Natasha wasn't about to throw in the towel.

"Who's there? Show yourself!" she called out into the darkness, though it was illuminated by the light of her Pokémon. Charmeleon looked at her like she had lost her mind for calling out the invisible newcomer.

_Go away… Get out of here! _

The voice grew louder as, suddenly, a purple miasma appeared at the bottom of the stairs just across the room from Natasha and her Pokémon. That was the only way up to the next floor! She pulled out her Pokédex, but it had nothing; she cursed under her breath, realizing the rumors about the ghost in the tower had been true.

"We have to battle it," Natasha said, at which Charmeleon just gulped and stepped in front of her and Umbreon, ready to battle. It turned to Umbreon and said something, which Natasha interpreted as going ahead of them to look for the H.Y.D.R.A. agents. When Umbreon looked up at Natasha for consent, she thought for a moment before agreeing with a nod.

"Stay hidden, don't let them catch you, and come back here immediately if you see anything," Natasha cautioned sternly. She wasn't going to lose _another _Pokémon to H.Y.D.R.A. "Don't take them on by yourself."

"Umb," Umbreon said obediently, letting the light from its rings fade. Within seconds, Umbreon was blending in perfectly with the darkness, while the ghost approached Natasha and Charmeleon, giving Umbreon the perfect opportunity to slip past it.

_You must leave here at once!_

"Okay, Charmeleon, let's go! I'm counting on you!" Natasha called, even though Charmeleon looked nervous. Despite all of its fearful behavior over the course of the night thus far, Natasha knew that Charmeleon wouldn't just give up when faced with something as creepy as a ghost.

_Get out of here! _

"Charmeleon, use Bite!" Bite was a dark type move, which was super effective toward ghost types; Natasha could only hope literal _ghosts _shared weaknesses with ghost _types. _

"Char!" Charmeleon lunged forward, running up to the ghost, but then skidded to a stop in front of it. It looked frightened, more scared than Natasha had seen it all night. She waited a few moments for Charmeleon to attack, but it did nothing, instead just standing fearfully beneath the purple haze that was the ghost.

"Charmeleon? Hey, Charmeleon, snap out of it!" Natasha called, but Charmeleon took a few nervous steps back. It must have been because it wasn't a Pokémon, or anything really identifiable, Natasha thought - otherwise, Charmeleon would've powered through its fears. "Charmeleon!"

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the Pokémon House, FitzSimmons both turned as they overheard a strange crashing sound coming from the room where the Pokémon were staying. They shared a worried glance before running to the room, Plusle and Minun in tow, and stopping just outside the glass doors.

Inside, they saw Cubone repeatedly tackling the door, as if to break out. Dr. Banner had made sure the glass in the facility was strong enough to withstand Pokémon attacks like these, and Simmons now understood why.

"What's Cubone doing?" Fitz questioned, brows furrowed, as Cubone cried out before tackling the door once more. "Was it doing this earlier while I was gone?"

"No, no, nothing like this...it was just refusing to eat, but Natasha quickly calmed it down," Simmons recalled, looking to Plusle and Minun for help. "Can you two figure out what's gotten Cubone so worked up?"

The two electric mice nodded at Simmons' request, walking up to the glass while Cubone was trying to catch its breath. "Plu?" Plusle questioned. "Min?" Minun added.

"Cubone, cu," Cubone replied roughly, hitting the glass with its bone. "Cubone!"

"Plusle?" Plusle tilted its head to one side. Cubone nodded.

"Minun, mi!" Minun climbed up Fitz's leg, then onto his shoulder, and pointed to the panel that opened the doors. "Minun, min, mi!"

Fitz looked back and forth between the Pokémon like they had each grown another head. "You want me to open the door and let Cubone run out? Are you two _mad_?!"

"Plusle, plus!" Plusle insisted, which Minun agreed to with a nod. Simmons turned to Fitz with a hopeless expression.

"I think we should do as they say, and see what all the ruckus is about," Simmons sighed. Fitz thought for a moment, before shrugging and punching a few buttons on the door panel.

"Alright, don't say I didn't warn-"

Before he could finish, Cubone had run out past them, headed straight to the front doors of the building. Plusle and Minun pursued it quickly, not to chase Cubone down and capture it, but to _follow _it to wherever it was running. Fitz and Simmons hardly had time to share a look before running outside after their Pokémon.

* * *

Umbreon had run into a problem, just at the top of the stairs. A H.Y.D.R.A. agent had heard the commotion with the ghost, and was running down the stairs quickly. Of course, Umbreon blended in very well with the darkness - until the agent shone a flashlight on the dark type Pokémon as he nearly ran it over.

The dark type fell back when the man ran into it, tumbling down a few steps with a pained cry. It quickly jumped back to its feet, though, as Natasha's words about not getting caught echoed in its mind. However, something clattered to the ground beside Umbreon's feet, a strange looking device - Umbreon sniffed curiously, sensing that it was something the H.Y.D.R.A. agents had been using inside of the tower. It wondered what it could be used for…

"Hey! That was an Umbreon!" the man that had bumped into Umbreon realized aloud, picking up his flashlight and shining it on Umbreon once more. "What are you doing here? And where's..._hey! _That's _mine_!"

The human was pointing at the strange tech device Umbreon had now picked up and was holding in its mouth. It _must _have been important then, Umbreon thought; otherwise, this human wouldn't be so worked up over it. Maybe Natasha would be able to use it to her advantage! Without hesitating another moment, Umbreon turned on its paws and ran back down the way it came, knowing it could outrun the H.Y.D.R.A. agent in pursuit.

When it arrived back down on the floor it had come from, Umbreon saw Natasha trying to get Charmeleon's attention as it stared at the ghost, completely frozen to the spot. Immediately, Umbreon ran back to its trainer, around Charmeleon and the ghost. Umbreon stood up on its hind legs when it stopped in front of Natasha, leaning against her with its paws on her thighs as it held up the device. She grabbed it, confused by what it was, as Umbreon insisted she use it.

"Umbreon, what is this?" Natasha questioned, inspecting it. They were some weird set of goggles...and judging by the fast footsteps Natasha heard coming down the stairs, she could only assume they were important to H.Y.D.R.A.

"Where'd that Umbreon go?!" the agent called as he skidded to a stop at the bottom of the stairs. He was about to yell something else until the ghost turned to him, and he froze.

_Leave this place at once! _

As expected, the goon screamed, and ran back up the stairs, probably to warn his fellow agents of the ghost. Natasha resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the cowardly display, instead opting to slide the goggles over her face. She looked to Charmeleon and the ghost curiously, and was shocked at what she found.

"Wait...these are…" she realized aloud as the picture in the lenses changed, revealing the ghost to be...a Pokémon!

_Leave! _The Pokémon - a Marowak, Natasha identified with her Pokédex - was calling to them, a supernatural miasma flowing around its transparent body. Even though it was a Pokémon, it was _still _a ghost, and Natasha realized who it must have been with a sad expression. _You must get out of here; it's not safe! _

"Marowak...Cubone's mother," Natasha identified the ghost aloud for her two Pokemon, as she heard more footsteps from behind her. Turning, she saw Cubone running up to the ghostly outline of its mother, with Plusle, Minun, and FitzSimmons in tow.

"Cubone! Where are you going?" Simmons called, but the group all stopped at the sight of Cubone being reunited with its mother. Natasha smiled, pulling the strange device off of her face, and patting Umbreon's head to praise it for doing a good job and staying safe.

"Cubone's mother came back to warn us about H.Y.D.R.A.," Natasha realized aloud as Charmeleon walked back to her. She crouched down to both of her Pokémon's height, petting both of them for braving the Pokémon Tower with her. "Marowak didn't want us to get hurt like it had."

"So, the ghost haunting Pokémon Tower…" Fitz smiled bittersweetly at the revelation. "In the end, it was just Cubone's mother trying to protect innocent people who would try to come while H.Y.D.R.A. was in here."

"Her soul must have been unable to pass on, too, without knowing whether or not Cubone was safe," Simmons added.

"Cubone, cu, cu!" Cubone cried, embracing its ghostly mother. Marowak returned the gesture, then rubbed Cubone's head and murmured some comforting words before ascending toward the ceiling, fading as it went.

When Marowak was finally gone, Cubone cried out for it once more, but realized its mother was really gone this time. Its expression fell with the realization, but it was clear that Cubone felt much better knowing its mother would be moving onto the next life.

"Cubone was able to get closure," Natasha decided, and Charmeleon and Umbreon echoed her in agreement.

* * *

They found Dr. Bruce Banner on the top floor of the tower, as expected. Apparently, once the handful of H.Y.D.R.A. agents guarding him caught wind of Marowak's ghost, they fled, knowing that the spirit of a Pokémon they killed was _probably _not on the best terms with them. After that, Natasha and FitzSimmons were able to retrieve Bruce very easily.

Natasha gave the three scientists the odd goggles that Umbreon had retrieved. As it turned out, it was a device called the Stark Scope, which was designed to help identify new ghost type Pokémon, and now, apparently, _ghosts. _Bruce made some offhanded comment about a certain Tony Stark being thrilled to find out what his stolen invention was truly capable of, but Natasha didn't pay much attention to it.

Instead, Natasha and Bruce discussed the motives of H.Y.D.R.A., and where she should hit next. Because of their possession of the Stark Scope, Bruce believed the evil organization to have infiltrated Stark Industries, a huge tech company based in Saffron City. Natasha promised to travel there as soon as possible to investigate, and Bruce thanked her profusely.

They became fast friends, as Bruce was a very calming presence, and Natasha knew she could depend on him for help against H.Y.D.R.A. in the future. Even if he wasn't as dedicated to competitive battle and training Pokémon as her, Natasha was sure he'd be able to help in the ultimate fight against H.Y.D.R.A. to stop their cruelty against Pokémon.

Natasha was planning on leaving Lavender Town in a few days, as she ended up spending all of her time after the showdown in Pokémon Tower in Bruce's lab, playing with Cubone. She grew very close with the baby Pokémon, as had some of her Pokémon, especially Charmeleon, whose protective streak now extended to the ground type as well. When the day came for her to leave, she was reluctant, and hated to leave Cubone.

But, apparently, Bruce had a better idea about Cubone's living arrangements after being orphaned by H.Y.D.R.A. "Natasha, I think you should take Cubone with you."

At his words, Natasha looked up at the scientist in surprise, Cubone currently sitting in her lap and playing peek-a-boo with Charmeleon. "Bruce, are you sure? It's probably safer here…"

Bruce shook his head. "You know that's not true, Natasha. Cubone _adores _you, and I can tell you feel the same way toward it. From what I heard happened here between you and Cubone while I was being held captive by H.Y.D.R.A., you were able to connect with Cubone really well."

"I guess we had something in common," Natasha shrugged. "H.Y.D.R.A. took someone very special away from both of us."

"Which is why I think it's best that Cubone stay with you." Bruce nodded. "It needs someone who can understand it, who can really empathize with it. And, I know you'll raise it well, after seeing your other Pokémon whom you've had for a while now. With you, Cubone will be able to grow stronger, and avenge the death of its mother someday."

Natasha pursed her lips, knowing Bruce had a point. Oh, who was she kidding? She would _love _to take Cubone with her, she realized as she looked down at the small Pokémon laughing in her lap. And, just like her, Cubone had someone to fight for. Natasha was planning on avenging Torchic, so now Cubone could join her team to avenge Marowak.

"Alright," Natasha finally decided, shooting Bruce an appreciative smile before carefully lifting Cubone out of her lap. The baby Pokémon looked at her curiously as she set it on the ground, but Natasha gave it a reassuring smile. "Cubone, I have to leave today, but, I was wondering...would you like to come with me?"

"Cu?" Cubone tilted its head to one side, while Charmeleon beamed at the idea.

"It means that you can play with me, and Charmeleon, and all my other Pokémon every day. And, then, you'll be able to train and grow stronger with us, too, so you can help stop H.Y.D.R.A.," Natasha continued, pulling an empty Poké Ball out of her pocket. She held it out to Cubone, offering it the choice to stay or go. "What do you say?"

Cubone looked at the offered item curiously, thinking for a few moments, before looking up at Natasha once more. With a determined (but happy) expression, it nodded, and Charmeleon cheered happily. Cubone tapped the Poké Ball with its tiny hand, allowing the light of the capture device to envelop it, and absorb it into the ball.

The ball didn't even wiggle or budge as it immediately clicked, meaning Natasha had caught Cubone. Charmeleon hugged its trainer excitedly while Bruce leaned over to pat her on the shoulder. Natasha brought the Poké Ball closer to her face, inspecting their new friend and teammate happily.

"Welcome to the team, Cubone."

* * *

_NAME: Natasha Romanoff_

_Pokédex: 35 _

_TIME: 10:46_

_Would you like to save the game?_

_-YES_

* * *

"Alright, Maggie, I think that's enough for now."

Maggie, whose hands were raised above her head for dramatic flair as she animatedly narrated the story, deflated at Natasha's words. "But, Mama, you don't even know if you're gonna stop H.Y.D.R.A. yet! And you don't know what happened to your Torchic! I haven't even gotten to the parts with Daddy, Aunt Pepper, Uncle Tony, and Uncle Thor! Or where you and Daddy start to fall in love..." she listed worriedly.

Natasha smiled a bit at Maggie's words, observing the way the moonlight from the window made Maggie's eyes look even bluer. It was nighttime - Natasha wasn't sure the _exact _time, though. All she knew was she had had a nightmare, which had woken both herself and Maggie up. And Maggie believed her 'story' would be the cure.

Thus her lengthy Pokémon narrative had been going on for God-knew-how-long now, to the point where Natasha wasn't sure she'd be able to dream about anything _besides _Pokémon. Maggie had been going through a really intense phase with the video games and cartoons lately, so Natasha wasn't surprised when Maggie's story started with the words, "Welcome to the world of Pokémon!"

"You can pick up where you left off another time," Natasha insisted, tugging on one of Maggie's hands to beckon her to lie back down, "just like Daddy and I do when we tell you stories."

"Fine," Maggie sighed, settling back down under the covers with Natasha. "You feel better now, though, right?"

"Yes, Лапушка, I do," Natasha assured the nine year old, an appreciative smile on her face. "Thank you."

"Next time you have a nightmare, just imagine your Pokémon are there with you," Maggie advised happily. "Your Charmeleon would be with you through it all!"

"I'm sure it would," Natasha agreed, then lightly tapped Maggie's nose. "Just like you."

Maggie giggled, snuggling into the blankets she had pulled up to her chin. "I'm not your Charmeleon!"

"No? Where were you in the story, then?" Natasha inquired, genuinely curious. When it came to Maggie's stories, she usually managed to interject herself _somehow_, even if it was just a background appearance.

"If you had let me _finish_…"

"Oh, never mind, then; you can just tell me in the morning. Goodnight, Maggie."

"Nighty night! I love you."

"Love you, too."

* * *

**A/N:** Really, guys, I had a lot of fun writing this...and there's even more of it on my laptop, ugh...I'll understand if you guys don't want to see another chapter of this here on my main fic, though, since this isn't supposed to be a crossover. XD Maybe I'll make a separate series for those of you who, like me, _do _actually enjoy Pokémon...

I also can't take complete credit for this story; the plot is from the original Pokémon games: Red and Blue version! As for the Lavender Town and Pokémon Tower part, that was basically the same as from the games, but more closely followed the recent anime adaptation of the original Pokémon games, in the special, _Pokémon Origins_.

And this chapter's icebreaker question is: **If you were world dictator for a day, with unlimited power, what would you do? **Hmm...I would probably take advantage of the opportunity to expand my Pokémon plushie collection, since a world dictator could probably afford an unlimited number of plushies...


	62. The Truth About Babies

**A/N:** Finally trying to answer a prompt, guys! Lol, I know I asked for these looooooong ago, but I'm finally trying to do something with them..._finally. _X) I'm glad you guys enjoyed the last chapter! It was so much fun to write, I'll definitely revisit Maggie's active imagination like that some time in the future. :D

Thanks for the faves, follows, and reviews! You all are awesome-sauce. :)

* * *

**Guest: Maggie asks Steve, Tony, and Clint where babies come from!**

* * *

For as long as Steve could remember, Maggie was a very curious girl. Even before she could walk or talk, she seemed to show an interest in _everything _around her, and wanted to know what was going on at every moment in time.

This was a good thing, Steve thought. The more curious Maggie was about things, the more eager she'd be to learn. He strictly thought of this in terms of school, and how quickly she'd be able to grasp things and pick up skills; he didn't think of how this would prove to be quite the double edged sword.

That second edge, the one that cut him, came in the form of Maggie's curiosity when seeing a baby on her way home from school. She first pointed it out through the car window with enthusiasm, gleefully rambling to Steve about how nice the parents looked with their small child in the stroller between them. Steve met her observations with amused reminders of how she had been that small once, too, which made Maggie gape in wonder.

But, as all things that existed in Maggie's mind, it soon turned into a question: an inquiry that Steve didn't think he'd have to field while she was still in kindergarten, and so innocently ignorant of the world. "Where do babies come from?"

If Maggie was somehow aware of the trouble she caused him by the question, she was good at hiding it (knowing her, he wouldn't be surprised if she was completely aware). Steve was thankful they were in the driveway when she spoke, because he wasn't sure he'd otherwise be able to continue driving safely.

"Babies?" he echoed lamely, at a loss for words. Because, really, _how _was he supposed to answer this? She was only _five _years old! Now was not the time for..._that _talk! He helped her out of her car seat, and held her at his hip as he closed the car door and locked up the vehicle. She just nodded innocently in confirmation, leaning her head against his shoulder, her curious eyes looking up at his in wonder.

"Yeah! I mean, like, there are a lot of people at school," Maggie thought aloud. "And then I see a lot of people outside every day. Where do they all _come from?_"

Steve tried to come up with an answer as he unlocked the front door and stepped inside. Oh, if only _Natasha _were here, he grieved - she'd know what to do. She _always _knew what words would appease Maggie, whether it be something to calm her down or to quench her constant thirst for knowledge. Yeah, Steve thought himself to be a pretty good father, judging by his close relationship with Maggie - but there was a line of _communication _between Maggie and Natasha, as daughter and mother, respectively, that seemed to come in handy during times like these.

Closing the door behind him, he breathed slowly, racking his brain for an answer. _Think, think think! _he silently yelled at himself.

"Daddy?" Maggie prompted him after a few more moments, getting a bit impatient with his lack of answer. He always told her he would try to answer every question she asked as completely he could - why was he hesitating now?

"Uh…" Steve was still standing just beside the door, frozen to the spot in deep thought. He was a soldier in World War II, an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., an Avenger, _Captain America_, for God's sake - surely this wasn't supposed to be this difficult? Then again, none of his training for any of those occupations had mentioned anything about daughters or giving said daughters a _heavily _edited version of how babies come from sexual intercourse.

He found himself thinking once more to what Natasha would say as he walked into the living room, trying to ignore the odd stare Maggie was giving him. His lack of answer was confusing her, he knew, and he felt somewhat bad about it, but he couldn't help it; when it came to Maggie and her sharp mind, his own mental feet never seemed able to run fast enough to catch up. Natasha, meanwhile, prided herself on her ability to talk to Maggie and be honest about everything on the spot...so she would probably throw out that old legend with the stork bringing babies in, or finding them in cabbage patches, or "whatever the hell you weirdo Americans tell kids," she had once said to him, word-for-word. But there was no way she'd give Maggie the complete, fully-detailed description of the..._process_ here, either.

_Be honest, but still vague, _Steve could almost hear Natasha advising him in his head. He set Maggie down on the floor, and she immediately walked up to the couch and coffee table, and sat down on the latter. She was observant, and, even at age five, knew that 'couch and coffee table' conversations were always serious (as in, Maggie knew something important was going on when neither of her parents would scold her to get her butt off of the coffee table). So Steve played along with a sigh, and sat down on the couch, facing her with a thoughtful expression.

"Babies come from their mothers' tummies," Steve decided to run with, since that wasn't a lie at all. It was the _truth. _Though, anatomically, babies were in the _womb_; Steve decided just to ignore that detail, because what five and a half year old would know what the heck a _womb _was?

"Their _tummies?_" Maggie questioned, awestruck, looking at Steve with a disbelieving expression. He couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped his lips at her reaction, as if this was the weirdest thing she'd ever heard. "I was in Mama's _tummy?!_"

_Her mind is moving as quickly as ever_, Steve sighed internally. There was no time for him to even _consider _slowing down now - Maggie would jump him through more questions if he didn't quickly offer more information to appease her.

"You were," Steve confirmed, pulling his phone out of his pocket. Photographic evidence would do the trick, right? That would be a diversion, he hoped; they would move onto the topic of Natasha's belly bump, and how people's tummies got bigger and bigger as the baby inside grew bigger and bigger. "Do you want to see a picture?"

"Yes!" Maggie jumped to her feet, placing her hands on Steve's knees and leaning over his arm so she could see his phone. He had to move his own head a bit to the side to resume seeing the screen.

In moments, he had a picture of Natasha while she had been pregnant pulled up and filling the screen. She had been about seven months pregnant or so at the time, Steve recalled, as she was posing in such a way that showed off the size of her belly. He remembered the context of the picture - Pepper had been demanding an update on her belly bump for the past couple of days, as she hadn't seen Natasha since she was only six months. So Natasha finally relented, and had Steve take this picture of her from the side; in the image, she held a goofy expression that seemed to say, _There's a human being inside of me. Help me._

"I'm in _there?!_" Maggie demanded, pushing the tip of her finger roughly into the phone screen as if it would give her answers. She squinted at the picture and leaned even closer; Steve grinned at her reaction. "No way!"

"You were tiny back then, so you could fit there," Steve reminded, but Maggie just looked back at him, wide-eyed and gaping. He wasn't quite sure, between himself and Natasha, who Maggie picked that expression up from, but it was pretty damn amusing to think of Natasha looking at him in a similar way. "When you grew, Mama's tummy grew, so it got really big right before you were born."

Maggie looked thoughtful again as she mulled over this new information Steve gave her. He hoped that would be enough information for now - he wasn't sure he'd be able to come up with anything more.

Fortunately, the universe seemed to take pity on him in that moment, as Maggie beamed up at him. "D'you have more pictures with Mama's big tummy? I wanna see more!" She bounced up and down, pushing down on his knees with an excited expression. "Please?"

He laughed a little, leaning closer to her to press a kiss to the top of her head. Maybe it was the sentiment of the fact that the small blob inside Natasha's womb was now this energetic child sitting in front of him that drove him to kiss her, or perhaps it was his way of thanking her for not asking any more questions. Either way, he was happy, and nodded. "I think I have some more on here, sure."

"I musta been _sooo_ big! Mama's tummy is small now," Maggie thought aloud.

Maggie wasn't a particularly large baby, but Steve could understand where she was coming from. Plus the fact that applied size perception was a bit different for children. "I think I have some pictures of you when you were a really small baby, too. We can look at those after."

She cheered once more, and Steve wasn't sure he'd ever felt so relieved.

* * *

Maggie quietly sang to herself as she carefully walked along a line on the ground, the small, long indentation representing the space between two rows of tiles. She held her hands out to her sides, looking as if she were walking along a tightrope; in her mind, that was exactly what she was doing, so balance was key.

Meanwhile, Tony was sitting at the dining table and reading through some papers. Maggie was shocked to find that he still worked with _paper_ sometimes, considering how many gadgets and different forms of technology existed in Avengers Tower. Apparently, Pepper had left some work for Tony to do when she left that morning, and was expecting it be done by the time she took her lunch break and rejoined him and Maggie in the penthouse. Tony being Tony, of course, had forgotten all about it and was now racing to finish before Pepper returned, which could be any minute now. That meant Maggie would have to entertain herself for a little while.

But there was a question burning on her mind, and it had been there since school the prior day. One of her classmates was getting a new sibling, because his mom was 'pregnant,' which apparently meant she had a baby in her tummy. Maggie knew that's where people came from: their mothers' tummies. That's what Steve had told her when she asked. But now she was more curious. How did the babies get _in _there in the first place?

She eventually reached the wall as she followed the line there, just narrowly avoiding running into the painted surface. Her mother had warned her she needed to look up more when she walked, and now Maggie could understand why.

"_Finally_," Tony suddenly exhaled loudly, the clatter of his pen hitting the table catching Maggie's attention as she turned back around to see him leaning back in his chair. The papers that had once been spread out everywhere were now stacked in a neat pile before him, and Maggie silently wondered just how much time had passed since she had first started walking across her imaginary tightrope. "I am now officially free from the evils of paperwork!"

"Woohoo!" Maggie offered, pumping a fist in the air, even though she didn't quite understand everything Tony had said. Since when were papers evil? She didn't bother asking, instead opting to walk back over to him. "Now we can play more!"

"Yup!" he agreed happily, ruffling her hair as she stopped beside his chair. "Any ideas of what you wanna do first?"

"Hmm." Maggie thought for a few moments, her curiosity getting the better of her. She just couldn't _not _ask Tony how babies got inside their mothers' tummies - she _needed _to know! "I have a question."

Tony looked surprised for a moment, but recovered quickly. "Okay...shoot."

"How do babies get inside their moms' tummies?" Maggie inquired innocently, looking thoughtful. "I know that babies come _from _their moms' tummies, 'cause that's what Daddy told me, but...how do they get _in _there in the first place?"

"Uh…" Tony sputtered for a few moments, nervously tapping his fingers against the arms of his chair and trying to come up with a good answer. He scratched the back of his neck for a moment, Maggie's eyes burning into his the entire time. Shit. She _definitely _inherited Natasha's intense staring abilities, he thought.

Fortunately, he was saved from having to answer immediately, as Pepper decided to use that moment to arrive. She walked out of the elevator with a happy expression as she caught sight of Maggie and Tony. "Hey, guys!"

"Hi, Auntie Pep!" Maggie cheerfully chirped in reply, abandoning Tony to greet her godmother with a hug. Tony sighed in relief at the diversion, silently thanking the universe for sparing him from Maggie's sharp inquiries of that day. He instead focused on Pepper and Maggie, as the former crouched down to Maggie's height to hug her properly, and kiss her forehead. "How was work?"

Pepper smiled against Maggie's skin at the girl's curiosity, and pulled back with a sigh. "Work was work: boring."

"Sounds like school," Maggie commented, making a face and sticking out her tongue. Pepper chuckled at the gesture. "You should just take the rest of the day off!"

"I second the notion," Tony declared as he walked up to them. Pepper stood back up to full height, greeting Tony with a quick kiss - which Maggie made a choking noise in reaction to - and smirking.

"You both know I can't just do that." Pepper rolled her eyes playfully. "The company needs me. _Your _company," she added with a pointed look at Tony.

"_I _think I deserve more time with you than my company does," Tony returned without missing a beat. He grinned. "And the squirt's been missing you."

At the mention, the seven year old signaled for Pepper to bend down to her level once more, so Maggie could confess something in her ear. When Pepper obliged, Maggie informed her in a whisper, "You're more fun than Uncle Tony."

"Hey!" Tony protested, crossing his arms over his chest. "I heard that!"

But Maggie just giggled, darting behind Pepper's legs for protection as the woman stood back up once more. She pat Maggie's head affectionately.

"Sorry, Tony; I'm just more fun to spend time with," Pepper apologized half-heartedly. Maggie made a face at Tony from behind Pepper, which he just groaned at.

"Alright, fine, be that way," Tony huffed dramatically. "I don't understand what I did to deserve this treatment, this awful fate, at the hands of my own niece!"

"You didn't answer my question!" Maggie reminded, looking mildly irritated.

So the diversion _hadn't _worked, after all...well, it hadn't worked for Maggie, at least. For Tony, he'd been able to brainstorm the _perfect _explanation of how babies got put inside tummies in the first place, and was eager to share it with her.

"Question?" Pepper echoed, looking back down at Maggie with a curious expression. "What did you ask Uncle Tony?"

Maggie shrugged as she walked back out from her temporary 'hiding spot,' now placing herself between the couple with arms crossed over her chest. "I asked him how babies got in their moms' tummies. I know babies _come from _their moms' tummies, but how do they get in there first?"

Pepper thought for a moment, but came up with a good answer quickly. "I think only your Mama can answer that question," she decided on, looking at Maggie once more. Poor Steve would probably die if he had to take up this conversation with Maggie - better leave this one to Natasha, Pepper figured, since the spy was probably the person who should be telling Maggie these kinds of things anyway. "You were in her tummy, so she must know-"

"Actually, munchkin, I can tell you! You just didn't give me enough time to remember the answer," Tony suddenly announced. Pepper then made eye contact with him over Maggie's head, the billionaire smiling confidently. He had apparently come up with a way to handle this, Pepper judged, and she took a steadying breath. This wouldn't end well.

"You know it, Uncle Tony? Even though you didn't have a baby in your tummy?" Maggie turned back to him, looking up at him hopefully. "I've been _dying _to know the answer since yesterday!"

Pepper was glaring at him now, warning him to watch where he was going with this. But Tony continued fearlessly. "I sure do know, squirt! See, babies get put in their moms' tummies when their parents love each other very, very much. I saw the whole process happen between your parents with my own eyes!"

Maggie looked enthralled. Pepper looked unamused and suspicious.

So Tony guided Maggie toward the couch, his hand on her shoulder. "You see, kid, it all started when those H.Y.D.R.A. fiends poked their heads out of the sand for the first time in, like, seventy years, many moons ago, before you were born. Your parents fought against them together, and _boom!_" He broke suddenly, startling both Maggie and Pepper with the unexpected outburst. "The intangible, but stronger than vibranium, bond of love formed between them. Are you following?"

"Yeah." Maggie nodded, sitting down on the couch. But, after a brief moment of thought, she frowned, scrunching up her nose in an adorable and confused way. "No..."

"Well," Tony resumed effortlessly, taking her confusion in stride, "after your parents fell in love, their feelings for each other floated up into the sky...and do you know what's up in the sky?" Maggie immediately opened her mouth to guess, but Tony quickly cut her off. "Asgard! And do you know what's on Asgard?" Before Maggie could even get the 'Uncle' in 'Uncle Thor' out, Tony was proceeding. "Magic! When the power of your parents' love reached Asgard, a powerful sorceress turned their love into a..."

Maggie looked excited, thinking it was the part where she came in. "Baby?"

"..._Potion!_"

Pepper groaned, and grabbed Tony roughly by the ear. "Alright, alright, that's enough with you and your stories. Knock it off already."

Tony shot her a pleading look. "Aw, but Pep! I was getting to the best part! You know, with the ocean, and how Natashalie rose up out of the waves on the back of a dolphin, holding a ba-"

"_No_, no more," Pepper shut him down immediately, then looked to Maggie with a softer expression. "You'll have to excuse your Uncle Tony, Maggie; I think he's already had a little too much to drink today."

Maggie just blinked, looking innocently confused once more. "But I didn't see him drink anything!"

"He drank enough last night, after you went to bed, to make him confused even today," Pepper explained quickly, glaring at Tony sharply. She silently told him to play along, _or else._ "_Didn't you?_"

He cowered under her hard, knowing gaze. "Y-yes, Sir-_I mean_, Ma'am-_I mean_...Honey." He smiled sheepishly.

"Now, then, no more stories; it's time to get lunch," Pepper decided, pulling Tony away from Maggie and toward the kitchen. Maggie watched the two for a few more moments, still unsure of what exactly had just happened, but then moved on as JARVIS suddenly offered she watch _Big Hero 6 _while Pepper and Tony got lunch together. Once the fictional setting of San Fransokyo took the screen, Maggie forgot all about her confusing questions, and ended up never remembering to ask Natasha as Pepper had advised.

* * *

Clint groaned as he felt Maggie climb over the back of the couch and jump onto him. He had been innocently relaxing, eating some chips and watching TV, when Maggie decided it was time for him to exercise.

"You've been sitting down all day! Give me a piggyback ride!" she insisted, wrapping her arms around his neck and nearly choking him. "Hyah!"

The archer silently counted to five before reacting. He first carefully moved the bowl of chips from the couch to the coffee table, knowing Tony would probably freak out if he or Maggie spilled food everywhere on the furniture. After that was settled, he decided to deal with the other predicament: the nine year old slowly choking him to death by hanging off of his back. He took a moment to appreciate the couch beneath them. "You could try saying, 'please.'"

"Can you _please_ give me a piggyback ride?" the nine year old amended, pushing herself up a bit so she wasn't suffocating him with gravity. She hung her head over his shoulder so he could see her face. "Please, please, _please?_"

Would he ever be able to say no to her? Probably not, Clint sighed silently. Might as well get it over with as soon as he could, then. "Fine."

With that, they were off - Clint groaning with effort as he pushed himself and Maggie off the couch, quickly wrapping his arms around her legs so she didn't choke him _quite _as much when she hung onto his neck. Her laughter filled his ears as he paraded around the room with her, Maggie raising her fist into the air with a cheer every once in a while.

"You're getting heavy, kid," Clint panted dramatically, causing Maggie to giggle a bit. "You're almost too big for this."

"No, I'm not! Mama just told me about how you save people during battles and missions, and you carry them to where it's safe," Maggie pointed out. Clint made a mental note to go chase Natasha around later or something as payback. "If you can carry grown-ups, you can carry me! I'm not even that big!"

That was true, Clint had to admit - Maggie was short and small, just like her mother, though not as skinny. He had found Maggie complaining often about her short height, and she would ask him why she had to inherit _Natasha's _size, and not _Steve's. _It was very amusing.

"You still manage to wear me out, though," Clint sighed, making his way back over to the couch. Once he arrived there, he placed himself in front of the furniture with precision, and then released Maggie. She fell to the cushions with an excited squeal, her red hair going everywhere in every direction as she lied on the couch. Clint then proceeded to slowly lower himself to sit on top of her, which made Maggie giggle as she just barely managed to pull herself out of the way in time.

"Uncle Clint! It's not nice to sit on people!" she informed him after sitting up and brushing her long hair out of her face. Clint added to his previous mental note about confronting Natasha: _tell her to give the kid a haircut, Jesus; all she needs is a chameleon and then she'll be Rapunzel. _

He lunged forward and caught her belly with his fingers, tickling her lightly. She fell back with a loud laugh. "Well, it's not nice to climb onto people's backs uninvited either, is it?" he returned, releasing her from his tickling hold.

With that, Clint resumed relaxing on the couch, leaning back against the comfy cushions with a sigh. He noticed that JARVIS must have changed the channel on the TV when Maggie came in, as the action movie he had been watching was now replaced with Disney Channel. Clint sighed.

"Oooh, this is _Suite Life of Zack and Cody!_" Maggie suddenly announced, placing a hand on Clint's knee as she leaned out in front of him to point at the TV screen. "I know what episode this is!"

Clint was familiar with the show, as Maggie had always been drawn to it, but he found her interest in it amusing. The show had ended _years _before Maggie was born, so he wasn't quite sure how she discovered it in the first place, but didn't give it much thought; it was _definitely _better than some of the other things he'd seen on Disney over the years, like _Dog With a Blog _or _I Didn't Do It. _At least a few of the shows from that same era of Disney Channel had been decent, like _Girl Meets World_-

He shook his head, clearing his critical analysis of Disney Channel from his mind. The fact that he knew _that _much about the channel and its history of programming scared him.

"This is the Christmas episode!" Maggie continued, oblivious to Clint's brief existential struggle. "The lady gives birth in the elevator!"

"This is a show for _kids?_" Clint wondered aloud with a small chuckle.

"Uh-huh, it's 'cause it's supposed to be like Christmas, when Mary gives birth to Jesus and there's no room in the inn," Maggie explained, but then looked sad. "Now I wish it was Christmastime already!"

"Don't worry, it's May; it'll come soon enough," Clint assured her, ruffling her hair a bit. She didn't reply, instead focusing on the show and resting her cheek on Clint's leg. They watched in silence for a few minutes.

Finally, after the cries of the newborn baby could be heard from the elevator, Maggie turned her gaze up to Clint. "Uncle Clint?"

"Yeah?" Clint replied absentmindedly, his mind still focused on the show. _Seriously, she just gave birth to her baby on the elevator in the hotel lobby? How would that even work?!_

"How is a baby born?" the third grader inquired innocently, immediately pulling Clint's attention away from the TV show as he gaped at her in reply. "When they tell the mom to push, what's she doing? What is she pushing?"

This was awkward. This was _very _awkward. Clint had been on _S.H.I.E.L.D. missions _easier than this, had been in bad situations that he'd managed to more quickly think his way out of. But _this? _His mind practically _froze _at Maggie's words, and he was coming up with nothing.

"Um...she's pushing...the baby...out of her tummy," Clint answered hesitantly, not sure if he had said too much or too little. He wasn't sure how much Maggie knew yet about babies or giving birth or anything else related to the subject; was she aware of the 'escape route' babies took during their births? Or was that still unconquered territory for her mind?

"But, _how?_" Maggie pushed, furrowing her brow thoughtfully. "I don't get it."

"Trust me, neither do I," Clint muttered to himself, scratching the back of his neck. He then raised his voice back to normal volume. "This is a question you should ask your mom."

"Why?"

"Because she had to do it with you. I mean, she gave birth to you, and went through all of this, so she should know the answer."

Maggie was quiet for a few moments. "That's what Auntie Pep said when I asked her and Uncle Tony a long time ago."

_How on earth does she still not know? _Clint wondered to himself. If Maggie had been attacking this subject for _years_, someone was definitely bound to have caved by now.

"Well, did you ever ask your mom?" Clint asked after a moment.

She shook her head. "I forgot."

_Well, that explains that, _Clint amended.

The cries of the newborn baby continued sounding from the TV screen. Maggie scrunched up her face. "Did _I _cry that much? And that loud?"

Clint thanked his lucky stars that she had been distracted so easily and quickly. "You were loud when you cried, but you didn't cry _too_, too much. You saved all the chit chat for when you knew words and how to persuade people with them."

Even though Maggie looked confused, Clint laughed softly to himself at his own words.

* * *

"Sit, Лапушка."

Maggie obediently sat on the couch, curling up against the arm rest with a pillow in her lap. Natasha had led her over to the living room after dinner, and Steve had looked fairly uncomfortable when Maggie and Natasha abandoned him to deal with cleanup by himself. It was strange to Maggie, because he'd never seemed upset about being left to deal with their mess all by himself; it was almost as if he knew something about whatever Natasha was about to tell her about, and he didn't like it.

Well, Maggie then thought, if Steve didn't like it, then she probably wouldn't, either. It couldn't be _anything _good, she figured, if it made Steve uncomfortable and unhappy. He had almost looked like he had a fever, judging by the way his skin seemed to have looked redder, and that must have meant whatever Natasha was about to tell her was just _sickening _to hear. Oh, God, Maggie worried - should she have brought something to catch her puke if it _actually _made her sick?

Before she could escape to grab the small trash can from her room to use as a bucket for her vomit, Natasha sat down in front of her, on the coffee table, an unreadable expression on her face. It wasn't a _bad _expression, per se, more so an..._open _one?

"You're eleven, and it's time you've had this talk," Natasha began, and Maggie placed a hand over her belly nervously. _Please don't make me throw up_, she silently begged her mother. _I don't like being sick. _

"What talk?" Maggie echoed after a moment, absentmindedly pulling the pillow up a bit higher on herself for protection from whatever words Natasha was about to throw at her.

"_The _talk," Natasha explained vaguely, placing her hands down on the table behind her and leaning back slightly. She looked _natural _and _comfortable_, unlike whatever subject of this 'talk' seemed to be. It confused Maggie. "Have you ever heard of 'the birds and the bees'?"

Maggie blinked. Natasha blinked. Maggie blinked, and then stared at her mother incredulously. "Um...I'm not a _baby_, of _course _I know what birds and bees are!"

Natasha chuckled softly to herself at Maggie's innocent answers, and Maggie just felt even _more _confused. The elder redhead smiled. "No, no, not the animals themselves. It's what people sometimes call the talk I'm about to give you."

Now this was just getting ridiculous. Maggie grew impatient. "_What _talk?!" she groaned, curiosity replacing the worry she'd been feeling only moments before.

"Where babies come from," Natasha answered simply, and then straightened up a bit. "I heard that the word 'sex' has been thrown around at your school recently in science class."

It had been, but for plants. And Maggie wasn't sure why Natasha would care so much about _plants _that she needed to single her out after dinner on the couch and talk to her like this. "Yeah, my science book says some plants reproduce asexually."

"That means they make duplicates of themselves, basically." Natasha nodded her head once, knowing what Maggie was talking about. "Well, I'm going to tell you how people do it to make babies."

How...people..._what?_

* * *

Natasha wished she'd filmed Maggie's face for the brief half hour of 'sex ed' she had sit through that night. Though Natasha had pretty much given Maggie the straight, basic explanation on how babies came from sex, which was when two people, well..._you know_, Maggie's growing discomfort and the frantic look of _oh, God, somebody please come help me _in her eyes had almost driven Natasha to rolling on the floor in laughter multiple times. Steve couldn't believe that she had basically deadpanned the entire explanation to Maggie, as the fifth grader had shoved her bright red face into her pillow and quickly stumbled back to her room with a rushed 'goodnight' and a promise to never enter her parents' bedroom or sit on their bed ever again.

Of course, that had been the point when Natasha gave into her growing amusement, and spent a good minute or so after Maggie was out of earshot just _laughing. _She'd kept her neutral composure throughout their conversation up until that point, and one look at Steve's _still _flustered expression when he joined her in the living room afterward was enough to send her into a fit of giggles once more.

"It's not funny, Nat," Steve tried to insist, but the redness in his face had reduced his words to childish whining. He looked somewhat worried. "I really think you traumatized her."

That was enough for her to lean her head against his shoulder with another laugh. She felt his body rise and fall with a deep, defeated sigh.

"She needed to know what to expect before her school gave its own version of it!" Natasha replied with a quick breath, wiping a tear away from her eyes. She'd been laughing _that _hard. "You _know _that sex ed at most schools isn't good."

"I know, I know," Steve brushed her reminder off. "I just think...that was probably a lot to take in for her, you know? Hearing that babies are made _that _way."

"Oh, Steve, we haven't even scratched the surface of it." Natasha gave his arm a gentle, comforting pat, a smirk forming on her lips. Steve silently despaired for what kind of trauma she seemed to be thinking of putting Maggie through next.

"What _else _is there?" He gaped at her, looking helpless. Maggie had just been exposed to the horrors of her parents having _sexual intercourse_ in order for her to be born! What _more _could Natasha want to ruin her with?

"Um, in case you haven't remembered, Rogers, your daughter has a vagina," Natasha said bluntly, and Steve nearly passed out at that. The spy rolled her eyes. "She also has a uterus that's going to want to shed its Goddamned outer layer _monthly_, startingany time now. I think she needs to be informed of how and why she's going to wake up in a pool of her own blood one of these days."

Steve shuddered fearfully at that, and made a move to escape, but Natasha had already wrapped her hands around his arm and kept him in place. He was trapped, and squeezed his eyes shut in an effort to rid his mind of Natasha's warning. "I didn't need you to remind me so..._graphically_."

"You're welcome," Natasha quipped, leaning against his larger form once more with an amused grin. "I can't wait for the days you'll have to deal with _two _psycho girls living with you."

But Steve just sighed. "Don't I already?"

* * *

**A/N: **Ouch, poor Maggie; Natasha was probably pretty straightforward about """"the talk""""...Which means, for this chapter's icebreaker question, I _gotta _ask: **How did you find out about...uh...you know..."""THE NASTY"""? The "it takes two to tango"? Horizontal dancing (I think I've heard that before)? THE BIRDS AND THE BEEEESSSS BOWCHICKAWOWOWWWWW **okay I'll stop now lmao

Anyway, I found out kinda similar to Maggie here - it was the fifth grade, and all my classmates would just laaauuugh whenever the word 'sex' was mentioned in science class, used in the context of, like, _plants _and stuff. Finally, I had enough of it, and went to my parents for help! What followed was...well, not what I expected. Next thing I knew, my mom was putting _The Period Book _(yes, an actual book for like preteen girls about puberty; look it up!) in my hands and was telling me the truth about babies. Of course, I don't remember much from my various talks with my mom; I think I blocked those memories out, haha! I'd love to hear about your guys' traumatic experiences with learning the truth! :D


	63. Crushcrushcrush

**A/N: **I really am spoiling you guys these days, hardly putting 7 days between each update like I should...there will _have _to be a week-long break between this one and the next one, though, because I gotta do some college travels this weekend, uuuughhhh... Also, I start school next month on the 17th, and it's my senior year, so I'll be hella busy again and grasping for update time once things start picking up...on that note, though, can you guys believe I started this fanfic at the end of my _sophomore _year?! And, here I am, still putting hours into writing it almost daily as I enter my senior year! That's so awesome!

Anyway, I wrote this one after feeling the urge to be hella feminist, and also to have some Philinda and Maggie bonding time. :) And the chapter title is a reference to the song "Crushcrushcrush" by Paramore, though it doesn't really have to do with the song itself. xD So, let's go!

Thanks for all the faves, follows, and reviews! I have a crush on all of you guys. ;)

* * *

"Alex! Quit it!"

Maggie aggressively scooted her chair away from her classmate, pulling her math worksheet and supplies away with it. Ever since her teacher, Mrs. Austin, had switched up the seating arrangements in Maggie's first grade class the week prior, Maggie's new desk partner, Alex, had bugged her constantly. He hardly left her alone while she was working, and teased her at seemingly any chance he had.

Including now. "Don't be such a crybaby, Maggie!" he sneered, pushing his bottom lip out in a mock-pouting expression.

"I'm _not _a crybaby!" Maggie protested, feeling her cheeks burn in slight anger and frustration. _Why _couldn't he just leave her alone? She just wanted to finish her math worksheet so she would have enough free time to draw a picture for Phil and May, who were going to be picking her up from school that day. "I just wanna finish my math."

Fortunately for Maggie, Alex didn't reply, allowing her the chance to return to her subtraction worksheet in peace. Subtraction confused her sometimes - she hoped May and Phil would help her on her math homework later if it had subtraction.

Her luck only lasted her about five minutes, though. "Maggie, let me copy your answers."

The redhead looked back at the boy like he had grown another head. "What? No way!"

"But I don't get it, I need help," the boy whined, moving his chair closer to hers. Maggie was stuck - she didn't have any more table space left to flee to. "Can't you help me?"

Well...Maggie knew how it felt to be stuck on a math problem, and she didn't think _anyone _deserved that kind of confusion. She sighed, and leaned a little closer to him. "Okay, so my uncle says you just gotta imagine you have seven pencils-"

But Alex just glanced at her worksheet and quickly copied down several answers. "Heh! Thanks, Captain Baby."

Maggie frowned at that. For one thing, she couldn't believe Alex tricked her like that! For another, the cruel nickname 'Captain Baby' had been given to her after she cried when she tripped and scraped her knee really badly the month prior. Some of her classmates thought the daughter of Captain America shouldn't cry so much, hence the nickname. Maggie usually took it in stride, and would just imagine her mom, the spooky Black Widow, coming to scare all the mean kids away.

Which, of course, Natasha had promised to do if she ever needed to. That offer always made Maggie feel better.

But she wasn't going to let Alex get away with being mean to her like that. "I'm not a baby, Alex. I hurt my knee real bad, and it hurt! You would've cried, too!"

At least, that was what her parents had told her to reassure her about her classmates' jabs. They weren't hurt like she was, so they didn't understand and thought Maggie was crying over nothing. The logic made sense to Maggie, and she tried to force her classmates to understand that whenever they made fun of her for crying.

"All girls are stupid crybabies," Alex said dismissively, grinning over his math worksheet. "If I fell, I wouldn't cry."

"Girls are _not _stupid-"

"Maggie! Alex!" Suddenly, Mrs. Austin was walking up to them, and Alex hastily returned to his worksheet. Maggie was startled by her teacher's sudden presence, and stared up at the woman, wide-eyed. Mrs. Austin had a big frown on her face, so Maggie knew they were in trouble. "I told the class this was _quiet _math time. Do you know what quiet means?"

"No talking," Alex answered innocently before Maggie could.

"That is correct." Mrs. Austin nodded, looking down at the two children with a stern expression. "So, no more talking. If either of you needs help on your math, you come talk to me. Understand?"

"Yes, Mrs. Austin," Maggie sighed as Alex nodded. The teacher left them and returned to her own desk after that brief confrontation.

Maggie decided she would just ignore Alex if he kept talking to her. That way, she couldn't get in trouble! Both of her parents had advised her to do that; they told her she wasn't being mean if she were doing it, just smart.

* * *

Apparently, Alex also didn't want to get in any more trouble either, as he left Maggie alone for the rest of class until lunchtime. That's when Maggie was able to break away from him and run to her friends so she could spend time with them.

"What were you and Alex talking about when Mrs. Austin talked to you?" Maggie's friend, Sammy, inquired as they sat down at a table together.

Maggie groaned as she opened her lunch box. "Alex wouldn't leave me alone! He kept talking to me and being really mean. Then he copied my answers!"

"That's not nice," their other friend, Katie, judged with a frown. "Did he get in trouble?"

The redhead shook her head. "I didn't tell Mrs. Austin that he did that...I just wanted him to leave me alone for once. He's been really annoying ever since she made us sit next to each other," she sighed.

"You should tell Mrs. Austin!" Sammy advised immediately, looking at Maggie with a serious expression. "Maybe she'll let you switch partners."

"She doesn't have to do that," Bridget interjected cheerfully. "My mommy says that when a boy is teasing you, that means he likes you."

"Seriously?" Katie gaped at Bridget, in awe of her words. "How come?"

Bridget shrugged. "I dunno. It's how boys do stuff, I guess."

"So...Alex is being mean to Maggie 'cause he has a crush on her?" Sammy questioned skeptically. "That doesn't seem like a good way to show Maggie that he likes her."

"Well, _I _definitely don't like him back," Maggie huffed proudly, hungrily attacking an apple slice. She carefully unpacked the rest of her food from her lunch box to find the special napkin Natasha always packed with a handwritten note on it. Now that Maggie could read, Natasha liked sneaking little notes in her lunchbox that told her to have a good day and remind her that she loved her. It was their special tradition.

"But you have to like him back!" Katie protested, looking a bit upset. "Since he likes you, you have to like him back."

"I don't think that's how that works," Sammy argued, adjusting her glasses. "Just 'cause Alex likes Maggie doesn't mean she has to like him back."

"But then he'll stop being mean," Bridget reminded. "So then Alex and Maggie can both be happy."

Maggie didn't like the way this conversation was going very much. She decided to instead focus her attention on Natasha's special note for her in her lunch: _Dear Maggie, Daddy and I will be back home tomorrow. Have fun with Uncle Phil and May! I love you! Love, Mama. _After taking a few moments to figure out the big word _tomorrow_, Maggie smiled at the brief note, and traced the little heart Natasha drew in the corner with her fingertip. She wanted to get better at writing soon, so she could write more little letters and things for Natasha to find when she eats lunch at work.

"...And, besides, remember when Maggie's parents were fighting? They were being mean to each other, but they still love each other." Katie's words pulled Maggie out of her brief trance. "Maybe that's Alex feels."

"That makes sense." Bridget nodded, but Sammy still looked unsure.

Maggie looked among her friends, worried. "But I don't _wanna _like Alex back."

"You hafta, that's the rule," Bridget said distantly.

"It's the only way to make him stop," Katie reminded, and Maggie slumped her shoulders in defeat.

Was there really no other way out?

* * *

After Alex had managed to push her down during lunch recess and then steal one of her pencils during class, Maggie decided she was going to confront him and his supposed 'feelings' for her once and for all.

The class was starting a special craft project for Mother's Day, which was only a few days away. During that time, they were allowed to talk, so Maggie opened up the conversation with her classmate in a straightforward manner.

"Alex, I know you're just being mean to me 'cause you like me," Maggie started, looking at the boy pointedly. He frowned as he looked up from his construction paper at Maggie's confident expression; she thought she had hit it right on the head. "You don't have to like me anymore, 'cause I want you to stop being mean. We can just be friends."

Alex blinked, processing her words, before scrunching up his face. "Ewww! Who would like _you? _You're just a gross _girl._"

Wow. Talk about rejection. Maggie tried to ignore how mean his words were, instead focusing on the hope that this meant Alex wouldn't tease her anymore. Her expression brightened optimistically. "If you don't have a crush on me, then will you stop being mean to me?"

"I _don't _have a crush on you, Captain Baby." Ugh, not that awful nickname _again. _Maggie's hold on her box of colored pencils tightened. "You're too ugly."

That _couldn't _be true - Natasha was so pretty, which meant Maggie _must _be pretty, too, right? All of her relatives had told her she was very pretty many times! Alex was just stupid, then, because everyone in her family was very smart. "You're wrong, 'cause the _Avengers _said I'm pretty. That means you're dumb."

"Nuh-uh!" Alex protested with a huff, and Maggie withheld a smirk at his upset reaction. Boys really _were _dumb, like Skye said, she thought to herself. "_You're _dumb."

How original. Maggie decided to take her parents' advice and just ignore Alex from this point on. A small part of her also felt kind of bad for calling Alex dumb, but she didn't dwell on that too much. She instead focused on channeling all of her energy into writing the perfect letter for Natasha to give her on Mother's Day, to return all the love her mother had been giving her through the daily notes in Maggie's lunchbox.

About ten minutes later, though, Alex completely invaded her space, reaching for her colored pencils. Unfortunately, that was at the same time Maggie was trying to carefully position small dots of wet glue onto her paper, for where she was intending to stick some of the little flower sequins Mrs. Austin had given everyone for their cards.

"I need your colored pencils!" Alex declared as he bumped into her, causing Maggie to get glue everywhere _but _where she had been aiming.

"Alex, no! Stop!" she protested, quickly flipping the glue over before it could ruin any more of her careful writing. It was too late, though - the damage was done, and the words that had taken her ten minutes to write as perfectly as possible were hidden by white splatters of the glue.

"Whoops," he said sheepishly as he pulled back, a handful of her colored pencils clutched in his left hand.

Maggie roughly set the glue bottle back down on the table, tears welling up in her eyes at her messy paper. She could feel hot anger burning within her, and fought the urge to attack her clumsy and careless classmate. It had been an accident, she tried to tell herself; it wasn't on purpose.

"You ruined my card…" Maggie whispered, horrified, as she studied the construction paper intently for a few moments to try to come up with a solution to salvage it. She came up empty.

"It didn't look very good, anyway," Alex dismissed, sitting back down in his chair and getting back to work on his own card.

But his words rattled Maggie to her core. Was her writing really that bad? Or the hearts and pictures she had drawn on the sides? Would Natasha really not like it? Her mother deserved better, she scolded herself.

At the same time, though...how _dare _Alex speak to her that way!

"I can't believe you ruined my card!" she suddenly cried, her voice louder than the whisper it had been moments before. She turned to fix Alex with a sharp stare, trying to hold back the tears that were fighting their way out of her eyes.

"Are you gonna cry again, Captain Baby?" Alex teased, looking at her with a pitiful expression. "You'll just run to the Avengers and cry to them because you're just a little crybaby?"

_Use your words, use your words, use your words…_ The mental mantra quickly died down in her head as Maggie stood from her desk, and faced the boy with a cold glare. A year ago, she would probably just sit and cry; but, after seeing the way Natasha had protected her from the bad Red Room people last year, Maggie decided she wasn't going to just sit and cry _anymore_. She could protect herself!

She raised her arm, her hand in a tight fist, and prepared to pounce…

...just as Mrs. Austin walked up behind her and quickly grabbed her when she tried to launch herself forward toward Alex.

"Maggie! What is the meaning of this?" Mrs. Austin demanded, and Maggie froze, the boiling anger and fighting instincts quickly dying within her. Her teacher's words swirled around in her mind for a moment, and Maggie drew in a sharp breath. She'd nearly hurt one of her classmates!

Quickly, she pulled her raised fist back down to her chest, cradling it with her other hand. Alex was just staring at her, wide-eyed and surprised. Maggie whirled around to face Mrs. Austin, the tears in her eyes evident. "Mrs. Austin, he...Alex...he ruined my card for my mom!"

As the words tumbled out of her mouth in a rush, Maggie found herself losing to the evil tears. She sniffled once, and, next thing she knew, there was a steady stream of teardrops falling from her eyes. Everyone else in her class was staring at her. Mrs. Austin looked unmoved, but a little more sympathetic as she saw Maggie's glue-y card on her desk.

The teacher then glanced between Maggie's crying form and Alex's slightly rattled one. "I want to talk to both of you outside, now."

* * *

Next thing Maggie knew, she was sitting beside her mean classmate on a bench outside, softly whimpering into her hands. The kids were just going to tease her crying even _more _now, she thought angrily to herself. Why couldn't she just be as _strong _as everyone else?

"Both of you did something bad," Mrs. Austin said sternly, crouched down in front of both children on the bench. "You both need to apologize."

Maggie sniffled, wiping some tears away with the back of her hand. "S-sorry, Alex," she managed before a fresh wave of tears took her. Somehow, she wished that her parents _hadn't _gone away on a mission today, but was also glad they _were _gone. They'd probably be really mad at her for almost hitting one of her classmates, but at least then they'd help her stop crying and feel better more quickly.

"Sorry, Maggie," Alex returned with a shrug, though it was clear that he wasn't being very sincere. Maggie just wanted to go home.

Thankfully, it was the end of the day, so parents were starting to show up to pick up their kids. Mrs. Austin led Maggie and Alex back inside then, and Maggie tried to quickly hide her tears, worried that she would just be met with more teasing for crying.

She quickly put everything away with shaky hands, but purposefully left her messed up card for last. What was she going to do with it? Now that it was _ruined_, there was no _way _she could give it to Natasha.

"Maggie, I'll give you some new paper and supplies to take home to make a new card for your mom," Mrs. Austin's soft words broke her out of her thoughts, handing Maggie a small stack of construction paper and other art supplies to put in her backpack. "I know your uncle is picking you up, but I want to talk to him before you leave; he needs to know what happened today."

Maggie gulped. She hadn't even _thought _of how Phil and May would react! Phil had always been so nice to her, so maybe he wouldn't be too hard on her...but May seemed to be pretty strict and was always a little scary, and Maggie wasn't sure what to expect from her. She just hoped she wouldn't be in too much trouble. Even though she had stopped crying by this point, she felt she was ready to start up again at the idea of both Phil and May being mad at her.

Mrs. Austin called them all to line up once the cleanup was finished, and Maggie hung in the far back of the line, trying to isolate herself from her classmates. Her friends came up to her and hugged her in an attempt to offer her comfort and support, but she didn't say much to them, not feeling up to talking.

Phil and May came fairly quickly after 3:00 PM, of course, and Maggie saw them walk in as Mrs. Austin pull them aside to say something. Maggie's grip on her backpack straps tightened as she cast her melancholy gaze downward. There was no way she could face their disappointed stares; it would probably just make her cry again.

"Maggie?" Phil's concerned voice reached her ears moments later, and she saw the two senior agents' feet come toward her. She took a steadying breath as they stopped in front of her. "Is everything okay?"

"I did a bad thing," Maggie mumbled sadly. Phil crouched down in front of her, and Maggie was silently glad that most her classroom was fairly empty, so her classmates wouldn't watch her cry more.

"Can you tell me what happened?" he asked softly, his expression open. Maggie met his eyes after a moment, but couldn't get her voice to work. She thought what she was doing was completely justified, but, at the same time, it had been so _mean…_

Maggie shook her head.

"Agent Coulson," Mrs. Austin greeted as she walked over, and Maggie then realized the rest of her class was gone. It was just her now. "I'd like to talk to you…"

"Yes, of course." Phil stood up, placing a hand on Maggie's shoulder momentarily. "Go outside with May, alright?"

"'Kay," Maggie agreed quietly as Phil followed her teacher back to her desk. May offered Maggie her hand, and the girl grasped onto it as if it were her lifeline.

The senior agent then led her outside, and gestured for her to sit down on the same bench Maggie had sit on thirty minutes prior with Alex when Mrs. Austin had pulled them out of class. Instead of crouching down in front of her like Mrs. Austin had, though, May sat down next to Maggie.

"Maggie, are you alright?" she asked softly, almost maternally. Though it had taken some getting used to, May had been readily embracing her relationship with Maggie for the past year; all of her reservations from Bahrain had faded. Maggie saw May as role model, and May took that job very seriously.

"Agent May, I'm a bad girl," Maggie answered instead, looking up at the woman with a shameful expression. "I was mean."

May looked thoughtful. "Hmm, I don't think you would be mean for no reason, though. I'd like to hear the full story."

Maggie felt tears well up again as she thought back on her day, and how it had just progressed from hopeful to completely horrible. All because of _one _classmate. "Are you gonna be mad?"

Her voice was shaky, and Maggie heard herself sniffle. May took one of Maggie's hands in hers, and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"I won't be mad," May promised softly. Maggie was really glad about that.

She then took a deep breath, and explained everything that had happened at school. She included how Alex had been making fun of her and being mean to her ever since he started sitting next to her, and how her friends had told her that meant he had a crush on her, so she was supposed to like him back to get him to stop being mean. After that, she explained how Alex had teased her _again _while they were working on their Mother's Day cards, and how he had made her spill glue all over her letter for Natasha, which she had worked so hard on. It was then that Maggie started crying while she shamefully explained how she had been so mad, she tried to hit Alex, but Mrs. Austin had stopped her just in time. She also confessed that she had said a mean thing to Alex earlier, calling him dumb after he called her ugly, and then finished with a final sob that prompted May to pull her into a warm embrace.

"It's okay, Maggie, it's alright...I understand why you're so upset. It sounds like this wasn't really your fault," May soothed, gently running a hand through Maggie's hair.

But Maggie shook her head against May's chest. "No, May, I almost hurt someone! Mama and Daddy said I shouldn't ever hurt people…"

"Alex wasn't being nice to you, and he ruined something you were working very hard on. It's only natural that you'd be angry for it," May reminded her, pulling away from the embrace to wipe a few tears away from Maggie's cheeks.

"My friends said that's 'cause he likes me," Maggie brought up once more, looking distraught. She bowed her head in defeat. "I don't get it, May. How come he gets to tease me if he likes me? I don't _wanna _like him back."

"And you don't have to," May insisted, putting a hand on Maggie's shoulder. "Maggie, listen very closely to what I'm about to tell you."

Maggie looked back up at May at that with a curious expression. She _didn't _have to like Alex back?

"A lot of people think that boys are allowed to tease girls because it just means they like them, or have a crush on them. But that isn't true," May spoke firmly, her expression completely serious. "You do _not _have to put up with this kind of behavior from your classmates; it's bullying."

The redhead blinked in awe. "R-really?"

May nodded, then smiled a bit. "I know your parents told you to never hurt anyone, but, someday, you'll find that sometimes you have to be a little mean to show people that what they're doing is wrong. I'm not saying what you did today was completely okay, but you weren't wrong to try and stop Alex's teasing. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Some of the words were a bit confusing… "A little."

"What I mean is, I'm _proud _of you for sticking up for yourself," May simplified. "You may not have done it in the best way, but now you know that you don't have to let boys be mean to you. If Alex is still mean to you tomorrow, you should tell your teacher. Whenever _anyone _is being mean to you or bullying you, you should always tell a teacher or your parents, and they'll help you out."

Maggie took a few moments to process May's words. "So...you're _not _mad at me?"

"No," May answered with a small grin. "I know you wouldn't just be mean to someone for no reason."

For the first time since May and Phil arrived, Maggie smiled.

Finally, Phil and Mrs. Austin emerged from the classroom. Maggie chanced a glance up at her uncle, but couldn't read his expression. She wasn't sure if he was mad at her or not. If May wasn't mad at her, then hopefully that meant that Phil wouldn't be mad, either.

"Maggie, you may go home now; I'll see you tomorrow," Mrs. Austin dismissed her with a gentle smile before turning around and walking back into her classroom.

Phil crouched down before Maggie and May to meet the former at eye-level. He offered her a gentle, sympathetic smile. "So you had a rough day today, huh?"

Maggie sniffled as she quietly nodded. Even though May had just been nice to her about the whole thing, Maggie was still scared of what Phil may think of her now.

"It's okay, baby girl. Everyone has a bad day every once in a while," he said, patting her knee.

She laid a hand over his on her knee. "Am I in trouble?"

Phil was quiet for a few moments, as if thinking it over. He briefly shared a glance with May, which Maggie assumed meant they were having a freaky silent conversation like her parents did sometimes. She always wondered how they managed to do that.

"I think you've suffered enough for your mistake. For now, let's just go home, and you can tell me your side of the story. Does that sound fair?" Phil offered.

Maggie mulled over his words for a couple of seconds before nodding. So far, it sounded like Phil wasn't really mad at her, so maybe this wouldn't be so bad. Instinctively, she held her hands out to him, silently testing the waters to see if he would still carry her.

To her relief, he did, as he brought her up into his arms and hugged her a bit before setting her at his hip. She leaned into his shoulder and took a deep breath. Her day had been so awful so far, it must have meant that it could only get better from here.

* * *

Maggie sat on May's lap as she explained her situation to Phil later that afternoon. For convenience, they had just gone back to Natasha and Steve's house, since all of Maggie's things were there and there was a guest room for Phil to stay in (and, secretly, May, but Maggie wasn't allowed to tell Skye and the others about their relationship).

Phil seemed to understand where Maggie was coming from with her decision to act out on her anger toward Alex. "I can see why you were so mad. I know how hard you must have worked on that card for your mom," he commented when Maggie was finished.

The redhead nodded fervently. "Mama always gives me special notes in my lunch! I just wanted to make something super special for her…" she trailed off with a sad sigh.

"You understand, though, that trying to hit Alex was wrong, right?" Phil asked for confirmation. As much as he knew both he and May were proud of Maggie for standing up for herself and not taking the "sexist and manipulative bullshit" (May's words, not Phil's, though he completely agreed) regarding how boys were allowed to show their affection, they _probably _shouldn't encourage her to hit others...though they wouldn't be very mad at her if she actually had in this case.

"Yeah," Maggie answered earnestly, leaning back against May. She felt the older woman rest her chin on top of her head. "I just wanted to show that I'm not a crybaby, 'cause he and some of the other kids in my class think I am."

"Why do they think that?" May inquired, wrapping her arms around Maggie's waist. The seven year old felt very safe whenever she was in May's arms.

"I tripped and scraped my knee real bad last month, and when I cried, they said I shouldn't cry so much since my dad is Captain America," Maggie huffed, placing her small hands over May's arms. "Daddy said they were wrong, though, and that it's okay to cry when you get hurt. But now they keep calling me _Captain Baby!_"

"That's very disrespectful." Phil frowned, and May silently wondered if he was partially upset because, by extension, these kids were sort of insulting Captain America. "Have you told Mrs. Austin about it?"

Maggie shrugged. "She said everyone has to stop doing that, but they do it anyway. When I say that I'm gonna tell on them, they just call me more names, like 'tattle-tale.' I wish they would stop."

"Well, I think the first thing we should do is tell your teacher to move Alex away from you," May decided, leaning away so she could meet Maggie's eyes. "If he's just going to be mean, he should not be allowed to sit by you."

"Even if he likes me?" Maggie questioned.

"_Especially_ if he likes you," Phil muttered, his protective paternal side coming out. May smirked a bit at his tone, briefly remembering how confused he was when he found out that Natasha and Steve were together - he wasn't sure whether to be intimidatingly protective over the spy, or in awe of her new-found date, Phil's lifelong idol. It was a very amusing struggle for May to watch.

Seeing Maggie's confused expression, May took over. "What your Uncle Phil means is that if Alex is just being mean because he likes you, that's no excuse. He's being mean to you, and that's that, so Mrs. Austin should give you someone new to sit next to."

"Really?" Maggie asked hopefully, looking between the two senior agents.

"Really." May nodded. "We can talk to your teacher before school tomorrow. Does that sound good?"

"That sounds good!" Maggie answered happily.

"Good. Now that that's settled, I heard that Mrs. Austin gave you some supplies to make a new card for your mom," Phil recalled, looking at Maggie with a suddenly very serious expression. "So we've got some work to do."

Maggie squirmed out of May's grasp, and stood beside the table, ready to retrieve her backpack. "Are you and Agent May gonna help me redo it?" she inquired, and both adults nodded.

"We'll make sure it looks perfect," Phil promised her, and Maggie ran off with an excited smile. He turned back to May with a satisfied expression. "I think we handled that pretty well."

May chuckled softly. "Maybe even better than Tasha would. She might have encouraged Maggie to finish what she started with that kid tomorrow before class."

It was a joke, but neither agent would be surprised if the feisty spy approved of Maggie's actions and readiness to stick up for herself. Heck, they could even imagine Natasha herself wanting to take the kid up for some sparring, even though he was just a tiny seven year old.

"Well, either way, I'm just glad we debunked that myth. I never understood it when I was little." Phil shook his head in exasperation. "My mother always told me to treat women nicely and politely, and like my equal."

"Your mother knew what she was talking about," May commented, approval in her voice.

* * *

As promised, Phil and May talked to Mrs. Austin when they dropped Maggie off at school the following day. The teacher respected their concerns, and helped Maggie move her things so she could sit beside her friend, Sammy, and put another boy, Mark, next to Alex instead. Maggie hugged her aunt and uncle appreciatively when they left, thanking them profusely for helping her escape from Alex's mean jokes and teasing.

"Sammy, you were right," Maggie informed her friend after the brunette arrived to see Maggie was now sitting beside her. "I talked to my uncle and aunt yesterday, and they said that even if a boy likes you, he's not allowed to tease you ever."

"I knew it," Sammy huffed triumphantly as she sat down beside the redhead. "If you really, really like someone, why would you want to be mean to them? It just doesn't make sense."

Maggie grinned. "We'll have to tell Bridget and Katie at recess. Bridget's mommy was _wrong!_"

Before Sammy could reply, Mrs. Austin stood up at the front of the classroom and cleared her throat. "Before we get started with our first lesson today, I just wanted to remind you all that bullying in this class will _not _be tolerated. An excellent point was just brought up to me yesterday, which I think I need to address.

"Boys, you may _not _tease the girls for any reason at all. Girls, you may not do the same to boys. If someone is being mean to you, remember to use your words, and tell them to stop. Other than that, you may come tell me when someone is teasing you; you are _not _a tattle tale for that."

Maggie smiled after her teacher finished speaking, and readily grabbed her grammar workbook and pencil. Maybe school wouldn't be so bad now.

* * *

**A/N:** Goodness, I hope there are cool first grade teachers out there these days who address things head-on like this. I don't really remember dealing with this particular problem when I was little with parents being problematic about how little boys are allowed to treat little girls all because of some 'crush,' but I hope we can extinguish that excuse for bullying soon! If I ever have a little girl of my own, I'm definitely going to tell her to not take any of this 'oh he's just teasing you because he likes you!' stuff. -_- **  
**

YOUR GUYS' RESPONSES TO LAST WEEK'S ICEBREAKER QUESTION WERE AWESOME! Definitely an entertaining read. Also, as a girl who went to a school with _literally no sex ed ever _(some of these Catholic elementary schools are just...sigh; I'm not even kidding, it was _never _brought up at school, because the school peeps thought it belonged at home), I didn't realize so many people were informed through ways that weren't their parents! You learn something new every day...

Anyway, to maintain the theme of school here, this chapter's icebreaker question is: **What was your favorite grade/year of school? **Mine was probably eighth grade! I made a few really close friends that year and just had an overall blast with my tiny class of twenty students (again, _Catholic elementary school student speaking_), including a week-long trip to Washington, D.C. It was a good way to say goodbye to my school of seven years. :) Let me know your guys' answers in the reviews!

Also, a little bit of self-promotion for myself now...my mom recently gave my sister and me the go-ahead to do more stuff on YouTube featuring our faces and such! As a result of this, ALL of my family's NYC trip vlogs that I've completed/will post are PUBLIC! As Marvel fans, I suggest you all go check out 'Day Three (Part One): CALLING ASGARD!', which will be linked in my bio. ;) We visited the Bethesda Terrace in Central Park, aka where they sent Loki and Thor back to Asgard in _The Avengers! _My sister and I haven't really come up with many video ideas yet, aside from simple things like the Sister Tag and, on my part, maybe a review of the Wii U game _Splatoon_, but, if you have any suggestions (maybe something involving fanfic/writing?), let me know!

This was a long author's note, oops. Recap:

\- STOP TEACHING SMALL CHILDREN SEXISM 2k15

\- you all found out about the nasty in funny ways

\- **What was your favorite grade/year of school? **

\- GIVE ME/MY SISTER/BOTH OF US IDEAS ON WHAT KIND OF THINGS TO DO AS A YOUTUBER(S)


	64. Stuck in a Moment (You Can't Get Out Of)

**TRIGGER WARNING FOR SUICIDE/SUICIDE MENTION. IF YOU CANNOT READ THIS CHAPTER, PLEASE SKIP TO THE AUTHOR'S NOTE AT THE END, WHERE THERE IS SOME IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING SUICIDE AND WAYS TO REACH OUT, AS WELL AS A MESSAGE FOR EVERYONE EXPERIENCING SUICIDAL THOUGHTS. **

* * *

**A/N: **As if the trigger warning above wasn't indication enough, this chapter is a biiiiig PSA one. A year ago today (August 5th), I lost someone very special in my life to suicide. The year following that day was the hardest of my life; I nearly lost a few friends along the way to the same fate, some closer to the ledge than others at different points throughout the year. This chapter was written for them, for my lost friend, for _everyone _who's been lost and for those who lost them.

In a way, this chapter will also answer all prompts requesting Maggie with a sibling, since I've thrown the possibilities for that happening biologically out the window for a year now... This is a very, very raw one-shot emotions-wise, one I've been working on for weeks, but the emotions here are very much real. Like I said in my warning above, the most important part of this is the author's note at the end, in which I have a message for all of you regarding how important your lives are (yes, this is your Overlord World Dictator speaking: _your life matters_), and how you can help prevent suicides.

Also as a bit of a foreword, Maggie's girlfriend, Christina, is Filipino, and can speak Tagalog (Tuh-gah-lug). She calls Maggie _mahal_, a term of endearment used between Tagalog-speaking couples.

Thank you all for your continued support. Your lives, my life, _all _of our lives are more important than we can realize; please, always remember that, and take care.

* * *

Maggie inhaled the crisp, November air through her nose, held it in her lungs for a moment, then exhaled through her mouth. She enjoyed the colder air in the late fall, as the season of winter was quickly approaching. With that thought, a small smile formed on her face, and she continued walking through the entrance of her school. She waved at the various personnel she passed, including some intimidating security guards (Maggie liked to greet them, anyway). The security at her school was top-notch, since it _was _kind of in the capital city of America, meaning most of the students enrolled there were children of someone important in some way, usually politically.

Speaking of parents, Steve and Natasha had just dropped her off a few minutes before, then continued to the Triskelion, as they were assigned a day-long mission by Fury the night before. Meanwhile, Maggie had her own 'day-long mission' of sorts - more specifically, another day of high school. Even though Natasha and Steve were gone for work, which usually made her nervous until they returned home safe and sound, Maggie was looking forward to being picked up after school by Phil and May, then hanging out at the Triskelion for a few hours. Maybe she could even convince FitzSimmons and Bobbi to do her homework while she played video games with Skye. (Okay, maybe not, but they made homework more fun, since the members of the Bus team were highly intelligent and could generally cover a lot of subject areas in knowledge.)

All in all, Maggie had high hopes this day would be fun, just like all (well, _most_) of the other days. Her life was great, despite its hardships over the sixteen and a half years she had been through so far, and she hoped this day would be another one to add to the collection of good times.

But luck had only ever gone so far for her when she was happy, which she forgot.

She walked down the hall, smirking slightly as she saw her scarf, patterned with Captain America's shield (a present from Clint, and Phil had one as well so they could match) just below her main line of vision. But, after a few moments, she realized everything was...quiet. Despite the fact she was passing by small clusters of students and class started in twenty minutes, there was hardly any of the typical high school noise in the atmosphere; there was only an eerie silence.

And, looking around at the quieted students, Maggie found some of them staring at her, then quickly averting their gazes when she would make eye contact with them. That was odd. Sure, Maggie was no popular social butterfly, but she wasn't hated or anything. She was just awkward, and people never really stared at her for it. Meeting people's stares once more, Maggie wasn't quite sure what was in their eyes. It almost looked like..._pity? _

Finally, she found the familiar face of Christina, standing beside Maggie's locker. It wasn't strange that her girlfriend was waiting for her there - they waited for each other every morning before classes started, so they could hang out and chat for a bit, sometimes with others or sometimes alone. Maggie sighed in relief as she quickened her pace, planning on first greeting Christina with a hug and then questioning her as to what the hell was going on.

However, Christina's expression alerted Maggie right away that whatever was going on, it wasn't good. And, Maggie thought, because of the way people were staring at her, it somehow had to do with her. Uh oh.

_There goes my good day. _

"Maggie," Christina greeted quietly when Maggie stopped in front of her. No pet names, no jokes, no Tagalog terms of endearment or rants about some unbelievable thing that happened in the last sixteen hours, no _anything _that reflected Christina's usually lighthearted and jovial nature. Maggie swallowed the nervous lump in her throat, knowing something really serious must have happened.

"Christina, what's going on?" Maggie questioned her anxiously, glancing around at their suddenly quieter environment. What on Earth could be going on? Was Christina involved somehow? "Are you okay? Did something happen?"

Christina wavered a bit under Maggie's piercing gaze, nervously pushing a lock of her dark hair behind her ear. She averted her gaze for a few moments before raising it to meet Maggie's again. "It's...Callie is…"

Panic filled Maggie's mind at the mention of her best friend, and she thought she could feel herself pale for a moment. Had something happened to her? Was she even okay? Judging by the silence of the school, something horrible must have happened to her...right? But, then, wouldn't Maggie and her parents already have been notified? "Callie is _what_, Christie? Is she okay?"

Maggie could feel her heart rate elevate, as the organ pounded harder and faster than it should normally in her chest. She didn't need to look down at the bracelet Tony had designed for her, to monitor her vitals at all times, to know her pulse was escalating. Ever since Maggie had started having bad anxiety and the occasional panic attack, Tony had instructed her to wear the bracelet at all times, specifically when not with her family or someone she felt comfortable with during any stressful episodes. Whenever she started to experience crushing anxiety or panicking, the bracelet was designed to notify Tony, Steve, and Natasha immediately. She knew she needed to keep it together now, since her parents were supposed to be on a quinjet to wherever the hell their mission was very soon, but if something bad had happened to Callie or her family…

"Callie is...Callie herself is okay," Christina decided to establish first, looking at Maggie wide-eyed as her voice stood firm. "Physically, I promise, she is one hundred percent fine; it's not her. Marie, meanwhile…"

Maggie froze at the mention of her Callie's younger sister. She knew Marie Pierce very well - the girl was a freshman, two years behind them. Maggie had grown up playing with both sisters, since Marie tended to be more of a loner around kids her own age. Sure, she'd always had her own friends, but whenever Maggie and Callie got together, Marie demanded she'd be included. When Maggie and Callie first met when they were seven, Marie was almost always present during their playdates. Even Natasha and Steve were relatively close with Marie - whenever Maggie and Callie grew tired of her following them around, Marie ended up playing a board game or something with one of or both of the Avengers. She had never shied away from adults like she did with her classmates, so it worked out pretty well.

In recent years, though, things at Callie and Marie's house had gotten rockier. Once Callie had entered middle school, expectations were raised to an all-time high. As far as grades went, nothing less than perfection was expected - anything below that was seen as disappointment. Luckily, Callie was good at playing the game that was the American education system, and managed to excel in most of her classes, though she was visibly upset by her parents constantly. Though neither Steve nor Natasha were as hard on Maggie as Callie and Marie's parents were on them, it seemed like Maggie stressed herself out enough over grades for both herself _and _Callie, which always concerned Natasha and Steve. Marie, meanwhile, struggled a bit more than Callie with grades. She was still a great student, Maggie and Callie would try to remind her, but because it wasn't enough to meet her parents' standards, it wasn't enough to meet her own. Thus the stress eventually turned into self-loathing and depression and anxiety, as Marie isolated herself often and shut everyone out, even Callie.

Maggie knew Marie had been battling with more severe mental demons for a while now, especially after entering high school just a few months prior; Callie was constantly worried. Marie knew she was loved by others, but struggled to feel that love, according to Callie. So that could only mean…

"Marie committed suicide last night."

There it was, the truth Maggie had been expecting since Christina first mentioned Marie's name moments before.

That was why everyone was so silent; hearing one of their own had taken her own life like that would have that effect on the campus. And everyone's Maggie-oriented stares made sense - it was no secret that Maggie was close with Callie, and, by extension, Callie's sister. They looked to Maggie for a reaction, something they could all follow; their sympathetic and pitiful stares burned into the back of her skull.

Maggie was sure at least half of her relatives knew something must have happened by now, judging by the way she was now struggling to catch up to her own heart beat. And, Maggie knew, she would soon be struggling to breathe and function, too.

"I don't believe you," she mumbled to Christina as her eyes burned with sudden tears. _This can't be happening. _With shaky hands, Maggie fumbled for her cell phone, which had been in one of the pockets on her jacket. "I'm calling Callie."

Christina shook her head, gently taking Maggie's hands in her own. "She won't pick up right now. I already tried; it went straight to voicemail. They announced it over the intercom just before you came on campus, because her parents called in a little while ago with the news."

"No, no, this isn't happening, it's just a bad dream," Maggie tried to assure herself, squeezing her eyes shut. She knew, though, deep down, this was no dream; this was _real. _"Once I start crying, someone will come wake me up."

"You're already awake. I'm so sorry, _mahal_," Christina whispered, squeezing Maggie's hands. "Do you want to go somewhere else?"

More people were starting to stare. Maggie was starting to lose her ability to breathe. Somewhere, Tony Stark was probably starting to curse loudly enough to wake up Pepper, who was inevitably with him, and then demand what the hell was going on from JARVIS in his cell phone. Her parents were probably already trying to turn the car around.

So, Maggie nodded, her eyes on the ground as she trembled.

"We should go to guidance, they'll be able to house us there for a while, until…"

Christina's voice trailed off, because, really, what _ending _was there for this current moment? This instance in which Maggie is first hearing of a longtime childhood friend's perishing, how were they supposed to proceed to the next part of the day? Go to class? Maggie almost laughed at the thought. If she had to go to class like this, Tony would probably be getting notifications of her flatlining from having to sit still and pretend like everything was normal for the rest of the day.

"Come on, let's go." Christina gently tugged Maggie forward, now connected by only one of their hands as opposed to both. Maggie gave into the numbing darkness in her mind, knowing only then would she be able to escape her physical environment.

For once, she welcomed the overwhelming panic streaming from her mind, as it blocked out the rest of her senses.

* * *

"Hey, Steve."

"Yeah?"

"Do you ever think...or, I guess, have you ever thought, maybe, life...just wasn't worth it?"

Steve glanced over at Natasha, as they sat on the roof of Avengers Tower, looking out at the illuminated buildings of Manhattan against the night sky. He wasn't sure what time it was, but he had a feeling looking at a clock would make him regret being awake right now. Not that it was his fault he was up - the nightmares and flashbacks had decided sleep was for the weak about an hour prior. Coming out here to clear his head led him to find Natasha in the same boat, seeking comfort from the outside world because her internal world was not so kind to her that night.

"That's a deep question."

Natasha laughed a little. "It's a deep question, while we're both sitting out here, deep in thought, because we're both knee-deep in our own personal feelings of grief and fear. I think it's fitting for the occasion."

"Someone's feeling poetic tonight."

"I'm always fairly eloquent and selective in my speech, thank you very much."

"I can't argue that," Steve shrugged, turning his gaze back on the city's skyline. "As for your question...I guess I've felt that way, suicidal, or whatever, before."

"After coming out of the ice?" Natasha guessed quietly.

"Yeah. It was a tough transition, you know?"

"I can only imagine."

A pause. "What about you, Nat?"

"What about me?"

Steve rolled his eyes. "You posed a deep question, and I answered it. It's your turn in the sharing circle now."

"Someone's feeling a bit sassy tonight."

"I'm always fairly eloquent and selective in my speech, thank you very much," Steve mimicked her.

Natasha lightly punched his arm. "Exactly what I mean, right there."

"You're avoiding the question, Natasha." He gave her a pointed look.

She sighed, knowing Steve deserved an answer since he answered her. Ever since the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. a month before, and the subsequent revival of both Avengers' differing memories of Bucky Barnes, plus all of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s info on them out in the open, both Steve and Natasha had been struggling to cope with everything. They were both people who bottled up their emotions, too - it was like they were made for each other, Natasha silently scoffed.

"I think my hesitation to answer speaks for itself," she finally replied under her breath, though she knew Steve could hear her.

"I was afraid of that being the case."

"It's just...it's so hard, sometimes, to live with the things from the past. You know?"

"You know I do," Steve verified softly, covering one of her hands with one of his own. "I choose to take out my feelings from past events on the enemies we face."

"I try to do that, really, but, sometimes, it's just not enough," Natasha spoke honestly. "I used to feel worse, I mean, I've gotten a lot better...but, I guess, now that everything about me is out there, I just...I know there are people who don't feel too great about me right now, and I guess I'm one of them."

Steve frowned at Natasha's words. "Well, I'm not, and I'll gladly take on anyone who is. Even you."

Natasha smirked a bit. "Thanks, but I don't think fighting me is going to help me not hate me."

"You know what I meant. This world needs you, Natasha; everyone living in this tower needs you. Clint wouldn't have made a different call years ago if he believed you to be the monster you believe yourself to be, and I wouldn't have fought by your side for years now if you weren't good, either."

"Aww, how sweet."

"I'm serious, Natasha." He paused, then lowered his voice. "I need you."

She stopped at his words for a moment, knowing she shared the same sentiment toward him. "I...I need you, too, Steve. More than I ever really realized."

"Then promise me you won't give up."

"Steve…"

"For what it's worth, I'm promising you the same thing of myself."

Natasha bit her lip. She always kept her promises - the genuine ones she made to her friends, anyway - and, for some unknown reason that was the strange feeling she'd been getting in her gut recently for Steve, she knew she could never break a promise she made with him.

So, turning over the hand he was covering, she took his hand into hers, intertwining their fingers and giving the appendage a small squeeze. She looked up to Steve with a small smile, and nodded.

"I promise..."

* * *

Her encounter with Steve on the rooftop of Avengers' Tower years and years ago lingered in Natasha's mind as she was pulled out of her light sleep. After dropping off Maggie, she had dozed off in their car ride to the Triskelion before she'd even realized it.

However, something had specifically woken her up, as Natasha realized her phone was vibrating from its spot in the cup holder between herself and Steve. Furrowing her brow, she raised her head from the window, sitting up straight with a curious expression.

"Are we late, or something?" she asked Steve, looking to him as he continued driving. Ever since Maggie was born, he'd aimed to become a 'much safer driver' (though he wasn't _that _bad before), and kept his eyes on the road most of the time (perhaps a bit more than he _needed _to, but Natasha didn't bother him much about it).

"I don't know. My phone's going off in my pocket, too, but I can't pull it out right now for obvious reasons."

Always following laws, Steve was. Natasha rolled her eyes, grabbing the phone and turning on the screen. She frowned at the notification, taking a moment to interpret what it meant.

"Steve, stop."

"What?"

"Pull over in a parking lot, or something...something's wrong." Natasha unlocked her phone then, opening the message in its entirety. "It's a text from JARVIS."

"JARVIS?" Steve echoed as he turned into a nearby gas station, parking the car off to the side near the oxygen tanks for filling up tires. "What'd he say?"

"It's...I think it's about Maggie," Natasha figured, a note of concern in her voice. "That bracelet Tony just gave her - the one that monitors her vitals - it says her heart rate is elevated."

"More elevated than usual?" Steve raised an eyebrow, glancing at the time on the stereo. "She could just be running to class or across campus for something."

"I don't…" Natasha's voice trailed off as Tony texted both of them then, and Steve, since the car was parked, retrieved his own phone as well.

"'Are you with the squirt? I think she's having a panic attack,'" Steve read aloud, glancing at Natasha with a worried expression.

Natasha already had her phone pressed against her ear. "I'm calling her now."

They sat in an anxious silence for a few moments, until Natasha's face lit up when she received an answer. "Maggie, hi, Uncle Tony just told us-_wait_, what? Christie?"

_Christie? _Steve frowned, worried. Why was Christina answering Maggie's phone for her?

"Christie, slow down, I can't understand...Maggie is...oh my God." Natasha tensed up at whatever Christina was telling her through the phone, as she lifted a hand to her mouth. Her eyes were wide with the news had just been shared, and it unnerved Steve greatly. "Is Callie...okay, we're coming to your school. _Now._"

At her words, Steve set his own phone down, and put the car back into drive. Swiftly, he pulled out of the parking lot, and started driving down the street back toward the high school. His mind raced with frazzled thoughts; had something happened to Callie? No wonder Maggie would panic, as, honestly, Steve himself was panicking a bit at the thought of something happening to Marie, whom he'd watched grow up for nearly ten years.

"Thank you, Christina, we'll be there soon," Natasha finally said, hanging up the phone with trembling hands. She turned to Steve with a sad expression. "Steve…"

"What happened? Is Maggie okay?" he questioned, glancing over at her momentarily before focusing on the road again. "Did something happen to Callie?"

Natasha swallowed the lump in her throat, shaking her head. "It's Marie."

Oh. "Marie?" he echoed. It had been a while since he'd seen the younger Pierce sister - Maggie tried to keep him filled in about her from things Callie would share, but it was clear that things hadn't been going too well in the past couple of months.

So, he wasn't as surprised at Natasha's words as he felt he should've been. "She...she's dead, Steve."

Her voice held a defeated tone, one of a sense of failure - she felt guilty, and Steve knew his first idea on what killed Marie was correct. He was having a hard time believing it, even though it made sense logically, considering the things Maggie had been telling him about Marie most recently. It all added up to what he knew had ultimately killed her: depression.

"It was a suicide...right?" he guessed quietly, his grip on the steering wheel tightening. He had to will himself to stop - any harder, he would definitely break it.

Natasha nodded silently, quickly blinking tears away and taking a deep breath to compose herself. She turned back to looking out the window, knowing she needed to be strong for Maggie right now - they could all grieve their loss together later. "I didn't think...Maggie told me about what was going on, but I never thought it would get this bad."

"Neither did I," Steve admitted, trying to not let his emotions take over his driving at the moment. "No wonder she's in the state she's in."

"I should...I should probably text Tony back." Natasha was nervously scrambling for something to do, anything to keep herself occupied until they arrived at Maggie's school. "Tell him we know what's going on and we're going back to take care of it."

Steve nodded. He wanted to help her distract herself, so he suggested another task that he knew would need accomplishing at some point soon. "You should probably also call Fury or Hill. Let them know we can't go on that mission today; there's no way we can leave things like this."

"No way in hell," Natasha agreed as she typed out a response to Tony. After doing that, she got to work on getting in contact with Maria, figuring the brunette would need less explaining to establish the fact that things with Maggie were not okay right now than Fury would.

* * *

"Keep breathing steadily, _mahal_. That's right, in and out," Christina encouraged softly, holding Maggie's hands as she kneeled in front of her, who was sitting in a chair. "Your parents are coming really soon."

Maggie registered Christina's words a little bit, but her mind was more focused on other things. For example, Callie. Just...there was no way to put her worry for her best friend into words. Where was Callie? How was Callie? Was Callie okay? Would she _ever _be okay?

"Here, drink some water, Maggie," Christina offered her a small cup of water, as it had been handed to her by one of the guidance counselors for Maggie. "You need to stay hydrated."

She did as Christina told her to do, but Maggie knew no amount of water or oxygen would make her feel better. She wasn't sure if she'd _ever _feel better, like Callie, honestly. There was no light at the end of the tunnel in sight for her right now - there was only the present moment, in all its pain and agony.

Even when Christina's frightened form was replaced with Natasha's calming one a few minutes later, Maggie was still hardly present. Her mind was drifting, looking for a safe place to settle. Only, in her brain, there was no safe place to settle; every inch of her mental state was somehow focused on the Pierce family, whether it be Marie herself, Callie, or their parents.

"Maggie? Лапушка? Look at me," Natasha commanded firmly, but softly. She placed her hands on Maggie's shoulders, staring into her eyes with a hard expression. "Eyes on me, Maggie. Hey, look at me."

It took a few agonizing seconds, but Maggie's eyes eventually found Natasha's, even though she was still struggling to settle herself. She was seeing Natasha, but, at the same time...she wasn't really _seeing _Natasha. It was so frustrating, Maggie could feel the burn of tears in her eyes again.

She took a shuddering breath, trying to hold eye contact with Natasha. "Mama…"

They were still dressed in their mission uniforms and everything. Though Steve didn't have his shield, Natasha was fully armed, and it made her a bit self-conscious as she stood inside Maggie's school. Sure, the security guards back at the front of the school knew who she was, and didn't question her walking in with her weapons, but she usually tried to leave her dangerous gear behind in the car when she came on campus because it only made her stand out more.

"Take deep breaths, Maggie," Natasha soothed, gently brushing a stray tear away on Maggie's cheek with her thumb. She deepened her own breaths, hoping Maggie would naturally mimic her; Maggie did after a few moments. "That's it, keep breathing like Christie told you, in and out."

Christina, meanwhile, was standing off to the side with Steve. After the two Avengers arrived, the guidance counselors left them alone in the backroom, most of them probably on their way to the gym for the impromptu assembly that was being held for the student body. She glanced over at Natasha and Maggie, then back up at Steve. "Take care of her, alright, Mr. Rogers?"

"We will, Christina, I promise," Steve swore, laying a gentle hand on her shoulder. He was so grateful for Christina's comforting presence while Maggie had been so uneasy, but he knew that this must have been affecting Christina, too. He knew she was good friends with Callie, so she was bound to be hurt by all of this as well. "How are you holding up?"

She sighed, looking too exhausted for someone her age, Steve decided. "I'm alright for now. It'll probably hit me later, when I'm alone. I didn't know Marie that well, but I talked to her a few times. She was nice, though she was pretty quiet...not unlike her sister, I suppose. Callie told me about how hard Marie worked constantly, to meet their parents' expectations and be, quote, 'good enough'...I even made a few jokes about their parents confusing themselves for Asian parents a few times." Christina laughed a little, but it sounded very hollow. Her expression turned sympathetic as she looked at Steve once more. "I can only imagine how close you guys were with her, through Callie."

Steve's expression tightened as he thought of the times Marie had come over when she was younger, and how she had suddenly seemed to disappear from his and Natasha's lives when she entered middle school, only present in Maggie's stories passed on from Callie. "We watched both of them grow up," he admitted sadly after a few moments. He tried to once more focus on the good thing here - the fact that Christina was present to help Maggie while he and Natasha could not. "Thank you, again, for watching over Maggie before we got here."

"Ah, don't mention it, Mr. Rogers; it's part of being in a relationship, though you probably already know that," Christina brushed him off with a light smile, though it was only a ghost of her usual grin. "I was more worried about her than anything else."

Before Steve could reply, Maggie, now breathing correctly and shaking a little less, came up to them, a small smile on her face despite the faint redness in her eyes. Steve knew there would only be more crying from this point on, and Natasha, judging by her expression from behind Maggie, seemed to be sharing the same sad knowledge.

"Are you feeling better? You already look better," Christina greeted Maggie, her expression relieved. She tried to keep the tone of her voice light and happy, though it still had a bit of a nervous quiver to it. "Though, as your girlfriend, I already must say you _always _look better."

Despite the circumstances, Maggie playfully rolled her eyes. "Flirting with me in front of my parents? That's pretty fearless, Chris, considering they're both Avengers, one of which is the Black Widow, who I'm pretty sure nearly assassinated my last relationship partner."

Natasha smirked proudly, but Christina just shrugged casually, brushing Maggie's comment off with a wave of her hand. "Nah, your mom and I are tight, especially considering I'm her go-to source for help with learning Tagalog. Right, Mrs. Rogers?"

Natasha had always used Steve's last name when it came to Maggie's school friends, just to help keep things simple. And, like Christina said, Natasha _had _enlisted the Christina's help for brushing up on her Tagalog skills ever since Maggie started dating her. So Natasha nodded at Christina's comment, her smirk growing. "Right, Christie."

"Anyway, we're gonna go home now," Maggie informed Christina, quickly catching her in a hug. "Thanks for everything, Christie."

"I'm a control freak; I would have trusted no one else to take care of you. Well, except your parents, of course." Christina nodded to Natasha and Steve over Maggie's shoulder before releasing her. "If you need anything else, just call me, yeah?"

"Same to you," Maggie promised, though she knew, between the two of them, Marie's death was going to be hitting her harder and longer than Christina. "I'll see you…whenever."

Was Maggie going to school tomorrow? Hell if she knew; at this point, she'd say, probably not.

* * *

The car ride home was silent. No one was quite sure what to say, given the fact that they were, well, for one thing, in the _car_, and had yet to start a conversation about everyone's personal feelings over the matter. What exactly was there to say, though? The subject matter was obvious, but vocalizing it meant making it real. Maggie thought that if they didn't talk about it, maybe they could pretend it hadn't happened.

But judging by the lack of answering her phone from Callie's end, as Maggie continuously tried to contact her best friend, Marie's death was really real.

Maggie knew the guilt building up inside of her now would only continue to grow as time progressed. All the times she should have been able to spot the signs, the moments when she'd had a chance to say something, _anything_, to a someone, with the power to intervene and prevent this, regarding Marie's struggle...Maggie couldn't shake these feelings from her mind. She thought briefly, perhaps, Marie's ghost was sitting on her chest right now; maybe that was where the silent cries of _I can't believe you let this happen to me! _she was hearing in her head were coming from.

Receiving no more answer than the dull tone of Callie's voicemail once again, Maggie cast her phone down into the vacant seat next to her. She was slipping again, she could feel it; she needed to know how Callie was doing, if she was okay. If she'd already failed Marie, Maggie couldn't fail Callie as well...that pain would be _unbearable. _

"Maggie?" At the sound of her name, Maggie looked over to see Natasha turned back to face her, from the passenger seat. Her face bore a concerned and sympathetic expression. Of course, Maggie knew, both of her parents would be hurt, too; they were superheroes. They were supposed to protect innocent people. Yet, this instance was a painful example of the fact that they could never always save people's lives, they couldn't maintain a global sense of peace and tranquility; Marie had been a victim to her own mind, and there was nothing the Avengers could have done about it. That's why there were therapists and counselors and professionals and such, to help people fight and defeat the invisible monsters that superheroes couldn't. "Лапушка, breathe."

It was then that Maggie realized she'd actually been slipping again, judging by the way Natasha's phone was vibrating from the middle console between herself and Steve. It was probably JARVIS warning them about Maggie's heart rate, or whatever Tony had designed the bracelet to do. If only Marie had had one for herself, maybe then, she could have been stopped before she threw in the towel.

So Maggie tried to take a calming breath, but it wasn't very calming. Quite the opposite, actually. All she could think about was the fact she now had to breathe the same air that Marie had also inhaled, until now. Now, the deceased freshman was breathing _no _air.

"We'll be home soon," Steve promised softly, but loudly enough over the sound of the car for Maggie to hear. He looked like he was going to say another thing for a moment, but didn't. Maggie suspected he was at a loss for words, which didn't surprise her, since she was, as well.

Now, Natasha had picked up her phone, and appeared to be texting someone; Maggie decided to distract herself by guessing who she might be texting. Her first guess was Tony, since he was probably getting all these notifications from her bracelet like every five minutes. Briefly, Maggie wondered if her parents had told him what happened, but she quickly pushed that thought away since it only reminded _her _of what happened. Her next guess was Fury, or maybe Maria. Someone in S.H.I.E.L.D. who needed to know that neither Steve nor Natasha would be able to lead the mission they were missing...Maggie decided to engage her parents in a conversation about that, since it would keep her mind off of Marie. Hopefully.

"Who's gonna do your mission today?" Maggie inquired, causing both Steve and Natasha to look up at her sudden speech. They probably had expected her to remain quiet all the way home, and maybe even beyond that. "Since you guys aren't going. Obviously."

"Probably...probably Uncle Clint. I think he just got home from his own mission yesterday, or the day before. Or maybe Skye, or Bobbi. Either way, I'm sure they'll find somebody," Natasha thought aloud, also enjoying the slight distraction. "It was just a day mission, anyway. There shouldn't be a problem finding a replacement."

"Oh," Maggie replied simply, because she wasn't quite sure what else there was to say to that. Maybe some joke about her parents being irreplaceable? That was usually something she would say...right? The fact that she was questioning what was considered 'in-character' for herself was enough to convince Maggie that she was definitely more upset than she had been in a long, long time. She was really ecstatic to see how all this emotional stress would affect her mind for the rest of the day (sarcasm). Maybe she'd even get a visit from her old friend, Mr. PTSD!

"Don't worry about it, Лапушка," Natasha said after a moment, mostly for the sake of continuing the conversation, not necessarily because she believed Maggie was genuinely worried. Honestly, Natasha knew that the agents taking over her and Steve's mission were probably the _farthest _concern from Maggie's mind right now, but she wasn't sure what else there was to say. And just letting Maggie sit in silence, with nothing but her dark thoughts to keep her company, was probably worse than making an offhanded comment about her nonexistent worries, Natasha decided.

"I'm not," Maggie sighed, resting her head against the window. She examined the Captain America scarf she was still wearing, which she had completely forgotten about during the events in the morning, running her fingers up and down the soft, warm fleece.

The rest of the car ride passed in silence.

* * *

Once they got home, Steve and Natasha hung back and allowed Maggie to make the first move inside the house. Where did she want to go? Did she want to be alone? What room would be the most calming for her now?

Immediately, Maggie went down the hall to her room, followed by a light _thud _from what Steve and Natasha assumed to be her backpack hitting the floor once she had walked in. They shared a worried glance as Steve closed the front door behind them, then walked back to their own room to change out of their uniforms.

This kind of grieving was...well, it was new for _all _of them. Sure, Natasha and Steve had seen their fair share of deaths, and, considering the environment Natasha had grown up in, she'd seen some self-caused ones, as girls tried to escape the Red Room (Steve had witnessed similar things in the war, but not quite to the same extent, since he witnessed more death through warfare). But this...this was different. America was _not _the Red Room, and Marie had just been an average teenage girl, like Maggie, and Callie, and Christina, and a vast amount of the population. Yet, she'd _still _harbored such dark feelings toward the world and herself, and ultimately died because of them.

"I can't believe this is happening," Steve finally sighed, sitting down on top of their bed while Natasha dug through her dresser for comfortable clothes. Suddenly, he didn't have the energy to change anymore, as just watching Natasha was wearing him out. "Or, I guess, I can't believe this actually hap_pened._"

She didn't reply at first, opting to just silently pull out a shirt and some pajama pants, then climb out of her form-fitting catsuit. It was always a pain to put on and take off, but Natasha practically ripped the leather off of herself in that moment, suddenly feeling impatient. Maybe it was because, like Maggie had been thinking to herself earlier, the suit, the weapons, the superhero thing - it all _failed _today. Natasha had been unable to save an innocent life, as had Steve, and everyone else who prided themselves on their ability to protect the world.

After pulling on her loose t-shirt, which had probably been Steve's long before, and her warm pajama pants, Natasha separated her weapons from her suit, throwing the latter onto the edge of the bed and locking up the former in the safe in their closet. She then sat down beside Steve, finally looking to him and replying, "None of us can."

Steve's expression fell slightly, and he leaned closer to Natasha, so their shoulders were touching. "I wonder what Callie and her parents are doing right now."

"I'm not sure I want to know," Natasha admitted quietly, turning her gaze to her lap. "We've almost lost Maggie a couple of times...I can't imagine what it would feel like to _actually _lose her, to _herself _of all things."

Natasha's words were frightening, Steve had to admit. Each instance Maggie's life had truly been in danger were due to other people's actions, whether it be car crashes or kidnapping attempts or _shooting _her (the sound still haunted both parents to this day); Maggie had never been dangerously destructive toward herself, for which both Natasha and Steve were grateful, especially considering she shared the same anxious stress for school that Marie had.

But Callie's parents...Steve clenched his jaw a bit at the thought of them. They had been a huge factor in pushing Marie to the breaking point, he couldn't help but think. Her grades were hardly ever good enough for them, which eventually led Marie to believe her grades weren't good for _anyone_. And, then, that developed into believing that she _herself _wasn't good enough for anyone, something that Callie and Maggie had protested quite often.

Both Callie and Marie had come over to the Rogers' home many more times than Maggie had gone over to the Pierce's. Callie and Marie's parents had always seemed...distant, though it was understandable, given their politically-oriented jobs, which had kept them fairly busy every day. Their mother had worked on and off within Congress, while their father helped direct the FBI. Surprisingly, working for Fury as Avengers seemed to be more merciful on Natasha and Steve's schedules and time with Maggie than Callie and Marie's parents, so their house had seen quite a lot of playdates over the years. Neither Natasha nor Steve had ever gotten to spend a long period of time with either of the Pierce couple, so they weren't exactly close with them like Maggie, Callie, and Marie were with each other.

Maggie's words about their strict grade policies had been enough to discourage Steve from really befriending them. "I'll be honest, but...is it bad that a part of me wants to blame them for what happened to Marie? Not Callie, just their parents," Steve wondered aloud, staring at the blank wall across the room from them. He knew it was horrible to point fingers, but considering Callie and Marie's parents had been part of the build-up for this…

"I'm sure it is, but I'm feeling the same thing," Natasha verified quietly, leaning her head against Steve's arm. "Meanwhile, they're probably thinking the same about us. And Maggie, and Callie, and each other. That's how grief works, Steve; we try to blame the rest of the world because, at the end of the day, everyone is just worried about themselves, first and foremost. It's just human nature."

That was debatable, in Steve's opinion, but he knew Natasha had a point. Otherwise, he wouldn't be feeling this passive resentment toward the Pierce's over Marie's death.

"How do you think Maggie's doing?" Steve asked next, though he knew it was a stupid question. Of course he knew how she was doing, he'd seen everything he needed to know in her face since he'd reunited with her in the guidance department at her school. Normally, he'd expect Natasha to make some jab at him for asking such an obvious thing, but she was too exhausted, both mentally and, consequently, physically, to joke around.

"Not good," Natasha answered a moment later. Her eyes met Steve's once more. "I don't think we should leave her alone all day. I know we're in the house with her, but I don't want her spending a lot of time by herself. She'll be swallowed up by her own mind that way."

Steve knew Natasha's concerns were stemming from both past experience with Maggie's grieving tendencies and the fact that fifteen year old Marie Pierce had just been 'swallowed up by her own mind' the night prior, which led to her death. Honestly, Steve harbored the same worries, even if Maggie wasn't suicidal (though, he thought to himself, he was going to be closely monitoring her behavior from now on since suicide amongst teenage girls was now fresh on his mind).

"I agree," he informed Natasha earnestly. "I also know that her anxiety tends to get worse when she's alone, anyway...we should probably check on her soon."

In reality, they'd only been home for _maybe_ fifteen minutes_. _At most. It was probably closer to ten minutes, really. Regardless, both Avengers were already worried, and the buzz from their cell phones a moment later - definitely another message from JARVIS, they knew - told them they had reason to.

As Natasha got up to grab her phone, which had been deposited on top of the dresser, Steve decided to finally change his clothes. While grabbing his own shirt and pants to change into, he glanced over at Natasha. "Did you tell Tony what happened?"

"Vaguely," she responded, pocketing her phone as she crossed back over to the bed. Once reaching her destination, she lied back down on it with a deep sigh, hoping her newfound relaxation would ease her grief (it did not). "I told him one of Maggie's friends passed away last night, so we ditched our mission and pulled her out of school."

"That's probably good enough." Steve pulled a shirt over his head.

"I did promise him more details later," Natasha added, staring at the ceiling. "For now, though, I told him to keep the others in the dark. The last thing Maggie, and you and me, need right now is a team of worried superheroes. Just the thought of it is overwhelming me."

"I agree. Though, maybe Maggie should talk to Bruce sometime about this, since I know he'll have something to say on the subject," Steve suggested, thinking back to Bruce's outburst on the helicarrier before the Battle of New York. He had confessed to attempting suicide before - once the Avengers all grew closer, only then did the weight of Bruce's words hit each of them. They usually tried to focus on the fact that Bruce was still there, and how his attempt had not been successful.

"Maggie doesn't know about that," Natasha reminded. Even though she was sixteen and a half and knew some of the darker things about her parents and relatives' pasts now, there were still things Maggie did not know. Bruce's suicide attempt was one of them. Natasha and Steve's own conversation on the topic of suicide two years before she was born was another. Maybe now would be the time to open up to her about that, Natasha thought. "We'll have to talk to Bruce about it first."

"Of course." Steve nodded, sitting beside her on the bed. Natasha continued staring up at the ceiling.

* * *

Maggie tried pacing up and down the length of her bedroom. It was her usual go-to way of releasing nervous energy, but, for once, it was hardly working. She was still trembling and struggling to find her breath. Bruce and Tony had taught her ways of 'grounding' herself, in which she tried to locate and identify different objects based on her different senses, but she was failing to do so. By the time she could actually clearly recognize she had located one object through sight out of the five that they had taught her ("Find five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste," Bruce had advised), Maggie was struggling to just remember the rest of the exercise.

Her parents' phones were probably abuzz with her heart's erratic beating, Maggie thought deep down, but, on her surface instinctive level, she simply discarded Tony's bracelet with no clear thought or intent in her mind. She carefully placed it on her nightstand, beside her bed, not wanting to keep disturbing her family. For once, she didn't want to be around any of them very much...the last thing she wanted right now was Tony or Clint or Pepper or _anyone _who wasn't her parents or Callie or Marie (naive and wistful thinking, she knew, but she didn't care) daring to approach her.

Was Marie in pain when she died? Maggie couldn't help but wonder. For that matter, _how _did she die? Looking up the suicide statistics on her phone was probably a bad idea, but...yep, _yep,_ _Maggie, that was a really crappy idea, nice going_, she scolded herself. The most common method was, of course, death by firearm, and the image of Marie's blood splattered all over the walls in her room sent shivers down Maggie's spine. Her death must have been very late at night...right? Otherwise, Callie would've contacted Maggie by now, she figured.

What if Marie had jumped off a bridge or building? No, Maggie dismissed the thought; she would have seen something in the news about it if she had. Maybe overdosed on drugs? Or hanged herself? Those were the other two common methods Maggie had heard of. Who found Marie's body? Maggie had a sick feeling it may have been Callie. Oh, God, the vision of Callie walking into the room only to find her sister's corpse gave Maggie a fresh wave of anxiety and breathlessness. There was even a little bit of nausea; Maggie thought she might get sick.

Her room suddenly felt small, and her cheeks felt wet. Apparently, she had started crying at some point. It didn't really surprise her, though the fact that she had completely missed her own tears starting to flow was a bit concerning. Maggie dismissed her worries as she decided she couldn't take standing in her bedroom anymore, the memories of playing with both Callie and Marie in there years and years ago haunting her brain.

_God, Marie...why would you do such a thing to us? _

So, she brushed away her tears and wandered down the hallway, not bothering to check if her parents were in their own room or not. She wasn't sure how long they'd all been home, but probably long enough for both Avengers to change out of their uniforms. Though Maggie wasn't sure what she'd want to say to her parents, she did not want to be alone any longer. She needed the presence of something else _living _and _breathing _beside her, with all the death that was currently on her mind.

Maggie found Steve sitting on the couch when she arrived in the living room. Seeing that he was alone, she then realized she could hear her mother in the kitchen, talking to someone on the phone. She stopped beside the couch, and looked at Steve with a curious expression, silently asking him who was on the phone with Natasha.

"Mama's talking to Mrs. Pierce right now," he explained softly, patting the area of the couch cushion beside where he sat. Maggie silently took the spot, sitting beside him. "She just called a few minutes ago."

Maggie tried to breathe through her nose, frowning when she heard a _sniffle _instead of, well, _nothing_, considering her breathing was usually silent. "I wish Callie would call me." She cursed the way her voice was shaking.

Steve laid a comforting hand on Maggie's back, just near the ends of her long hair. He offered her a sad, sympathetic smile. "She's probably busy right now...or just not in the mood to talk on the phone," he suggested.

That would make sense, considering Maggie wasn't ready to talk to any of her own relatives, the people she was closest to. She knew she'd have to eventually, but she wasn't feeling up to it yet. And she wasn't even Marie's _sister_ \- that must mean she was only feeling a _fraction _of what Callie was experiencing right now. Though, a part of her mind protested, Marie had been a lot like the younger sister she'd never had. Even when they were little, Callie was more than willing to share 'big sistership' of Marie, who often looked to Maggie as a second older sister. So, yeah, she let herself admit - maybe she was feeling a _little _more than just a 'fraction' of Callie's feelings.

"I did some research," Maggie suddenly said, pulling her phone out of her pocket and tossing it onto the coffee table. It landed with a _thud_ and, usually, Steve or Natasha would scold her for tossing her expensive electronics around (despite the fact that Tony could easily replace them for free); today, though, Steve had a feeling there was more of a reason for Maggie roughly casting the device away like that, depending on what this 'research' she had done was. "I looked up some statistics for suicide."

Steve's expression morphed into one of concern, as he wrapped an arm around her torso, pulling her a bit closer to him. To his relief, she didn't push him or the offered comfort away. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"What else am I supposed to do? Just _sit_ here all day?" Maggie suddenly snapped, anger evident in her features. Steve held back a sigh; this was only the first day of many, many painful ones. Emotions among all three members of the family were going to be all over the place for a while. Seeing the patience on her father's face, Maggie sighed, looking apologetic. "I just...I read about what methods people use, when they commit suicide."

Oh, this should be a pleasant conversation, Steve thought. He didn't reply, giving her a chance to elaborate. He'd found, over the years, that Maggie would open up in time; sometimes, she just needed to be given the space to formulate her words, and the emotions behind them, to finally say what she was trying to. Natasha worked pretty much the same way.

After a few moments, Maggie spoke again. "I found that, usually, people use a gun." She paused, and Steve had a feeling of what she would ask next. "Do you...do you think Marie did? I mean, do you think she shot herself? Their dad probably owns a gun since he works for the FBI, but I'm not sure..."

Her voice trailed off, and Steve thought for a moment before answering. "There's no way of knowing, Mags, until we find out what happened," he reminded softly. She nodded, tears returning to her eyes as she averted her gaze. He kissed her temple, and was about to envelop her in a warm hug so she could cry it out, but Natasha's return interrupted him before he could.

She looked upset, even if it wasn't obvious. To most people, Steve was sure Natasha wouldn't look more than mildly saddened by something trivial; to him and Maggie, however, Natasha looked _devastated. _She visibly swallowed before speaking. "That was, uh, Callie and Marie's mom."

"What'd she say?" Maggie's voice was only a little louder than a whisper, the extreme emotions plaguing her mind weighing it down.

Natasha took her time with her answer, deciding to first sit down on the coffee table in front of the couch. That had been the spot she'd sat in when she revealed some of her worst fears about the idea of raising a child to Steve, during a brief period in her pregnancy where she was convinced giving Maggie up for adoption was the best route to take. Now, nearly seventeen years later, Natasha was eternally thankful for not continuing down that route, as she now had Maggie in her life and couldn't imagine things any other way. But, a small part of her thought, maybe if Maggie had led a different life with different people, she wouldn't be experiencing this grief from Marie's death right now, because she would not have ever met Callie, then, by extension, Marie. In that life, Maggie wouldn't have to be so sad on this day in her life. She could have just continued on without any idea or memories of the Pierce family, and its (now late) youngest member.

Natasha quickly dismissed her dark thoughts, though, knowing now was not the time to dwell on that. While the coffee table may have been where she questioned things many years before, it was also the spot where Maggie had officially come out a few months prior - a very happy occasion. This was a seat for special, emotional occasions, both good and bad.

"She said Callie is fine...well, considering," Natasha amended, laying her fingers on the back of Maggie's phone. She slid the device around a bit on the table, keeping her hand busy as she sadly met Maggie's eyes. "It was late last night, when it happened. Callie apparently heard a crash in the bathroom, and found Marie lying there, on the ground, an empty bottle of prescription pills off to the side…Лапушка, you good?"

This explanation was heavy, Natasha knew, and she wanted Maggie to take it easy. The girl had been on edge all morning, which was not healthy. Natasha silently felt sorry for Maggie's heart, considering how erratically it must have been beating for the past couple of hours. _Definitely _not healthy.

At Natasha's words, Maggie took a deep breath. "I'm good, keep going." She needed to hear this, she needed to know what happened, and Natasha wasn't about to deny her that right.

So, Natasha nodded, and continued. "When Callie screamed, their parents woke up and ran to the bathroom. Mrs. Pierce quickly dialed 9-1-1 when she saw Marie on the floor. Marie was rushed to the hospital via ambulance, but…" Natasha paused, swallowing a small lump that had formed in her throat as she reached the end of the story. "Marie was declared officially dead at 5:24 AM this morning, and Mr. and Mrs. Pierce called the school a little while later. The information spread pretty quickly by the time you got there."

Steve's grip on Maggie tightened slightly, out of protective instinct more than anything. Maggie was in pain, and he wanted, so desperately, to take it all away, but he knew he couldn't. Maggie was trembling again in his grasp, one hand raised to her mouth as her resolve crumbled, the other on Steve's knee. He recognized the gesture as part of her 'grounding' exercise, as he was something she could physically touch, and he covered the appendage with his own hand.

Maggie cried softly, a hand over her mouth for a few moments before she let it fall back into her lap, almost as if she weren't sure where exactly to put it. Steve rubbed her arm, and Natasha placed a gentle hand on her knee. They were telling her, through these small gestures, that they were physically present and real and there for her, through all the awful, awful pain.

"As for more details on Callie's condition," Natasha spoke again about a minute later while Maggie silently cried, "she hasn't said a word since they heard Marie was gone. She and her parents just got home a little while ago, hence why she wasn't answering your calls earlier...even then, I think she might not be ready to pick up the phone quite yet...I'm so sorry, Maggie."

That's what everyone was today: _sorry. _Christina had said it, and now Natasha was saying it. _Sorry _this, _sorry _that - did the word even _mean _anything anymore? Fuck the English language, Maggie thought. Why the hell did people use the same word for taking the last cookie that they did for someone fucking _dying? Sorry _was a five-letter word trying to cover an entire _spectrum _of emotions, all connected by the idea that remorse was, in every case it presented itself, _remorse. _But, really, were the English-speaking people hundreds of years ago not thinking that death and misbehaving were _clearly _not related in the_ slightest? _

But Maggie knew this wasn't Natasha's fault, nor Christina's fault. Logically, it wasn't anything or anyone's fault, but all logic was discarded when grief took over. Maggie wanted to express that sentiment, assure her mother that even though she was using the lame-ass word _sorry_, she wasn't mad at her nor blamed her. Far from it, in fact - she wanted Natasha and Steve to hug her and tell her everything was going to be okay, even though it _wasn't. _

She ended up in Steve's embrace a moment later, though she wasn't sure how, and she tightly clung to his shirt as she sobbed into his chest. Everything came crashing down at once, all her feelings for this morning's events. Maggie missed Marie. Maggie wanted her back. Maggie wanted to see Callie. Maggie hated school. Maggie felt bad for Christina having to take care of her. Maggie feared for the day her parents would inevitably leave her. Maggie wasn't ready to grow up. Maggie hated being a teenager.

"Let it out, Mags," Steve advised softly against the top of her head, pressing another gentle kiss into her hair. Maggie then felt Natasha's hands carding through her hair, and she thought she could also hear the sobs both of her parents were trying to hold back. They hated to see her in pain, she knew - and they hated to see someone they loved like one of their own go.

* * *

Eventually, Maggie fell asleep, though both Natasha and Steve were sure her heart rate had yet to slow down. They didn't need to put Tony's bracelet on her wrist to know that; they could only hope that, as she slept on the couch, her head on Steve's thigh and her feet in Natasha's lap, she may find some peace from their combined physical presence. The two Avengers then just occupied themselves by watching whatever they could find on TV, the volume muted and closed captioning activated.

The two Avengers were restless. Time seemed to have slowed down for them ever since hearing of Marie's death, and it was just painful to look at the clock and find only five minutes had gone by. After about an hour of sitting on the couch and pretending like everything was okay for a while, Steve decided he was hungry, and Natasha echoed him in agreement. So he decided to make the three of them some lunch.

Thanks to his careful maneuvering to stand up without disturbing her, Maggie continued to sleep on the couch for a while. Natasha took over Steve's job as pillow, as she gently massaged Maggie's temple. It was a comforting gesture Natasha had performed on Maggie for many years when she was upset - Maggie had informed her, when she was old enough to make the connection to her emotions as an effect of Natasha's habits, that it was very calming. So Natasha found herself unconsciously doing it any time Maggie was sad.

Unfortunately, the peaceful silence in the house didn't last, as Maggie jolted awake at the sound of her phone ringing. Natasha paused mid-finger-stroke through Maggie's hair at the sound, sharing a surprised glance with Maggie. Because Maggie was still a little disoriented after waking up, Natasha reached over her and grabbed her phone for her, reading the caller ID aloud. She swallowed nervously at the name. "It's Callie."

"Callie?" Maggie echoed tiredly, sitting up with a sleepy expression. She squinted as she tried to blink the remnants of sleep away, taking the phone from Natasha's hands. Natasha was anxious about Maggie just jumping into the phone call, especially considering the fact she just woke up, so she may not remember what was going on…

But Maggie answered it immediately, pressing the phone to her ear as she yawned, stretching out the arm that wasn't holding her phone. "Hey, Cals."

Natasha watched Maggie's expression fade from one of exhaustion to one of realization within seconds, as Maggie remembered the events of earlier that morning. Though Natasha wasn't sure what Callie was saying on the other end of the line, it couldn't have been anything good. She tried not to stare at Maggie, because it probably wouldn't help much.

"Do you want me to come over?" Maggie offered softly after about thirty silent seconds had passed, during which Natasha assumed Callie was trying to voice her messy thoughts. She appreciated Maggie's selflessness, even though she didn't think Maggie being away from home right now was the best option for her anxiety and health - especially considering the fact that Callie's house was where it had all gone wrong hours before.

"Mama," Maggie turned to Natasha moments later, her expression pleading, "can Callie come over? In a little while?"

That sounded like a better option for both Callie and Marie, in Natasha's opinion. They needed each other, considering Callie's parents were probably a mess. How they would be able to comfort Callie was something Natasha had been wondering for a while. At least if Callie and Maggie spent some time together, they'd be on relatively equal footing with their grief. Natasha didn't try to compare grief, and she knew that Callie had, by default, a closer relationship with Marie, but that didn't excuse the fact that Maggie had a sisterly bond with Marie as well. They were grieving over the shared loss of a younger sister.

So Natasha nodded her consent, and gave a small smile. "She can come over whenever and for however long she likes," she assured Maggie.

Maggie returned the smile, though it was watery and a bit shaky. Her lips trembled, and Natasha wished she knew how to relieve Maggie of her grief. Maybe seeing Callie would be the first step. "My mom said you can come over, Cals. Whenever and for however long you want, were her exact words."

"Maybe later, Christie can come here, too," Natasha suggested, knowing Christina may need company as well. Maggie nodded appreciatively at her offer.

"Do you need a ride, or anything...oh, okay...just tell your parents to drive safe." Maggie picked at the hem of her uniform skirt, realizing she probably should have changed clothes a long time ago. "Okay, see you in like an hour. Love you. Bye."

Natasha always appreciated the way Maggie and Callie would remind one another that they loved each other when saying goodbye. While it was typically a thing couples would do, Maggie and a few of her close friends did it as well. Natasha was glad Maggie was able to form such strong bonds with other girls - something that Natasha had been unable to do in her childhood, since she was forced to compete with the girls around her.

"Has Callie eaten lunch yet?" Natasha inquired as Maggie set her phone back down on the table. Maggie shrugged in reply.

"We didn't really talk about lunch, so I'm not sure...but, if she's really hungry, we can just go raid the kitchen when she comes," Maggie said, leaning her head against Natasha's shoulder with a small sigh. "Meanwhile, I am not hungry at all."

"I figured," Natasha also sighed, resting her head against Maggie's and wrapping an arm around her. Maggie's eating habits had been a growing concern for a while now; she was nervous a _lot_ when her parents were gone, or when something was happening in her family, so she would hardly eat during those times. Natasha was determined to stomp out the bad habit, meaning she wouldn't let Maggie go without eating today, either. "You still need to eat, Лапушка."

Maggie didn't say anything in reply, didn't try to continue the banter or sass her mother (a favorite activity of Maggie's, it seemed, much to Natasha's chagrin). Natasha tried to hide her growing concern at the behavior, masking it by kissing Maggie's hairline.

"Hey, I finished heating up some leftover pizza," Steve announced a moment later, walking in the room with a tentative expression. He studied the gloomy atmosphere for a moment, before offering them, mostly Maggie, a small smile. She didn't reciprocate it. "Should we eat at the table, or out here…?"

"Callie's coming over," Natasha informed him instead of answering his question, briefly glancing up at him before returning her gaze to the side of Maggie's head.

"She is? Is she…" The question died on Steve's lips, as he thought better of asking about how Callie was doing. "When?"

"In about an hour or so," Natasha answered. She paused, observing the way Maggie's expression fell a little bit. Her mind was definitely replaying her memories of Marie, Natasha silently diagnosed, and the ways Maggie believed she should have intervened before things got to this breaking point. Natasha then turned her gaze back up to Steve's face. "You can just bring the pizza here, I'm too comfortable to get up."

The lightheartedness of the comment fell flat, as no one in the room really reacted to it. Steve just nodded silently, eyes flitting between Maggie and Natasha out of curiosity as to what mental revelations Natasha seemed to have just by looking at her. He then exited the room, going back to the kitchen to retrieve their lunch.

"You know, Maggie," Natasha spoke up casually, making eye contact with Maggie, "everything that's happened...none of it is your fault."

This was far from the first time Natasha had to have such a conversation with Maggie. Throughout all of the hardships their family had faced over the years, Maggie always seemed to believe her connection to the events was laced with fault and guilt. It was _her _fault the Red Room agents chased her and Natasha down. It was _her _fault every time the super soldier serum made her slip up and hurt someone or break something. It was _her _fault she and Pepper were in a car crash. It was _always _her fault, according to Maggie.

"Just because Marie swallowed the pills…" The initial route Maggie was taking verbally died on her lips as the truth behind her own words sunk in. She removed her head from Natasha's shoulder with a deep frown, casting her gaze at something on the side of the room opposite Natasha. "I should have spotted the signs, I should have seen this coming...I…"

"You _couldn't have_," Natasha interjected firmly. "The only person who could have known _everything _that was going on...well, that could only really be Marie herself."

Maggie shook her head, raising it from Natasha's shoulder with a displeased expression. Natasha kept her own face neutral, though she knew Maggie was upset by her words. "Mama, this isn't _Marie's _fault."

Natasha knew it wasn't, and she knew her words had come out wrong. She mentally kicked herself. "I know it's not, because-"

But Maggie's sudden anger only grew, as she didn't give Natasha a chance to amend her words. Natasha couldn't blame her. "Marie was _depressed_, her depression wasn't _her._"

"I know it wasn't, Maggie," Natasha said calmly, trying to placate the situation. She placed a hand on Maggie's arm in an attempt to calm her down. "I'm just saying-"

Maggie, however, shrugged the gesture off. "No, I don't want to talk about it anymore," she announced, turning away from Natasha and pulling her knees up to her chest. Natasha just blinked sadly, resisting the urge to lay a hand on Maggie's back or pull her into a hug; it would only make things worse. But, at the same time, Natasha knew Maggie was trying to shut her, and probably everyone else, out; it was a gesture Natasha knew well, from doing it herself quite often over the years, when the emotions became too overwhelming.

With a sigh, Natasha gave into Maggie's request, and kept to her side of the couch. "Okay." She knew they would have to resume their conversation sometime later, though, because the only thing worse than trying to confront and address their feelings was _not _confronting or addressing their feelings.

* * *

Right before Callie arrived at their house, Natasha and Steve vacated the living room, leaving it vacant for Maggie and her best friend to hang out in. Maggie was still angry from her brief conversation with Natasha earlier, so she knew she should give Maggie some space before trying to talk about Marie again.

When Callie arrived, she was a mess. Callie was usually quiet and softspoken, so she wasn't as obvious as most people when emotional, but Maggie could see through her silent demeanor all the same. They immediately embraced when Callie stepped into the house, keeping an arm around each other as they walked into the living room.

Despite her decision to give them privacy, Natasha found herself standing just outside of the living room, watching Callie and Maggie silently sit with each other. Maggie probably knew she was there, since she knew Natasha's 'spy tricks' so well, but she didn't do anything about it. When they finally started talking about what had happened, Natasha decided it was time to leave.

Before completely walking away to rejoin Steve in whatever he was doing (he'd said something about cleaning the house while Callie was over, which Natasha could only assume was his go-to method of releasing nervous energy and keeping his hands busy during this), Natasha stopped once more to just take in the sight of Maggie and Callie, their contrastingly colored heads huddled together on the couch. Natasha smiled briefly, remembering the times nine years ago when they had been much smaller and sitting in that same exact spot.

"_Okay, we're gonna play hide and seek!" _Maggie would suggest happily, swinging her tiny legs as she looked to Callie, and, sometimes, Marie, who had demanded she be included in the playdate. _"Who's gonna count?" _

"_Marie can count," _Callie would suggest immediately, eager to break away from her clingy younger sister. It always cracked Natasha up, until Marie started crying when she didn't get what she wanted.

"_No! I don't wanna count, Callie!" _Marie always protested, Callie's name passing her lips in two aggressive syllables. _"I wanna hide with Maggie!" _As expected, the pronunciation of Maggie's name was usually about the same as far as the syllables went.

"_Don't be a baby, Marie. I'm older, so I can tell you what to do, and I said you're gonna count. Plus, _I'm _Maggie's best friend, not you." _Callie was surprisingly bossy at times when it came to Marie, which would inevitably lead to the younger girl crying.

As it did in this memory. Marie's eyes welled up, she sniffled, and _boom. _Cue the tears, the sobbing, the nonsensical whimpers of protest, Callie hurriedly trying to shush her, and Maggie just standing off to the side awkwardly, unsure of how to handle the situation.

Then, of course, Natasha recalled with a nostalgic grin, she or Steve would intervene after overhearing the commotion from the other room. She remembered walking into the room, and crouching down beside the three girls with a concerned expression. _"What happened?" _

"_Callie made Marie cry!" _Maggie was always a bit of the goody-two-shoes-tattle-tale-type, aiming to please her parents. Callie would just glare at Maggie for her explanation, which Maggie would then try to amend. _"It was an accident." _

"_I don't wanna count for hide-and-seek!" _Marie would look to Natasha with a pleading look as fat tears rolled down her cheeks. Natasha always saw these moments as the opportunity to realize how far she'd come, how much her life had changed. Kids, who weren't actually her _own_, came to _her_, crying, with their problems, believing she could help them. The idea that such a thing would happen used to terrify Natasha, as she liked to keep a lengthy distance between herself and the tiny human population. But as Maggie brought more and more friends over, especially Callie and Marie, Natasha found herself able to handle kids _quite _well, if she did say so herself. _"I wanna hide with Maggie, but Callie won't let me!" _

"_Stop crying, Marie, you're acting like a baby," _Callie would scold, though the concern and remorse for her sister was always clear in her eyes. Natasha could tell she felt bad for upsetting the younger girl, but was also nervous about getting in trouble.

So Natasha would try to resolve the situation. _"Alright, how about this: I'll count with you, Marie, and we can work together to find Maggie and Callie." _She would come up with some sort of compromise to placate everyone, and soon realized she was not as surprised as she thought she should have been to find that little girls could be both easier and harder to please than two parties of adults negotiating terms diplomatically. _"I might forget some numbers, so I'll need you to help me." _

That would always do the trick - kids were always more than eager to help adults do things that they, the kids, had just learned to do. It made them feel empowered and equal to adults, and Natasha found it adorable. She hadn't been given any innocent chances like that in her childhood, so it was nice to give Maggie and her little friends opportunities.

"_Really?" _Marie would look disbelieving, but stop crying. Callie would then remember her job as an older sister, and give the younger girl an enthusiastic nod and encouragement. _"Uh-huh, Marie, it'll be like one of Mrs. Rogers' top-secret missions! You'll be like Hawkeye or Mr. Rogers, like, her partner!" _

"_Do you want to know a secret?" _Natasha would add, leaning close to Marie's ear for emphasis before whispering some top-secret truth about her teammates, even if it wasn't always necessarily true. _"You're a better partner for missions than Hawkeye or Captain America." _

By then, they had usually reached the giggling stage, so the tears were long forgotten in the past. Then they would play their games, any and all conflict beforehand also forgotten with the dried up tears.

Natasha refocused her attention on Maggie and Callie's hugging forms as her brief memory recall ended. With watery eyes and a small smile, she turned away, and walked back down the hall, leaving them alone. For a few seconds, she found herself able to feel not the grief, but the gratitude and joy, for being able to be a part of Marie's short life, and for Marie's short role in hers.

* * *

**A/N: **Dear reader, you have made it this far. You have won countless battles to get where you are today, sitting in front of your computer or phone or tablet, reading this. Thank you, not for reading my writing, but for being alive. Your life means a lot to me.

You may be in the thick of it all right now. There may be bad things happening all around you on all sides, people losing the fight every day. But, I beg of you, don't give up. You were put on this earth for a reason, your life is precious. Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem; it doesn't eliminate the chances of things getting worse, it eliminates the chances of things getting better.

We all know how it feels to love someone so much, that we know they could never know how much we love them. Think about that: _you _mean that much to someone else. Your life _matters. _I read a great post on tumblr today, its message: **when you kill yourself, you kill everyone around you, too. **

I encourage those of you who can to consider making a donation to the **American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). **Just insert that name into any search engine and it will be the first thing that pops up. If you know someone who is in danger of harming themselves or experiencing suicidal thoughts, you can also find resources to help them, or yourself, on the AFSP website. It's a really cool site and I suggest you guys check it out for more info.

As for my personal commentary on this chapter… For anyone who was unable to read this oneshot, Maggie's best friend's (Callie) younger sister (Marie), passed away after committing suicide. She was a freshman, 15 years old, and was taught that her worth was equivalent to her grades in school - a crushing feeling I'm sure many of you, including myself, have struggled with from time to time. It ultimately manifested into being unable to feel the love others gave her and then giving up on everything all together.

I realize a lot of this was out of left field - Callie's only been _really _present in, like, one chapter, and the connection between her and Maggie, Natasha, and Steve was nowhere _near _this intense and intimate. Nor was her sister mentioned at all. But that's part of what I wanted to tackle in this chapter: _you never know a person as well as until after they've died. _

I learned that far too many times last year, especially after one of my teachers committed suicide (the first chapter I posted after his death was 'Baby Steps,' in which I did not yet know he had died from a suicide, only that he had passed away...it's haunting to revisit that chapter and reread my innocent grieving author's note), and a freshman from a nearby school did the same three months later. I didn't really know the latter, but I knew the former fairly well, but, either way, I didn't feel as connected to or knowledgeable about them until they were gone.

Here, you didn't know Marie until she was gone. Hell, _I _didn't even know Marie until she was gone - this chapter is the first thing I've ever written with her existence in mind. We will see more of Marie in the future, her role in Maggie's childhood, in later one-shots, even though we know what happens to her; we can all get to know her better together. I was going to write more here, actually, like Natasha and Maggie having a late night chat about their feelings to resolve their tension, or the conversation between Callie and Maggie, but I decided to end it after Natasha's brief flashback, because it came to her not in sadness, but in a moment of hope for the future and gratitude for Marie's presence in their lives.

Every 13 minutes in the US, someone dies from suicide; every 40 seconds in the _world_, someone dies from suicide.* Suicide is always 100% preventable, as one of my close friends reminded me and many others quite often: hope is real, help is real, _reach out. _

That same friend is actually proof that _it gets better. _She had selected a date last November to commit suicide, but chose to instead spend that night with a group of us at a sleepover. Six months later, she was crowned prom queen at my junior prom. The first words she said to me after her crowning: _I almost missed out on so much. _

If you ever need to talk about something, _anything_, feel free to PM me. Or, if you want to stay anonymous, you can contact my tumblr inbox anonymously at any time. My URL is **madisnoo-8** and just put **(d0t)tumblr (d0t)com** **/ask** (replace the **(d0t)**s with **.** and remove the spaces!) after that and you'll be at my inbox. **If you or someone you know** **needs immediate help, the information for international suicide hotlines and online crisis chats are in my bio! DO NOT HESITATE TO UTILIZE THESE!**

There will be no icebreaker question for this chapter. Instead, I invite you all to feel free to leave a little remembrance or mention of someone you've lost whose death has affected you greatly, whether it be through suicide or another method, or someone you've known personally or just admired. (Or, if you don't feel comfortable doing that, you can just continue on with your day; treat yourself to something unhealthy after this! I'm probably going to go play video games and eat chocolate for the rest of _my _day.)

This chapter, while written for everyone suffering as mentioned way above, is mainly dedicated to my wacky theology teacher from freshman year. When you walked into the classroom on my first day of high school back August '12 with a lightsaber strapped to your belt, I knew we'd be in for a whole year of fun. I wasn't wrong. Thank you for always putting a smile on my face every day you walked by me in the hallway and warmly greeted me with an, "Hola, Madison!" Thank you for doing the same for many of my peers, both past and present. Thank you for keeping the students who struggled similarly to you alive, even though most of us didn't realize you were doing such a thing. As cliche and corny as it sounds, we will never forget you.

I'll wrap all of this up here. Normally I'd apologize for my rambling, but I think everything I've said here was important. Mental health is just as important as physical health, and I believe it is hardly addressed to a sufficient extent.

So, to recap: **REACH OUT FOR HELP IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW IS EXPERIENCING/SUFFERING FROM SUICIDAL THOUGHTS, MENTAL ILLNESS, ETC. YOUR LIFE MATTERS. YOU ARE IMPORTANT. RESOURCES CAN BE FOUND AT THE AFSP WEBSITE - JUST ADD .ORG TO AFSP AND YOU'LL GET THERE. OR IF YOU NEED IMMEDIATE HELP, CONTACT THE SUICIDE PREVENTION HOTLINES OR CRISIS CHAT, WHICH ARE IN MY BIO. DON'T GIVE UP; IT ALWAYS GETS BETTER. **

*Statistics taken from SAVE (Suicide Awareness Voices of Education), circa 2013.


	65. Wireless (Mis)Communication

**A/N: **Hey, guys. I just really wanted to thank all of you for your love and support last chapter. It felt so awesome being able to connect with you guys through all of that, and learn about your struggles. You guys are all my heroes, you really are.

I've been super drained since last chapter, so I haven't really written much for this fic...however, I _have _started another, more casual collection of Romanogers oneshots following a list of 100 one-word prompts I found earlier this summer. I update it randomly, but I'll try to aim for at least once a week when school starts. It's called **100 Steps to Falling in Love. **:) (And, yes, I also find the name both dorky and a little cliche, but it was all I could think of at the time...) The oneshots all take place between _The Avengers _and _Age of Ultron_, but, if you wanna play along at home like me, you can view them as a prequel to this fic. ;)

Anyway, I hope updating with a fun chapter will get my energy back up! I'm going to need it since school starts next Monday (though I have to be on campus this week for other stuff, ugh...). I wrote this oneshot a few weeks ago after ripping it from an episode of _Modern Family _(love that show). Most of this oneshot takes place at the Triskelion with Natasha talking to everyone else through video calls, so the other characters' lines are italicized to show that they're on her tablet screen, not with her in person. :) (Ironically, as I type this author's note out, I'm video chatting with **independentalto **while she updates her own fic...)

Thanks for everything, guys! I just realized we passed **300,000 WORDS LAST WEEK WOOOO! **And we've passed 250 favorites and 230 follows! YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING! I love each and every one of you!

* * *

Natasha sighed as she read through a S.H.I.E.L.D. file on her tablet, propping her head up with her elbow against her desk. Sometimes she missed the days when her work had been more fighting and less...'desking,' but ever since Maggie was born, she and Steve had tried to take less missions. Especially since she was the one carrying Maggie inside of her, Natasha was forced to sit out a _lot_, to the point where she had her own little office in the renewed, and much smaller, Triskelion.

And that's where she was now, doing paperwork on her tablet like it was her nine-to-five job. Today, it was, as she'd later be traveling up to New York with Pepper after she finished some work for Stark Industries that had required her presence to be in D.C. Natasha had been on a brief mission the day prior, and decided to wait to catch a ride back to the Tower with Pepper the following day, leaving her with no other choice than to help Maria out with some paperwork and other boring things.

A knock on the door pulled her out of her boredom, and following it came Phil, looking as casual as ever. Natasha looked up from her tablet, grateful for the distraction.

"Coulson," she greeted with a small smile, "what can I do for you?"

He didn't reply at first, gently closing the door behind him and stopping a few feet in front of her desk. Natasha could see he was concerned about something, and she hoped it wasn't anything serious or dangerous. Phil sighed. "Have you heard from Skye at all today?"

"Skye?" Natasha echoed in surprise, and slight worry. Why should she have heard from Skye? Did something _bad _happen? "She's been with Maggie and the others at the Tower, I thought."

It was true - practically all of Phil's team, save for Phil himself and May, were at Avengers Tower while Natasha had been gone. FitzSimmons and Bobbi were doing some science-y things with Bruce and Tony (as well as Bobbi spending time with Clint since they were, well, _dating_), and Skye and Maggie were probably hanging out and wreaking havoc together, most likely victimizing Hunter - it was their specialty.

"She was supposed to call earlier this morning for some Inhuman-related things that popped up yesterday. Following her call, she was supposed to come back here and go over some things with May and me," Phil explained. He pulled his phone out of his pocket. "I've been calling and texting her, but to no avail."

Natasha looked thoughtful for a moment. "Have you tried getting in touch with Maggie? She's probably with her."

Phil shook his head. "Maggie said she doesn't know where Skye is."

Now _that _was a bit concerning. Natasha sighed at the sight of her dead phone, plugged into the wall on the other side of the room - apparently, a good handful of rounds of online Scrabble with Pepper throughout her boring meetings with some 'egotistical, sexist freaks' all morning could drain the battery quickly. Natasha quickly remembered to add to her growing to-do list on her tablet to get a new cell phone; her current one was a bitch to turn back on after it died and was charged.

"I'll try calling her now," Natasha decided, tapping first on her tablet screen to get out of her to-do list (which included, aside from getting a new phone, things like: _make sure Maggie does her summer reading, get Steve a haircut, make fun of Clint's new haircut, sort through Maggie's clothes and donate everything that doesn't fit, _and more). After smiling briefly at her home screen picture of herself and Maggie, when she had been about seven years old, she opened up her contact list. She tapped Maggie's name, which then started a video call, and Phil joined her behind her desk so he would be included.

Surprisingly, it wasn't Maggie who picked up; it was Tony. _"Yo, what's up, Natashalie?" _

He was obviously distracted - his body was swaying back and forth, and Natasha caught sight of a video game controller in his hands. She rolled her eyes. "Are you playing that new _Super Smash Bros. _game you got my daughter hooked on?"

"_Uhh, maybe," _came his anxious reply, his eyes still focused on something outside of the frame (Natasha assumed it to be the TV). He scrunched his face up as he stopped moving, which probably meant his character was knocked out. _"Damn it! I swear, all these Japanese kids keep kicking my asses online; it's not fair." _

"Stop being racist and start paying attention," Natasha chided, and Tony finally made eye contact at her through the screen.

"_Oh, hi, Phil!" _He waved.

"Hello, Stark," Phil greeted warmly in reply. His phone then vibrated in his pocket, and he walked away from Natasha to answer whatever it was. Natasha turned her eyes back to Tony.

"Tony, focus." She brought his attention back to her. "First of all...why do you have Maggie's phone?"

He shrugged as he turned back to the TV, apparently playing the game again. _"I dunno, your daughter had so generously left it out here when I came and sat down." _

"Is she there? Can you get her?" Natasha inquired as her tablet beeped. Maggie's phone must have also made a sound, as Tony looked over with a thoughtful expression.

"_Huh, guess we've all switched devices this morning. Whoever has my tablet wants to join our little chat," _Tony said as he tapped the screen. As soon as he did, another face was added to their video call: Maggie's.

"_Hi, Mama!" _Maggie beamed as she bit into the sandwich she was holding.

Natasha sighed in relief. She was glad Maggie was old enough to take care of herself while Tony was clearly too distracted to watch her. "Oh, Maggie, where are you?"

Maggie paused mid-chew, her eyebrows furrowing as she frowned and leaned slightly to the side, revealing the back of Tony on the couch as he played his video game. _"At home." _

At that, Tony then turned around, looking just as confused as Maggie. _"Huh? Oh, there you are, squirt!" _He looked back at Maggie's phone, meeting Natasha's exasperated expression. _"I found her, Tasha!" _

"I can see that," Natasha said dryly, rolling her eyes, as Tony hung up. She turned her attention back to Maggie who was now finishing off her sandwich. _Someone's hungry_, Natasha silently observed, amused. "Anyway, Uncle Phil's in my office, and he wants to know where Skye is."

Maggie swallowed the last of her sandwich, and wiped the crumbs off her hands with a napkin and onto a plate. _"I actually don't really know. I haven't seen her at all since last night; she wasn't in her room this morning." _

Phil rejoined Natasha at that, holding his phone up. "That was May. She said she can't track her phone anywhere." He looked at Maggie, worried. "Do you know where she could have gone?"

The thirteen year old shook her head. _"When Daddy and I went to bed, she and Uncle Clint were gonna go spar in the gym. I wonder who won... Maybe Uncle Clint knows something!" _

"Thanks, Лапушка," Natasha said appreciatively. "I'll go call him now."

"'_Kay, I'm gonna go put my plate in the sink and bother Uncle Tony while he tries to win online matches," _Maggie said softly, so Tony wouldn't overhear. She grinned mischievously.

"That's my girl." Natasha smirked. "Love you."

"_Love you, too!" _Maggie waved. _"Bye!" _

As Maggie disconnected the line, Phil stood back up to full height. "I have a brief meeting with Fury I have to go to. I know you're trying to help Hill with her paperwork, but…"

"But I am more than happy to play phone tag with our maniacal family for you instead," Natasha finished for him, and Phil chuckled. "Come on, you know it's true."

"I know, I know," Phil sighed. "Thanks, Tasha. I'll be on my way now. Good luck."

With that, he left, and Natasha got back into game mode. Wearing a determined expression, she scrolled through her contacts and found Clint's name, and then called him. She usually didn't do video calls like she was now, except with Steve and Maggie when they were all far away from each other, but she wondered what kind of state she'd find Clint in when he picked up.

It took him a little longer than Tony, but Clint connected the call after a few rings. He appeared to have been working out, as there was sweat on his forehead and his cheeks looked a little pink, but Natasha caught a flash of long, blonde curls moving out of the frame in the background.

She groaned. "Please tell me you did not just pick up after having sex with Bobbi."

"_What?!" _Clint gaped at her, then shook his head. _"It's literally - what time is it? - it's two in the afternoon! Do you really expect me to do 'the nasty' in the middle of the day while your daughter is around?!" _

"_Hi, Natasha!" _Bobbi suddenly appeared on the side, her head resting on Clint's shoulder. _"Don't worry, we aren't traumatizing your daughter; I promise!" _

"Good, because I'd kill both of you if you were," Natasha vowed, and she knew that they knew she was being completely serious. She grinned as she pulled her to-do list back up on the side. "Nice new hair, by the way, Barton."

Clint grumbled, scratching his head full of uneven hair. Pepper had offered to help him fix it, but Clint was too proud to admit he wanted it fixed. Therefore, Natasha did not feel guilty about making fun of him for it. She deleted the item off of her to-do list.

Natasha then continued with what she was really there for. "I'm calling to ask where Skye is, and...wait, Bobbi, aren't you supposed to be doing some lab work with Bruce and FitzSimmons?"

"_I'm taking a break," _Bobbi replied, roughly patting Clint on the cheek. He leaned away from her touch with a displeased frown. _"I got this guy to spar with me. Guess who won!" _

"_Please don't guess who won," _Clint pleaded, and Natasha laughed.

"Oh, Barton, you're just as wimpy as ever." Natasha shook her head, amused. Clint sighed as both women laughed. "Don't worry, though; I'll still be your friend."

"_Gee, thanks, Tasha." _He rolled his eyes.

"Anyway, back to business: where's Skye?" Natasha asked once more.

"_Skye?" _Clint echoed, confusion evident on both his and Bobbi's faces. _"Why are you asking?" _

"Coulson needs her for some Inhuman stuff," Natasha explained. "Maggie said she last saw her with you last night, something about sparring."

Bobbi grinned at that. _"Guess who won _that _sparring match." _

Clint groaned, moving away from his girlfriend. _"Oh, quit it, I get it. I've just been having a rough couple of days, alright?" _Bobbi's laughter could still be heard in the background as Clint walked over to a bench and sat down. _"Let's see...yes, I sparred with Skye last night; after that, she decided she wanted some celebratory doughnuts or something, so she left." _

"She just _left?_" Natasha raised an eyebrow.

"_Yeah, something about some twenty-four-hour doughnut shop just down the street. After she left the gym, I went back up to the communal floor and took a shower, then went to bed." _He paused. _"And, no, I did not have sex with Bobbi while your daughter was a few doors down the hall." _

"Okay, first of all, ew, stop telling me about your sex life." Natasha visibly grimaced at his words. "Second of all, you haven't seen Skye since?"

"_No, I haven't," _Clint sighed. _"Have you tried tracking her phone?" _

"May did, and it was apparently a no-go," Natasha replied, then thought for a few moments. "Do you think we could track her laptop? She wouldn't leave the Tower and stay somewhere else without it."

Clint shrugged. _"It's worth a shot; I'd say go for it. Oh, and, hey, while you're at the Triskelion, can you get me some cookies from the cafeteria there?" _

Bobbi snorted from somewhere outside of the frame. _"Really, Clint?" _

"_Yes, really, Bobbi. I'm an Avenger, and I want some S.H.I.E.L.D. cookies, damn it!" _

"_You're a child." _

"_I think you missed the 'Avenger' part." _

"_Nope, still a child." _

"_And what does that say about _you?! _You and all your geeky obsessions, like _Star Wars!_" _

As an irate Bobbi appeared in the background, and Clint's expression morphed into one of fear, Natasha decided she'd had enough of those two for today. She quickly grinned and waved. "Okay, it looks like you're busy, bye now!"

She disconnected as Clint had started running, and leaned back in her chair with a sigh. Her family could just be _exhausting _sometimes, but she was still proud to call them her own.

After taking a few moments to go over what Clint had told her, Natasha decided to call FitzSimmons and see about tracking Skye's laptop. She tapped on their shared contact in her tablet, as she knew the two scientists shared _everything _\- a tablet was no exception.

When the call connected, she was greeted with a small explosion, the surprised face of Bruce Banner, and both Fitz and Simmons rambling excitedly about whatever it was they had just done. The camera then flipped back to Simmons, who was looking at the screen with an excited expression.

"_Agent Romanoff! Did you see that explosion?" _Simmons' smile grew, and, Natasha had to admit, her enthusiasm was a bit contagious. _"This is amazing!" _

"I did, Simmons," Natasha chuckled, not exactly sure what the explosion meant, but happy that it was a good thing. "Good job with whatever you're doing."

"_Thanks!" _Fitz appeared in the frame at that, his face holding the same gleeful expression as Simmons. _"We're only a few explosions away now from what we're looking for; one less error away!" _

Natasha smiled at their optimism. She'd always appreciated that about FitzSimmons - they saw failure as just another step closer to the solution, and Natasha knew that was part of the reason why Bruce and Tony enjoyed performing experiments with them for fun like this. "That's great, guys, but we have a bit of a situation."

"_A situation?" _Simmons echoed, looking concerned. Bruce appeared in the background, then, having finished cleaning up whatever it was that they had exploded. _"Is everything alright?" _

"Phil and May need Skye to come down to D.C., but they can't get in touch with her," Natasha explained. "I already talked to Clint and Maggie, and neither of them have seen her since last night. What about you guys?"

The three scientists shared a look. _"I just got here this morning," _Bruce said, which meant he hadn't seen her. _"I haven't seen her since I played _Smash Bros. _with her, Maggie, and Tony yesterday evening," _Fitz added.

Simmons sighed. _"I haven't seen her at all since we first came earlier yesterday. I'm sorry, Natasha." _

"It's okay, Jemma," Natasha assured her. "Clint suggested we track her laptop if all else fails, since her phone is apparently untraceable. Can you guys do it?"

"_Oh, yeah, we implanted a tracking device in her laptop years ago!" _Fitz assured her, walking away. Simmons followed, still holding the tablet with the camera just on her and Bruce, as Fitz led them over to a computer. _"I can track her with my own laptop, just give me a few moments." _

"Thanks, Fitz, you're a lifesaver," Natasha sighed, relieved. "If we can't find her by the time Coulson comes back, I think he and May are going to go rip the Tower apart just to find her."

"_That wouldn't surprise me," _Bruce chuckled. _"Those two are very protective of their...'children.'" _

"_Children?" _Simmons echoed, confused, and Natasha smirked. Everyone knew the Bus team agents were like the kids Phil and May had never had - well, that is, everyone except the Bus team themselves, apparently - aside from Natasha and Clint, of course.

"_Okay, let's see, I'm tracking it now…" _Fitz's voice interrupted them, and Simmons set the tablet down on the lab bench in a way so the camera showed all three of them once more. Fitz was hunched over, squinting his eyes at the laptop screen. _"It appears that she's in...Las Vegas?" _

"_What? No, Fitz, let me see, that can't be right!" _Simmons gently pushed him aside, getting a closer look at the laptop screen. Bruce frowned, looking over Simmons' shoulder.

"Las Vegas? Why would Skye go to Vegas?" Natasha raised an eyebrow. _What's going on here?_

"_Open up a map, show where it is with the, uh…" _Fitz stumbled for a few seconds, gesturing vaguely with his hands, but Simmons nodded in understanding. She hit a few keys, her own frown deepening at what she saw.

"_I pulled up a satellite image of where we've tracked her laptop to, and it's a street...there's a casino...a hotel...and…" _Simmons suddenly stopped with a small gasp.

"What? What is it?" Natasha leaned closer into her tablet screen.

"_A wedding chapel?" _Bruce observed, dumbfounded. Fitz and Simmons shared a look of confusion and worry, and Natasha blinked.

"You traced Skye's laptop to...a _wedding chapel?_" Natasha recounted in disbelief. "You've got to be kidding."

"_No, no, it's definitely here, Agent Romanoff…" _Fitz shook his head. _"I can't believe this...Skye's getting married!" _

"_That would explain why she asked Tony if she could borrow one of his nice dress suits when we first got here!" _Simmons smacked her forehead. _"Oh, Fitz, why didn't we figure this out sooner?!" _

"She borrowed _what?!_" Natasha echoed, eyes wide. "Who the hell would she get married to?"

"_I think we're jumping to conclusions," _Bruce interjected calmly, but Simmons looked to Fitz with a worried expression.

"_Fitz...have you seen Hunter since last night?" _she asked, placing a hand on his arm.

Fitz blinked once, then met Simmons' worried look with one of his own. _"No, Jemma...no, I haven't…" _

"Oh my God," Natasha exhaled. This couldn't be true...could it? "You think Skye and Hunter..._eloped?!_"

"_I didn't even know they were dating!" _Simmons cried.

"_That would explain why she borrowed a suit," _Fitz sighed.

Bruce had apparently grabbed his own tablet at some point, as he was tapping at the screen, and then cursed under his breath. _"JARVIS is down for maintenance right now, so I can't ask him." _

"Coulson is going to kill all of us," Natasha muttered, running a hand through her hair.

"_Oh, poor Coulson! Skye always said she wanted him to give her away at her wedding, should she ever have one," _Simmons grieved, looking genuinely upset. _"And I was supposed to be her maid of honor!" _

Natasha frowned, feeling guilty. She knew Phil had probably wanted to do the same for her - but then she and _Steve _ended up eloping after a mission that had gone horribly wrong. They had both come out of it okay, but it was close, and a reminder of the daily struggle for survival their shared lifestyle brought them. "Damn it, Skye..." she muttered.

"_It's not your fault, Agent Romanoff," _Simmons insisted sympathetically. _"Things were different for you. There was no stressful mission or life-or-death situation recently that would drive Skye and Hunter to just elope...as far as I knew, they didn't even like each other that way!" _

This was just getting depressing. Natasha made a sad sound. "I need to go call Maggie and tell her to never do what we did. I'll also see about getting Tony to bring JARVIS back online to get us answers. We're going to get to the bottom of this, guys!"

The three scientists nodded. _"Should I buy plane tickets to Las Vegas?" _Fitz was asking as Natasha hung up.

She then called Tony's tablet once more, assuming both Maggie and Tony were in the same places she had left them. As expected, they were, and Maggie picked up immediately.

"_Mama! Did you find Skye yet?" _Maggie asked, and Natasha sighed.

"No, I haven't, and we need to have a talk about some things soon…" Natasha briefly pulled her to-do list back up on the screen beside the video call, and added, _DON'T LET MAGGIE GET MARRIED WITHOUT STEVE WALKING HER DOWN THE AISLE, _to it. "I need to speak with Uncle Tony."

Maggie leaned slightly to the side, just like she had before, revealing Tony still sitting on the couch playing video games. She turned back to him from where she was sitting. _"Uncle Tony! Mama needs to talk to you!" _she called.

"_Tell her I'm in the shower!" _he called back blindly, and Natasha just sighed.

"_She can see you!" _Maggie informed him, the corners of her mouth twitching upward in amusement.

"_She-what? She can...oh, _oh!_" _Tony visibly scrambled to turn off _Super Smash Bros. _and then looked back to where Maggie was sitting with an innocent expression. _"'Sup, Natalie?" _

"Don't ''sup, Natalie?' me, Tony; this is damn important," Natasha practically _growled. _"I need you to get JARVIS back online so we can find out where the hell Skye's gone!" She paused. "Maggie, don't swear like I do."

"_Okay," _Maggie said while Tony made his way over.

"_Why do I need to get JARVIS back online?" _Tony questioned, stopping beside Maggie. _"I swear, there's just never a good time for him to get some maintenance done." _

"We just tracked Skye's laptop to a wedding chapel in Vegas. We need to figure out when she left," Natasha explained, concern evident in her voice. "FitzSimmons told me she borrowed a suit from you, and no one's seen Hunter around lately, either...we think they're eloping."

Tony gaped at her and rushed out of the frame, probably to grab his laptop. Maggie just looked confused. _"Mama, what does it mean to elope? Is Skye okay?" _

"Oh, sweetheart, Skye's fine; it just means she decided to suddenly get married without telling anyone else," Natasha quickly assured her daughter. "While we're on that topic, I just thought I'd say you are _never _allowed to elope."

"_I don't think I ever will, but...okay," _Maggie shrugged, then froze. _"Wait...she's marrying _Hunter?!_" _

"That's what we think," Natasha sighed. "I'm honestly not sure...by the way, where's Daddy?"

"_Oh, he and Uncle Bucky and Uncle Thor went somewhere earlier this morning. I don't really know." _

Natasha added to her to-do list: _establish a rule that no one is allowed to leave the Tower without explaining where they are going and what they are doing from now on. _

"_It's gonna take some time to get JARVIS back online, but I'll let you know when I do," _Tony said as he walked back over, laptop in hand.

"_I still can't believe Skye wants to marry _Hunter _of all people! She doesn't even like him that way!" _Maggie stuck her tongue out at the idea.

"Do you know of anyone else Skye may want to marry?" Natasha inquired, not just because she thought Maggie may know about Skye's love life more than anyone else, but because she was genuinely curious.

"_I dunno. Skye told me to stay away from boys," _Maggie answered.

Tony nodded solemnly, momentarily looking over at Maggie from his laptop. He laid a hand on her arm. _"She speaks the truth, kid; I don't want you near any male specimen, ever." _

"_That's what Skye said! Which is why it's weird she'd wanna get married so randomly." _Maggie scrunched her face up in confusion.

"Remember, Maggie, you're never allowed to elope," Natasha reminded her seriously. "Then Daddy won't get to walk you down the aisle."

A short laugh erupted from the billionaire's mouth as he typed away on his laptop. _"That's great, coming from you of all people." _

"Stark…" Natasha snarled, while Maggie curiously looked between her uncle and mother.

"_What?" _the thirteen year old questioned, but Tony just shook his head, dismissing it.

"_It's nothing, squirt, really. Now, then, let's leave your mom to go call your Uncle Phil and tell her what she found...as well as maybe _apologizing _for some past decisions," _Tony added cheekily, smirking at Natasha through the camera.

"Count your blessings now, Tony; once I'm home, you're dead," Natasha hissed, while Maggie looked even more confused. The spy then hung up on them.

Tony had a point, though. Natasha _was _feeling a little guilty about running off to marry Steve after a mission in the middle of nowhere, only telling Phil about it afterward. Clint and Pepper had been the only witnesses present, since Clint had been on a mission relatively nearby and Pepper was traveling around for some Stark Industries things at the time. Phil was off somewhere else in the world with the Bus team, and Natasha hadn't had much contact with him during that time.

So, she found herself calling Phil, hoping that he was out of his meeting now. He picked up pretty quickly, and May was standing beside him.

_Oh, great. I get to apologize to both parents at the same time,_ Natasha dryly thought to herself.

"_Tasha, have you found Skye yet?" _May spoke first, concern in her voice. Natasha sighed remorsefully.

"No, but I got FitzSimmons to track her laptop; they apparently located it in Las Vegas," Natasha explained, pausing before including the troubling detail, "...near a wedding chapel."

"_What?!_" both senior agents exclaimed, confusion and shock evident in their faces.

Natasha frowned. "Yeah, and Hunter's been gone for at least as long as Skye has, and they apparently borrowed a suit and tie from Tony...this isn't looking very good, guys."

They were both quiet for a moment. Then, Phil spoke. _"You're saying...they eloped?" _

"That's what we think," Natasha answered sadly.

Phil and May glanced at each other, having a silent conversation for a few seconds. Natasha wondered if what she was feeling watching them right now was how Maggie felt whenever Steve and Natasha had their own silent conversation through looks. _Probably. _

"Also, guys, I'm really sorry...I jumped into marrying Steve without telling either of you until afterward," Natasha said softly, looking apologetic. "I know I can never replace the lost opportunity for you both to be a part of a wedding for me, and now Skye's gone and messed up her own chance…"

"_It's okay, Tasha, we're not mad," _Phil immediately assured her. _"It was kind of hard at first, but we couldn't stay mad for long; after all, it wasn't too long after that we had something to cheer us up." _

Natasha smiled. He was talking about her pregnancy with Maggie, which had been only a few months later. May nodded her agreement with Phil's words.

"_All that matters is that you're happy, and Steve's happy. Your marriage is still strong, and now you've shared Maggie with us, and that's more than enough," _May added.

"Aw, thanks, guys," Natasha said happily, taking a moment to appreciate the two people who had welcomed her with open arms after Clint had taken her in years and years ago. While the rest of S.H.I.E.L.D. had been contempt and distrusting, Phil and May rose up at the task of mentoring her and Clint, the two young lost souls of S.H.I.E.L.D. It was only natural they then became like parent figures for the two future Avengers. "You're the best parental figures I could have ever had."

"_Normally, I'd say you're the best daughter figure, but now you have some competition for that spot," _Phil chuckled, and Natasha knew he was thinking of Skye and the others. _"The same goes for Barton, though 'having' you two first is pretty special." _

"_Barton was a handful," _May corrected, and both Phil and Natasha laughed.

Before Natasha could reply, she got another call on her tablet. "Oh, hang on, guys; FitzSimmons is calling. Maybe they have more info on Skye."

Natasha tapped a few buttons on her screen, adding the two scientists to her video call with May and Phil. Quickly, Simmons' face joined theirs, and she looked upset.

"_Agent Romanoff, we found another...oh, hello, May and Coulson! I swear, neither Fitz nor I knew about Skye's plans to run off...nor did we know she and Hunter were into each other!" _Simmons looked baffled once more by that fact, and Fitz raised his hands up innocently in the background, echoing her plea of ignorance.

"_That's okay, Simmons, we know," _Phil assured the British scientist. _"May and I are confused as well." _

"_What did you find?" _May inquired.

"_Well, Fitz did some digging, and one thing led to another, and we're on Natasha's Amazon Prime account right now?" _Simmons explained in a questioning tone, as if she herself were confused.

"You're on my..._why?_" Natasha raised an eyebrow. "I swear, I'm not conspiring with the wayward hacker."

"_No, it's not that...Skye hacked into your Amazon Prime account recently, and purchased something," _Fitz explained. _"It looks like some sort of book…" _

Before he could elaborate, Natasha got another call. "It looks like Maggie and Tony are calling me back; they probably got JARVIS back online."

She swiftly added them to the video call, and was met with Maggie's frantic expression. Natasha frowned. "Uh, Maggie? Is everything alri-"

"_Mama! Are you _pregnant?!_" _

Everyone froze at Maggie's words, silently waiting for Natasha to answer. She gaped at Maggie for a moment, completely taken off guard by the unprecedented inquiry.

Tony pushed his head into the frame. _"Please tell me you aren't; I saw you drinking vodka just last week!" _

"I'm not," Natasha confirmed, trying to ignore the slightly crestfallen expressions of May and Phil. _They really want another Maggie in the world?! I'm not sure we could all survive that…_ "Why are you asking…?"

"_We just got this book in the mail for you," _Maggie explained, holding up a book. Tony could be heard laughing in the background. Natasha narrowed her eyes, reading the cover, and pulling back in surprise when she was done.

"_What to Expect When You're Expecting?!_" she practically howled. "_Why _is that in the mail under _my_ name?!"

"_That's what we were trying to tell you, Natasha," _Simmons interjected gently, tilting the camera so that it just focused on herself as opposed to both her and Fitz. _"While Skye was in your Amazon Prime account, she purchased that book and had it express shipped to the Tower. But, apparently, it was delayed, as it was supposed to arrive yesterday." _

"_Why would Skye order…?" _Phil's voice trailed off as realization struck everyone.

Suddenly, Tony reappeared in his and Maggie's frame, as he quickly covered Maggie's ears. _"Skye and Hunter were _fucking _each other?!" _

"_LANGUAGE!" _everyone chastised as once, as Maggie could, without a doubt, hear what Tony was saying. Especially given the way she made a disgusted expression at Tony's words.

"_Sorry, sorry! I just can't believe Hunter would get Skye knocked up like this." _Tony shook his head, pulling his hands back from Maggie's ears.

"_That would, unfortunately, explain the sudden desire to marry…" _Simmons sighed.

"_I still think we're jumping to conclusions just a bit," _Bruce said softly, appearing beside Simmons. _"We still haven't talked to either of them yet. It's a bit early to assume things, don't you think?" _

Maggie made a disappointed noise. _"I'm not ready for Skye to have a baby! Skye said _I _was her baby!" _

"You're a lot of people's baby, Лапушка," Natasha reminded with a small smile. That much was true - as the sole child in all of this, Maggie had become an adoptive daughter of practically _everyone_, though Natasha saw Skye and Maggie's relationship as more sisterly than motherly, honestly.

"_Look, guys, whatever it is that happened, we have to support Skye and Hunter," _Phil spoke up like their leader (which he kind of was). _"They can't undo anything, and if what we think is happening is what's happening, then...all we can do is support them and help them with this." _

Bruce nodded. _"We did it for Natasha and Steve; it's only fair we do it for Skye and Hunter." _

The rest of the Avengers had been really sweet when they found out about Maggie's existence, Natasha remembered. Even though she had tried to keep it a secret, rumors has been spreading through the much smaller S.H.I.E.L.D. and eventually reached their ears. Once they knew Natasha's pregnancy was real, though, the heroes had been nothing but loving and excited for the baby. Skye deserved the same, Natasha believed, so she nodded her agreement.

"_We'll make this work," _May added, looking determined. _"Everything will work out in the...oh, she's calling us now!" _

"_Finally," _Phil sighed, relieved, as Skye was apparently calling his phone. He added her to the video call, and soon they all saw her yawning, her hair a mess and the room dark.

"_Hey, guys," _she greeted. Her eyes widened as she noticed everyone else in the video call. _"Oh, hey, _all _of you guys. What's going on?" _

"_What's going on?!" _Phil echoed in disbelief. _"Skye, we've been trying to get a hold of you all day! Where have you been?!" _

"_Uh...sleeping…" _Skye answered.

Everyone grimaced, assuming that meant sleeping _with someone_. Natasha looked at where Maggie and Tony were in the call. "Tony…"

"_I've got you covered, Natalie," _he assured her, covering Maggie's eyes. She protested, trying to swat his hands away, but he held on tight.

"_That's...an uncomfortable answer," _Simmons commented, and Skye looked confused.

"_You guys are scaring me. What's wrong?" _

"_Skye, where are you right now?" _May asked.

"_Um...the Tower?" _

At that, Skye appeared in the background of Tony and Maggie's camera, holding her own tablet out in front of her. She had walked out of the hall and into the main room a few feet behind where Tony and Maggie were standing. Tony uncovered Maggie's eyes and they both turned around at the sight of her, shocked.

"You...you've been _there _this _entire time?!_" Natasha exclaimed, resisting the urge to bang her head against the desk. This _couldn't _be happening.

"_Skye!" _Maggie and Tony both chorused, and she turned to them in surprise.

"_Wait, what? I slept in a different room than usual... Are you...what?!" _Skye stumbled, fumbling to disconnect her own tablet from the call and quickly joining Maggie and Tony at Tony's tablet. _"Please tell me you didn't eat the donuts I brought back last night." _

_"Oh, those were yours?" _Tony cleared his throat awkwardly while Maggie remorsefully averted her gaze.

Skye frowned. _"What the hell, guys?!" _

"_We could be asking you the same thing!" _Fitz shouted. _"Skye, why is your laptop in Las Vegas?!" _

"_My...laptop…?" _Skye blinked a few times, clearly still waking up. _"Oh! I lent it to Hunter before he left yesterday." _

"_Wait, so you _aren't _marrying Hunter? Or...what was the word? Something like cantaloupe?" _Maggie asked.

"_Elope," _May supplied, a hint of amusement in her voice.

"_Me and Hunter...eloping…" _Skye burst out laughing at the thought, leaving everyone just staring at her and waiting for an explanation. _"Oh, God, guys, that is just rich! I'm gonna have to tell him you thought that, oh…" _

"_Well, why is Hunter going to Las Vegas?!" _Phil asked, dumbfounded.

"_One of his friends is getting married there. He needed a suit, though, so I just stole one for him from Tony," _Skye shrugged in explanation.

"_Why couldn't I track your phone earlier?" _May asked.

Skye awkwardly scratched the back of her neck. _"I lost to Lincoln in_ another_ online Scrabble match yesterday, and may or may not have ended up quaking my phone out of anger…" _

Phil sighed. _"Skye, that's the third phone this month!" _

"_Hey, don't blame me!" _Skye protested, pointing a finger at the screen. _"Blame Romanoff for getting me into this whole online Scrabble thing in the first place!" _

"It's true, I killed my phone battery earlier playing against Pepper," Natasha admitted shamefully.

"_I should ground both of you," _May quipped sarcastically, causing Natasha to snicker.

"_Wait, so we figured out the laptop, the suit, and the phone…" _Simmons listed off. _"What about the book?" _

"_Skye, are you gonna have a baby?!" _Maggie couldn't help but ask straightforwardly.

Tony held up the book they had received via package earlier. _"Yeah, kid, who knocked you up?" _

"_Who knocked me...oh!" _Skye's face lit up with realization. _"That wasn't for me; that was for a friend. She's an Inhuman I tracked down last year, and she lives near here, in the city. Apparently, she just found out she's pregnant, so I thought I'd get her a gift to help her get used to the idea." _

Wow. Talk about feeling _stupid. _Natasha couldn't believe she had let herself get so worked up over their whole 'theory' as to what Skye was up to. Judging by the looks on everyone else's faces, the others were in the same boat as her.

"_Why did you hack into Natasha's Amazon Prime account to buy it, then?" _Simmons questioned, and Skye looked sheepish once more.

"_I, uh...didn't have any money in my own account, because I spent it all on random things on Amazon Prime Day…" _Skye admitted with a nervous laugh.

"_Skye, you need to learn self-control," _May sighed.

"_Well, _I'm sorry_ that everything had free shipping, May! You'll all be jealous when you see some of the cool things I bought." _Skye crossed her arms over her chest with a huff. _"Besides, Natasha's account didn't require much hacking. Do you seriously use Maggie's name and birthday as a password for everything?" _

Busted. Natasha thought for a few moments, trying to think of an escape route, before deciding on the good old fashioned 'feign a bad connection' plan. She made some odd facial expressions and changed her face slightly every few seconds, along with sounds that she hoped sounded like fragments of words, as if her connection had suddenly just gotten horrible and was making her cut in and out.

Unfortunately, her 'lagging due to bad connection' cover didn't seem to work, as Maggie always had a sharp eye for her mother's antics. _"Mama, I know your connection is fine, 'cause I just saw some birds fly by outside your window." _

Everyone laughed a bit at Maggie's words, and Natasha glared into her camera. Maggie looked unfazed, though, so Natasha just came up with a new excuse. "Oh, look, Pepper's calling me, so I gotta go, bye."

She swiftly hung up, disconnecting from the group video call completely.

* * *

When Natasha finally strode into the Tower later that day, and was greeted by the smirking faces of her 'family,' she immediately walked over to Maggie and covered the teen's ears. "Fuck _all _of you; wipe those grins off of your faces."

"Language," Tony chastised in a mocking tone, but stopped as Pepper smacked his head.

"Wait, wait, I'm still getting the full story on this," Clint said between fits of laughter. "You guys thought Skye _ran away to Vegas_ with _Lance Hunter_ because she was _pregnant _with his baby? Oh, man, why wasn't _I _in that video call?!"

"We were seriously _worried_, Agent Barton! This is no laughing matter," Simmons chided, looking at the archer sternly. "We could have lost Skye _forever!_"

Maggie cast her eyes upward to look at Natasha, who uncovered her ears. "I still heard you use bad words."

"As long as you don't repeat them, it's okay," Natasha decided, sitting beside Maggie on the couch and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "I'm just glad this is all _over._"

"I'm _not! _That was some of the funniest shit ever," Tony barked out a laugh, barely managing to duck his head out of the way when Pepper's hand sought out his head once more.

"Come on, Pep, you have to admit, this was kind of funny," Clint laughed. "Since you weren't involved it at all like me, it's funny."

"Funny, but I imagine it was quite _stressful_ for everyone else," Pepper reminded, and Clint backed down at her words.

"Too bad Skye's already gone to meet May and Coulson," Bobbi sighed, shaking her head. "I'm sure she had a lot to say about the matter."

"She gave us an earful earlier," Fitz said, grimacing at the memory. "I think my ears are _still _ringing."

"I told you all you were jumping to conclusions," Bruce reminded with a grin. Everyone rolled their eyes at his words.

"But Skye can't stay mad at me; I'm her _favorite_," Maggie declared proudly, ignoring everyone's groaning.

"Speaking of the munchkin, Natashalie, you have some 'splaining to do," Tony practically _cackled_, which led to an irritated Pepper then pulling him out of the room by his arm.

"That's enough out of you for today, Mister; _this _is why you weren't invited when they got married." Pepper's scolding could be heard from down the hall, causing everyone to chuckle. Soon enough, the others gradually filtered out of the room, leaving Maggie and Natasha alone.

Maggie looked up at Natasha curiously. "You and Daddy _eloped?_"

Natasha blew out a breath before meeting Maggie's questioning eyes. "Yeah, we did, after we had a bad mission...we thought it was going to be the end of the world, so we rushed into getting married. Uncle Clint and Aunt Pepper came to watch, and it all turned out alright in the end, obviously." She gestured to their environment, the Avengers' Tower, as proof of the fact that things weren't ruined by their impulsive decision.

The thirteen year old pouted a bit. "That sounds like it was fun! I wish _I _was there."

_You followed not too long after_, Natasha silently mused. "Even though things worked out for Daddy and me, I would prefer that you do not copy us."

"I'll need a significant other to elope with first," Maggie reminded teasingly, leaning into Natasha's side. "But I don't think Uncle Tony or Skye are gonna let me find a significant other."

The spy laughed a little, pressing a kiss to Maggie's head. "We'll see, Лапушка...we'll see."

* * *

**A/N:** The eloping idea for Steve and Nat was actually one **independentalto **and I discussed a few months ago; the rest of the ideas for this chapter's plot all came from _Modern Family_! Seriously, that show is just _awesome. _**  
**

Icebreaker question time! **What's your favorite color? And least favorite color? **Hmm, for me, it's definitely blue, as it always has been for as long as I can remember. Though green and purple have definitely grown on me over the years (probably since their so similar to blue...). As for my least favorite, I've never really been a fan of yellow or orange (the latter being the color my sister hates with a burning passion, like, really, she could rant your ear off about it for _days_...). Let me know your guys' answers in the reviews! :)


	66. Mother Knows Best

**A/N: **So...senior year...that's a thing now, I guess. My first day was pretty fun, though hectic and with a few not-so-fun moments (tfw awkward friend tension and a malfunctioning iPad). All in all, though, I'm fairly excited! Not to mention my best friend (who's influenced this fic and suggested prompts that I've done a few times now!) and I are in the same APUSH class, and my teacher is worried and threatened to separate us a few times. Whooooops. XD

Anyway, after eating 5 lollipops, 1 brownie, and 1 bag of kettlecorn, I can say I've finally answered another prompt! Two, actually; these ones go together thematically, so I decided to combine them. :) Hope you guys enjoy!

Thanks for all the faves, follows, and reviews! I know that even when things get rough throughout this year - which, I know, they inevitably will - I'll still have you guys! Love ya! :D

* * *

**ElizabethCullen08: Maggie is injured on a mission and Steve is grateful to have a daughter!**

**Fayth Grimmly: 19-20 year old Maggie is injured on a mission and hides it from her family, but Bruce knows and keeps it secret!**

* * *

Maggie knew she was a goner. Her days were numbered. There was no way she would make it out of this alive.

Her parents were going to ground her _so badly. _

It had been an accident - "An inevitable part of taking this job!" Bobbi had tried to assure both her and Skye, Maggie's frantic supervising officer, who knew the Avengers would probably _kill her _for not protecting Maggie well enough (though Maggie had a feeling the irrationality of her family would _probably _be directed more toward herself over Skye, in the form of worry masked as, well, _end-of-the-world_-level worry). Skye had nearly passed out at the sight of the wound on the lower left side of Maggie's abdomen, from an unfortunate encounter with a H.Y.D.R.A. agent armed with a knife (whom Maggie _still _managed to take out, _hell yeah_). It wasn't too deep of a cut, thankfully, but it still hurt like hell.

"Knives weren't exactly designed to be painless when utilized for fighting, Maggie," Simmons said when Maggie voiced her feelings. "Not to mention this was from H.Y.D.R.A., so who knows what kinds of modifications could have been made to it? It could have been lined with some toxic chemical!"

Skye looked ready to keel over again. Maggie watched Bobbi smartly position herself a little bit behind Skye, probably ready to catch her if she actually _did _pass out. Normally, Maggie would laugh at the interaction, but she looked once more to Simmons (who Maggie now realized was joking, based on the smugness in her eyes..._really, Jemma?_). "Please tell me it wasn't some deadly, poisonous blade, or something, because then I think I'm going to be grounded for the rest of my _life._"

"I won't even _have _a life after this if it was toxic," Skye added, and Simmons sighed.

"Relax, you two - there were no signs of any kind of dangerous chemicals or toxins in your wound. You'll be back to running around and causing mayhem with your supervising officer soon enough." Simmons gestured to Skye. "But, until then, you need to rest."

"Good thing Maria's giving us a bit of a break after this mission," Bobbi said, relieved. "You'll have a few days to rest up at the tower before we get thrown out into the field again."

Skye cleared her throat, looking more confident than she had ever since they had gotten back to the Bus and Maggie was injured. "Even then, I, as your supervising officer, officially declare that you will not be out in the field with us on our next mission...or two. Or three. Or, maybe, four-"

"Skye!" Maggie interjected with a groan, though amusement was evident in her face. "Super soldier over here, remember? I'll be fine."

"That's no reason to be reckless, Maggie," Simmons scolded her gently, looking serious once more. "While your father may heal unbelievably quickly, your mother does not, and you are half of her as well. You can't expect this to be all healed tomorrow."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Maggie sighed, pushing herself off of the examination table Skye had immediately threatened her onto upon stepping foot onto the Bus. She could only imagine how freaked out everyone else would be when she came home, since this was her first 'mission injury' _ever_. Her academy days, while brief because of her already immense knowledge of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the people working for it (despite Maggie's protests in requesting she be treated the same as all of the other recruits), hadn't ended too long ago. She was running with the big dogs now, and playtime was long over. This was real - she couldn't be sure she'd come home unscathed every time she went out, or if she would come home at _all_ every time she went out. "I'll take it easy, Jemma; I promise. Thanks for patching me up."

"You know it's my job," Simmons brushed her gratitude off, placing a comforting hand on her arm. "Now, then, you go relax while I clean up."

"Come on, kid, let's go play some board game or something I can kick your butt at," Skye decided, throwing an arm around Maggie's shoulders as she slowly (carefully) led her out of the lab. "Maybe Fitz and Hunter will already be upstairs, doing some weird European bromance shit."

Maggie just rolled her eyes at Skye's idea of passing time, while Bobbi helped Simmons put all of her supplies away.

* * *

The mission had honestly left Maggie pretty exhausted. She and Skye barely lasted five turns in their sudden game of _Monopoly _with Fitz and Hunter, who bickered constantly over the rules and who-owned-what and who should be banker and whatnot. Next thing Maggie knew, she was snuggled up next to Skye on the couch with a warm blanket covering them both and falling asleep.

Which turned out to be a poor idea, because sleeping while sitting up and leaning her head in the direction that stretched the muscles on the left side of her body was apparently no good for the newly stitched wound (though Simmons had tried to be as gentle as possible, it still hurt, _a lot_). Simmons' handiwork fortunately remained intact, but Maggie woke up feeling uncomfortable and personally offended by the way her exhausted body was betraying her, through the pain coming from her left side.

"Kid, maybe you should have let Simmons give you some pain meds," Skye advised with a frown as Maggie groaned and leaned away from her. "And you should probably, gee, I don't know, _actually lie down._"

Maggie kept leaning until she fell against the cushiony couch on her injured side, her face landing on a perfectly positioned pillow. It muffled her response, which Skye detected was some variant of _fuck off_. Instead of scolding her for being 'disrespectful' to her supervising officer ("Maggie, I think you're forgetting that _I'm _the one in charge of _you_ \- I'll make you do my share of the chores around the Bus for that kind of language!" Skye would normally threaten, but her voice was hardly ever serious; Maggie would then just laugh and move onto messing with someone else.), Skye just pat her uninjured side sympathetically while Maggie groaned in pain once more.

She turned her face away from the pillow, and noticed Fitz and Hunter had vanished. _Less people to nag me about taking 'proper care' of my wounds._ "There, I'm lying down - happy?" she muttered, but Skye could still hear her.

"Oh, quite," Skye quipped sarcastically, then shook her head and stood up. "Come on, the couch is no good for you - you need to lie down in a bed."

Thus became an interesting struggle between Inhuman and super soldier, as Skye couldn't just pull Maggie off of the couch and let her fall to the floor like she usually did (Maggie could be very stubborn to wake up at times, though she was much better about it when something really serious was going on). So, Skye was trying to find a place she could safely and as painlessly as possible lift Maggie from, while Maggie tried to curl more in herself. Skye tried to put her arms under Maggie's upper back and behind her knees to carry her bridal style, but Maggie just hissed in pain.

"Stop, stop, that tickles, it hurts to laugh," she protested breathlessly, fighting the smile that was forming on her face from her ticklish instincts. Skye wasn't sure whether to laugh at Maggie's discomfort, or feel bad for her because of her pain triggered by laughter.

"Then, get up already!" Skye huffed, crossing her arms over her chest as she tried to muster up enough aggression to glare authoritatively at Maggie. It was a bit difficult.

Maggie was tempted to drag her suffering out a bit more, but then opened her eyes with realization. Yeah, she was being completely honest when she'd say that it hurt to move and push herself up from her current position, but that would only make everyone worry more. She didn't want everyone fretting over her like she was about to die, and Skye would only be more concerned with her if she insisted she couldn't do as she was telling her to do now.

If Maggie could manage to conceal the pain until she got back to the tower, then maybe, _just maybe_, she could get away with not having to tell her parents or anyone else about her injury.

It would save everyone a lot of time and energy, she argued to herself. The Avengers had their own problems to deal with, especially ever since Maggie had left home and become independent - they'd had the time and freedom, then, to do more things and throw themselves back into the superhero thing _completely_, despite the fact that half of the original Avengers weren't exactly capable of everything they had been able to do before Maggie was born twenty-one years ago. Thanks to their serums, Natasha and Steve were pretty much the same (though Steve informed Maggie one day recently, Natasha had been slowing down a _little _bit, but she would, of course, never admit it). Thor was, well, from _Asgard_, where it seemed they took the saying, 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger,' _literally, _as Asgardians only grew stronger with age (that's what Thor had told Maggie, anyway, but he seemed to be the living example of that anecdote of Asgard). Plus, Thor had lived for _centuries _\- twenty-one years wasn't much for him.

Clint, Tony, and Bruce, meanwhile, were definitely slower these days. Bruce was a little bit better off thanks to the Other Guy, but, in his natural human form, he was definitely aging. Clint still did missions every once in a while, but he wasn't as flexible or ambitious or ready-to-swing-from-a-grappler-arrow-between-buildings as he used to be, since he was completely unenhanced. Tony was in the same boat, with his years of insomnia and just general disregard for his health definitely catching up to him, but he still stood strong. Thanks to all of his tech, he could stay at the Tower and just control an Iron Man suit on the field with the Avengers from a distance. He then usually doubled up on tasks and ran comms for the team as well.

They had their hands full with their own problems, Maggie reasoned. There was no reason she should add to them, considering her injury was only miniscule, anyway - it's not like _they _told _her _about each and every wound they got on a mission, right? She was just like them now - she was an _adult_, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. With that came independence; the need for keeping her parents and family on the loop for every-little-thing that happened to her while she was away from home had faded away.

So, Maggie picked herself up off the couch, and sat up with a determined expression. Skye shouldn't have to worry over her anymore, either, even if she was actually her supervising officer - Maggie was twenty-one years old, _she needed to be able to take care of herself. _

"I'm up, I'm up," she then reported to Skye with an eyeroll, and proceeded to stand up by herself, despite the hand Skye was offering her. Skye looked a bit concerned at Maggie's sudden independent display, but shrugged it off as she wrapped an arm around Maggie's shoulders with a pointed expression.

"Then, let's get you to bed, sleepyhead."

* * *

Maggie woke up (this time much more comfortably than when she had fallen asleep on Skye's shoulder earlier) when the Bus was landing. She carefully sat up with a yawn as Skye walked into the small room without knocking. Out of all of Maggie's different relationships with her family members and friends, Skye always seemed to have fallen into the category of people who would just enter her room without knocking, like Natasha and Tony - though, Tony was much more cautious about it when he knew Maggie was upset. The brunette sat at the foot of Maggie's bed with a glass of water and a dose of pain medication.

"You know, those will only work on me to a certain extent," Maggie reminded, as she silently thanked the Super Soldier Serum Gods for granting her body the ability to be superior to pain medication (_seriously, body, what the fuck_).

But Skye shook her head with a grin. "Nope, FitzSimmons has been designing these for you for awhile now. It's supposed to be, like, Super Tylenol, or something. Give it a try."

She handed Maggie the two small pills and water, and Maggie smirked, looking between the offered items and Skye's confident expression. "Super Tylenol? Really? There isn't a better name for it?"

"I'm sure if you ask them, they'll probably give you some scientific name that is unnecessarily long and painful to say," Skye shrugged as Maggie consumed the medication.

Maggie handed Skye the glass of water when she was done, and looked thoughtful for a few moments. "So far, nothing's really hitting me...oh, _oh_, that feels good."

Skye laughed as Maggie poked her bandaged wound curiously, as if to test whether or not it was still there. "I take it it worked?"

"Definitely, though it still hurts a little," Maggie informed her. With these pills, Maggie thought, she would _definitely _be able to hide her injury from her family when she got home - _yes!_ "Please tell me there are more."

"I think there's some. They wanted to make sure it actually worked first before they mass-produced them," Skye replied, standing from Maggie's bed to allow her the room to get up. "Just don't let these hit the black market, or anything; we don't need you to infiltrate a drug ring _just _yet."

"With these, _any _drug ring would let me in, no questions asked." Maggie swung her legs over the bed and stood up with a careful stretch of her arms. "So, is it time to sit through a long-ass meeting with Aunt Ri...I mean, Deputy Director Maria Hill about our last round of missions?"

Skye smiled sympathetically at Maggie, knowing she was still trying really hard to act 'professional' on the job. Around anyone else that Maggie hadn't known for her whole life, unlike these people, Maggie was able to act generally detached and no more warm toward the higher ups and older agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. than the rest of its agents pretty well. When she was with the Bus team, though, or anyone else in S.H.I.E.L.D. she'd known since childhood, it was harder to keep up the facade.

"Yep, we'll be meeting with _your aunt_," Skye said pointedly, to inform Maggie that there was no need for her to pretend or whatever around her and the rest of the Bus team, "in, like, ten minutes."

Maggie rolled her eyes, but nodded. "Yes, Ma'am, Agent Skye Daisy Johnson, Ma'am!" She gave a mock salute.

"At ease, baby Avenger; you're making me feel old."

* * *

After a rather boring meeting with some rather boring high-level agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Maria Hill (who looked about as entertained as Maggie felt, which made the entire experience a bit more bearable and slightly amusing), Maggie found out her way home from the Triskelion would be her mother, who was due back from a solo mission that day.

Which terrified Maggie. She knew that Natasha would be the hardest to fool, and she considered giving up on lying then and there - but, thanks to FitzSimmons' 'Super Tylenol' (yes, FitzSimmons confirmed, that was what they were calling it; Skye then asked if it could be used on normal people for the not-so-normal amounts of pain she and half of the human race experienced monthly in the form of menstruation, and Fitz nearly passed out at the sudden change in subject matter while Simmons regarded Skye's question seriously and had a lengthy conversation about it with her), Maggie was more confident that she'd be able to pull off a painless cover.

Natasha arrived not too long after Maggie and the rest of the Bus team ate a moderate meal in the Triskelion's cafeteria (Maggie wondered why the hell they didn't just go _out _for dinner, but whatever). Then everyone went their separate ways for the weeklong break Maria had so graciously granted them, and Maggie followed Natasha to the large area that held the quinjets and other various vehicles for air transportation, catching Natasha on her latest adventures with the critically-acclaimed Bus team.

"And then, Bobbi took out, like, _ten H.Y.D.R.A. agents _with her batons without even breaking a sweat!" Maggie recalled animatedly, gesturing wildly with her hands as she walked next to Natasha. "Skye decided she could do better, though, so the rest of the raid turned into a competition between them both."

"That doesn't surprise me," Natasha commented, rolling her eyes and pressing a button that lowered the ramp of a nearby quinjet. "For as long as I've known both of them, they've been competitive over _everything._"

"It seems like it! Fitz showed me where he has a place in the Bus' data that's been keeping score for them, since, like, _ever_." Maggie shook her head, exasperated, as she boarded the quinjet with Natasha. "I'm surprised Aunt Ria and Uncle Nick haven't busted their asses yet for goofing off."

"I think they've realized this doesn't really hinder their work; it motivates them," Natasha chuckled, raising the ramp behind them as she led Maggie over to the front of the aircraft. "If they tried to mess with their...'work ethic,' I suppose, it probably wouldn't do any good."

"I guess that makes sense," Maggie shrugged, depositing her bag in a seat on the side of the quinjet and walking toward the co-pilot seat. However, she was stopped Natasha gently grabbed her arm, pulling her back slightly. Maggie turned back to her with a confused expression, while Natasha's morphed into one of a concern.

"Maggie...are you okay?" she inquired softly, but the depth of worry in her tone was impossible to miss.

Maggie tried to hide the panic she was starting to feel rise up. _Crap! She's onto me! _"Yeah, I'm fine...why do you say that?" She _really _hoped that her lie was undetectable, even though Natasha was known for her ability to detect and tell lies perfectly, which meant she knew Maggie's lies well.

"You seem…" Natasha paused for a moment, releasing Maggie's arm and looking her daughter over once more. She crossed her arms over her chest. "Did you get hurt on your latest mission?"

_Damn it! Why is she so good at this?! AUGH! _"Nothing more than a few bruises and scratches...just the usual," Maggie shrugged.

Natasha narrowed her eyes thoughtfully for a few seconds, evaluating Maggie's seemingly innocent expression. Maggie resisted the urge to do any of her nervous habits and tells - run a hand through her hair, shift on her feet, rub her hands together, even _move _in the slightest.

"I don't believe you," Natasha decided, moving closer to Maggie so she could poke her a bit roughly in the stomach, as if to test for a pained reaction. Maggie responded immediately with a small giggle, trying to withhold the fact that, for one, being poked near her injury _really fucking hurt, Jesus Christ_ (the Super Tylenol was starting to wear off, Maggie realized with a sudden inkling of despair), and how laughter made her sides hurt in a not-so-innocent or funny way.

"My ticklish nerves are still in tact, if that's what you were wondering," Maggie said after taking a moment to steady herself and her voice through the wave of pain Natasha had just sent through her torso. "That doesn't mean you're allowed to tickle me, though."

"Maggie…" Natasha took on her 'maternal warning' tone (as recorded and titled by Maggie, who had been on the receiving end of it many, _many _times), but Maggie just shrugged.

"I'm fine, Mama, really; I'm still ticklish, and I'm still in one piece," she said, crossing her arms over her chest and mirroring the stance Natasha had held moments before. _Please leave me alone, please leave me alone, please leave me alone…!_

Natasha stood unmoved for a few moments, but then gave in with a sigh. "Alright, alright, you win; let's go home."

She allowed Maggie to resume her short journey to the co-pilot chair, while Natasha followed behind at a slower pace. Maggie _seemed _fine, but was definitely treating the left side of her body with a little more extra care than usual, considering how she usually walked or danced or 'whatever'd around without any care in the world.

Natasha knew one thing for sure: Maggie was injured.

* * *

By the time they arrived back at the tower, Maggie looked ready to go to bed for the rest of the week. Living on the Bus with the exhausting characters of the team assembled by Phil and May could do that to a person, Natasha figured, even a person as energetic and restless as her lively daughter.

Once they were inside of the tower, Maggie looked like she was about to throw herself onto the first couch they spotted on the communal floor - but, with a flash of reconsideration and doubt crossing her face for less than a millisecond, she seemed to have thought better of it, and continued standing. This did not go unnoticed by Natasha.

"Welcome home, you two!" Steve greeted them warmly, standing from the couch Maggie had nearly vaulted onto (no, Maggie never held any regard or sympathy for anyone who fell victim to her couch exploits, as Steve had found himself suddenly assaulted by Maggie's head or feet on many occasions over the years) and catching both Maggie and Natasha in a hug. He pressed a kiss to Maggie's hair, and then met Natasha's lips, which Maggie responded to with an appropriately timed gagging noise (was she _really _an adult?). "How were your missions?"

"Good!" Maggie sang at the same time as Natasha shrugged, "Fine."

When Steve released them, Maggie yawned loudly. "It's really nice to be home, but I'm definitely ready to sleep forever."

"That's a bit dramatic," Natasha commented, setting her bag down on the ground. "You should probably go to bed, then."

"We can catch up more in the morning," Steve said, and Maggie just nodded with another yawn before giving them sleepy 'goodnight's and padding off down the hall to her room.

Once Maggie was out of earshot, Steve turned to Natasha with a mildly concerned expression. "Did something happen to Maggie on her last mission? She seemed..._slightly _off."

Natasha frowned. "I grilled her earlier, but she put up a fight; I think she's injured."

Steve sighed. "Well, at least we know it can't be _that _bad if she's able to play it off so well, even though we both noticed. But I think we're _supposed _to be able to notice things like that."

Natasha nodded. "I think so, too." She paused, looking conflicted for a moment. "What should we do? I'm still worried about whatever injury she may have, even if it isn't critical. She's a super soldier, so she could get hit pretty badly and still be able to walk it off."

The last sentence came with a pointed glance at Steve, and he knew Natasha was somewhat directing the jab at him and his own occasional recklessness. He raised his hands defensively. "I've gotten better over the years!"

"I know." Natasha playfully rolled her eyes. "But I'm still worried."

"So am I," Steve agreed. "I'm not sure what to do. If we confront her, that will probably lead to an argument of some kind...but if we don't, I'm not sure Maggie knows how to take care of herself if she's fairly injured. Like, replacing the bandages or how to go about showering. Maybe we could call Skye and ask her?"

"Maggie would _definitely _get mad if we did that… For now, let's just play along," Natasha decided. "If her resolve starts crumbling or she seems to be in pain, then we'll pounce."

* * *

As Maggie entered her room, she carefully shut the door behind her with a relieved sigh. She was finally away from Natasha's suspicious and prying eyes - and she had no doubt that Natasha knew _something _was going on. Steve might have even figured it out, too. It would only take a phone call to Skye for them to get an explanation…

Maggie shook her head at the thought, setting her bag down on the chair beside her desk. That part of her room was always so full of memories, all the times she'd sat there and stared at the seemingly endless piles of homework she was assigned over the years. Oh, if only things now weren't so complicated, she thought. Instead of trying to hide a bad test grade from her mother (who never actually got that irate or upset with her when she did poorly, Maggie had to admit - she'd had it easy compared to a lot of her peers, she knew), she was trying to hide what could have been a fatal injury if a few details of the showdown with the H.Y.D.R.A. agent had been different. But this was for Natasha's benefit, Maggie told herself; there was no use in worrying her mother over nothing.

Changing clothes proved to be a challenge, as her arms had apparently decided that rising above her head was going to be an experience equivalent to being stabbed repeatedly in the abdomen. Which reminded her she should probably shower before going to bed...but how would that work with the bandages, which Maggie wasn't sure were waterproof? Simmons had said something about going to Bruce for help with everything upon returning to the tower, but that would mean giving up her secret…

She just gave up with a frustrated groan. She had managed to change into comfortable shorts, which was pretty damn impressive in her book, and decided she would just find a tank top loose enough for her to put on by stepping into and pulling it up to her torso, as opposed to just pulling the clothing item over her head.

Overall, it took about ten minutes to get from Point A to Point B - Point A being undressing and Point B being dressing. By the time she was done, Maggie just kicked her mission clothes to the side of her floor, deciding to deal with them in the morning, or whatever time of day she woke up.

Pulling her water bottle and next dosage of Super Tylenol out of her bag, Maggie sat down on her bed and felt exhaustion pulling her entire body down. She managed to take the pills and set her water down on her nightstand before climbing under the covers and immediately nodding off. Without needing to be commanded, JARVIS turned off the lights, but Maggie was already fast asleep.

* * *

Maggie woke up to sunlight streaming in through her window, and the much less pleasant sensation of pain. It wasn't as bad as when she had first been sliced by the knife (after the adrenaline wore off, of course), but it was definitely making its presence known with little to no regard for Maggie.

"_Good morning, Agent Rogers." _Maggie still wasn't used to the change in JARVIS' address, but, she had to admit, it was really, really cool. _"It's currently 8:34 AM. I have detected you are in pain from your injury; would you like me to contact Dr. Banner?" _

_What!? JARVIS is onto...oh, wait, he probably automatically scans everyone for injuries when they come home. _Maggie rolled her eyes. She silently wondered if Natasha would just ask the A.I. about Maggie's health, but discarded the worry as she tried to sit up as painlessly as possible. It was tricky, and took her a few moments longer than usual, but Maggie pushed herself through it and sighed once she was sitting up.

"No, no, JARVIS, that's fine...I'll be fine...I _am_ fine," she murmured to herself, needing the reassurance.

"_I would recommend you seek Dr. Banner's help in checking over your wounds, Agent Rogers." _

JARVIS was always concerned about her, it seemed. Maggie tried to stand up but hissed in pain from the way her left side throbbed. She wasn't so sure she could maintain this painless cover for much longer...maybe she _should _get some help.

And Bruce could keep a secret, right?

So Maggie gave in. "Alright, J, I'll go. Where is he? Please keep this on the down low...only Uncle Brucie can know."

* * *

"Why do you want to keep this a secret?"

Maggie sighed as Bruce doubled-checked the wound just off center from her belly button, the path of the knife clearly marked out in the line that stretched several inches from her front and around a little bit of her side. The stitches must have been fine, as Bruce didn't say anything when grabbing a new bandage to cover up the nasty scar.

"I don't want to worry everyone for no reason," Maggie answered, flinching a bit when one of Bruce's fingers softly brushed against the tip of the injury. "This isn't _that _big of a deal - it wasn't fatal or critical, or anything."

"But it _is _your first real injury in the field, aside from bruises or small cuts," Bruce reminded sternly as he pressed the bandage against her skin and secured it. "I can tell you bled out a little bit."

She laughed a little. "I did, and Skye freaked out. She looked like she was about to faint."

"An appropriate reaction," Bruce decided, pulling Maggie's shirt back down over the injury. He then looked at the small bottle of Super Tylenol Maggie had brought with her to show him, slipping his glasses on to examine one of the pills. "So, FitzSimmons made super soldier painkillers?"

"Yes, and they are _incredible_," Maggie verified with a grin. "I now know what I'll be taking when I have cramps."

"Hm, I'll have to ask them for the recipe," Bruce thought aloud. "Maybe they'll even work on Thor."

"We should try it right now!" Maggie beamed at the idea, but Bruce gave her a pointed look.

"Don't think you're off the hook yet, Maggie. I understand that you want to be independent and in charge of yourself now, but that doesn't mean you should keep all of your injuries a secret."

Maggie sighed, her expression saddening. "But I need to learn how to take care of _myself_, Uncle Brucie. I can't just depend on my parents or any of you guys to show up for me at any given time just because I'm in danger or hurt or stranded or whatever."

Bruce handed her the bottle of Super Tylenol. "Taking care of yourself doesn't mean privatizing what happens in your life, Maggie. Trust me, it would be better to take advantage of everyone being here for you while you can instead of worrying about when you can't. That way, when the day comes that you actually can't depend on one of us for help, you'll know how to help yourself."

Running her thumb along the rim bottlecap, Maggie mulled over Bruce's words for a few moments. Though it made sense, she was still determined to prove to everyone and herself that she could care for herself. She needed to prove that she _didn't need _her family for every single thing anymore; she was a big girl.

Seeing that she wasn't going to reply, Bruce knew he needed to find a compromise. If he revealed her injury to Natasha and Steve, that may break Maggie's trust with him _forever, _and she wouldn't come for him for medical help she needed it. Which, of course, could lead to big problems for Maggie's health…

Bruce gave in with a sigh. "Alright, fine. I'll keep your secret, Maggie. But, _please_, you need to tell your parents whenever you get hurt," he said. "There's no guarantee that I'll always be here when you come home from missions with injuries; your parents deserve to know what's going on."

At least Bruce would keep her secret. But his words held some truth...Maggie just nodded along, and thought about what he had said. Maybe this _wasn't _such a good idea.

* * *

A day went by, and Bruce kept his promise. Whenever he was with Maggie and her parents, he said nothing, even though he noticed the careful ways they watched Maggie walk and move and breathe and just _live. _Really, it was thanks to FitzSimmons' Super Tylenol that she was able to keep her cover, but she was starting to notice some side effects. For one, she was always _exhausted _when it wore off, which meant she had to time her dosages carefully. Other than that, her appetite flip-flopped constantly, and she was experiencing some odd food cravings. She woke up wanting to eat a hamburger, for example, the morning of her second day back. Bruce took note of all the side effects so he could report them back to FitzSimmons.

That afternoon, though, Steve and Natasha apparently grew impatient, as they decided to expose her lies through an innocent father-daughter activity. "Hey, Maggie, want to go up to the paint room for a little while?"

Maggie looked up from the TV to Steve's approaching form. He looked as happy and nonchalant as ever, so maybe he hadn't noticed that she was hurt. If Maggie could just keep the number of suspicious people down to Natasha, then she would be okay, she figured.

And painting on the walls in the appropriately titled 'paint room' with Steve had always been fun. It was Tony's solution after finding her, two years old, drawing on one of the other walls, apparently. Of course, Maggie didn't actually remember this, but that's what everyone told her.

"Sure," Maggie answered happily, excited to doodle on the walls for a bit with him. They usually just painted random things and then figured out how to connect all the individual images in a bigger picture afterward. With the soundtrack of _Tangled _playing in the background, courtesy of JARVIS, of course, since Rapunzel's own wall-painting habits had been the inspiration for this.

Once more grateful for FitzSimmons' pain-cancelling drug, even though her dosage from that morning would be wearing off soon, Maggie pushed herself off of the couch and stood beside Steve, believing she looked as casual as ever. With that, she followed Steve to the elevator, and they rode up to the floor above them.

"I can't remember the last time we did this," Steve admitted as they walked out and started down the hall toward their beloved paint room.

Maggie smiled at the fond memories she had of painting with Steve. He always taught her different techniques, and encouraged her to be messy with the paint. It was something about not limiting creativity. Natasha was always just glad Steve only used that mindset inside the paint room, as she wasn't as excited to find Maggie drawing on walls elsewhere.

"It's been awhile," she agreed. "I'm just glad we're doing it again."

"This has been long overdue," Steve thought aloud, and Maggie nodded her agreement. Once they reached their artistic lair, they pulled on some paint smocks to protect their clothes and requested JARVIS start up the _Tangled _music.

As "When Will My Life Begin" started up, Maggie sang along to the words and found herself picturing a night sky full of stars, like the lanterns Rapunzel sought to see in person for eighteen years. Steve started spreading some colors onto the wall a few feet from her, and he softly hummed along to the song.

When Mother Gothel's voice took over minutes later for her song, Maggie groaned and glanced over at Steve. "I always _hated _this song."

"Even though Mama loves it?" Steve chuckled in reply, still focused on his painting.

"_Especially _because Mama loves it," Maggie huffed, rolling her eyes. "She makes references to it, like, every five minutes, as proof for why she's right. JARVIS, skip to the next song please."

"_Certainly, Agent Rogers." _

They continued to paint in silence for a few minutes. Steve enjoyed listening to the old movie's soundtrack, remembering the way Maggie used to animatedly sing and dance along to them as a child. Though, he reminded himself, she _still _did that usually…

Which was how he knew something was wrong since she wasn't doing that now. He turned to her with a curious expression. "I'm surprised you're still standing in one spot, and there isn't paint splattered everywhere from you dancing."

Maggie shrugged, trying to look casual and normal. "I'm just..._really _into painting today. That's all."

That was a lie if Steve could ever spot one. He may not be the best liar, but Maggie definitely wasn't either. And he knew how to read her body language, so he could tell she was trying to position herself in a way that didn't put too much strain on her left side. Instead of placing her left hand against the wall to better angle herself while she painted with her right - a normal position she assumed when painting - the inferior appendage was at her side, her left arm pressed close to her torso. That must be where her injury was.

"JARVIS, skip to 'I See the Light,'" Steve suddenly requested, causing Maggie to stop pressing dabs of yellow paint against her small, dark blue night sky. What was he up to now?

As the all too familiar guitar chords sounded, Maggie's body stiffened. Though this scene took place on a boat in _Tangled_, she always danced to the song with Steve. A fun, father-daughter slow dance. Which meant lifting her arms all the way up to his neck...something she had struggled with trying to just wash her hair the previous night. Not to mention she and Steve usually went a little bit overboard with the twirls and spins, and Steve always ended up swinging her around. As Natasha would say, it was impossible for two super soldiers to stand still for very long when they were together - something she had observed in Maggie and Steve whenever they were together for the past twenty years. Uh oh.

"Come on, Mags, you've been on back-to-back missions for a month. You need to do something fun and relaxing," Steve said, stepping away from the flowers he had been painting and holding his arms in an open manner, inviting Maggie to enter them. "Let's dance. I'll even sing Eugene's part for you."

This was tempting. _Oh so _tempting. Especially with Steve's offer to sing. He only sang on special occasions because his voice just sounded...well, it was always kind of silly to listen to Steve's singing compared to Natasha's, so he was a bit more guarded with his vocal cords.

If she turned him down, though, that would be really suspicious. So Maggie accepted her fate and braced herself. "Alright, I call Rapunzel then. Though, one of these days, I _really _want to see you try to sing her part."

"Maybe," Steve chuckled as Maggie came up to him. He wrapped his arms around her torso and she hesitantly wrapped hers around his neck. Her side ached in protest, but she tried to ignore it. They swayed slowly from side to side.

"All those days, wa-watching from the windows…" _Damn, this hurts more than I was expecting. _"All those years, o-outside looking in…" _GAH! This must be why Simmons told me to REST! _"All that time, never even knowing just how blind I've been…" _Why, why, WHY is this song so slow and long…?!_

"Maggie? Is there anything you'd like to tell me?" Steve interjected casually, stopping them. He looked at her expectantly, but she rapidly shook her head.

"Nothing! Nothing at all! I'm completely fine!" Maggie promised, and hurriedly returned to the song. She made them sway once more. Her singing was reduced to panicked and forced fragments of Disney lyrics. "Now I'm here! And suddenly I see! Standing here! It's all so clear!"

Steve just watched her curiously as she continued to dish out the lines of the song in a forced and rushed manner. Nothing at all like her usual dramatic attempts at opera.

"All at...once...everything looks...different… Now that...I see you…" By the time Maggie had finished her part, she looked tired. Her arms were slowly slipping from their hold on Steve's neck, and her palms were now resting on his chest. Soon after, Maggie followed, leaning against Steve's body as he began singing Eugene's part softly. She pressed her head against his chest in between her hands, slumping her shoulders in defeat; there was no way she appeared completely healthy anymore.

Steve gradually stopped moving, and raised a hand to card through Maggie's long hair. When it was time for Eugene and Rapunzel to start singing the refrain together, Steve waited for Maggie to sing her part. She didn't.

"Maggie...what's going on?" he asked quietly, prompting her to lift her face off of his chest to meet his eyes. "What happened on your last mission?"

"It's...it's nothing, I'm fine. It's just...a little cut, that's all…" Maggie gently pushed him away, and broke out of his grasp. She took a few steps back, her eyes melancholy. "I promise, I'm okay."

"Why did you lie?" Steve asked more directly, and Maggie averted her gaze as she wrapped her arms around her midsection, almost looking defensive. Steve stepped closer, but she took another step back farther. "Maggie."

"I said I'm _fine_, I don't need you to worry over me," she insisted. After a few moments of silence, she met Steve's eyes once more. "It's all taken care of; I'm okay."

"Let me see it," Steve requested, but Maggie immediately shook her head and looked down at her feet. "I want to see your injury."

"No."

"Mags…"

"No!"

Almost as if on cue, JARVIS switched the music back to Mother Gothel's song, the line _Mother knows best! _perfectly in sync with Natasha as she entered the room, arms crossed and expression irritated. She rolled her eyes at the timed musical accompaniment. "JARVIS, really?"

"_My apologies, Agent Romanoff; Master Stark requested I announce your entrance into the paint room with that part of the song." _

"Mama, it's okay, I'm fine," Maggie hurriedly assured Natasha before she could ask any questions, looking between her two parents suspiciously.

"It doesn't matter, Лапушка. I could tell you were hurt when I first saw you the other day, but you lied to me, to _both _of us." Natasha gestured to herself and Steve as she stopped beside him. "We're _worried _about you."

"You don't _need _to be worried about me! I'm not a child!" Maggie exclaimed, her expression upset. "I was hurt a little on a mission, that's all. It wasn't life-threatening or anything, so I'm fine!"

"Then let us see it," Natasha echoed Steve's request, but her voice was much harder than Steve's. When Maggie didn't budge, Natasha took a step closer. "Maggie."

"Why do you need to see it? Uncle Brucie already made sure to check it yesterday _and _today, and he said I'm fine," Maggie groaned. She could feel the Super Tylenol finally wearing off, as another step backward sent a stab of pain through her side. She flinched a little, and tried to ignore the way both of her parents instinctively reached out to her.

But Natasha was apparently done tiptoeing around the affair. "Margaret Romanova Rogers, if you are injured, you need to rest," she said, deciding to just march right in, full speed ahead. Natasha walked up to Maggie before she could protest or get away, and pushed Maggie's arms away from her abdomen. Maggie gave up on fighting as Natasha crouched down in front of her and lifted her paint smock and shirt up to reveal the bandage covering her side.

Steve breathed deeply and loudly at the revelation, while Natasha kept her expression neutral and initial reaction hidden. She laid a gentle hand over the injury, noticing the way Maggie's body stiffened at the contact. Her eyes grew sympathetic, her voice remorseful. "Oh, Лапушка..."

"See? I told you...it's nothing," Maggie said with a small, pained laugh. The exhaustion in her voice was evident. "Everything's fine, it's just a little cut…"

Natasha shook her head, removing her hand and pulling Maggie's shirt back down. She stood up fully, and laid a hand on Maggie's arm. "Come on, let's get you back to bed. No more walking around for you today; you need to rest."

Slightly surprised at the lack of anger in Natasha's voice, considering Maggie had just _lied _to both of her parents about something so serious, Maggie nodded silently at Natasha's words. Steve walked over to them, and carefully picked Maggie up bridal style; she was too tired to protest. He then followed Natasha out of the room, and Maggie leaned her head against Steve's arm, feeling her sleepiness take over.

* * *

Maggie later woke up in her bed, the pain in her side evident as it had been earlier. Looking to her bedside table, she caught sight of a glass of water and the bottle of Super Tylenol. Underneath the two items was a note, which Maggie looked at curiously before reaching over to extract it from under the Super Tylenol and water.

_Maggie, you're in trouble. Not for getting hurt, but for lying to us. You're grounded. You'll be spending the rest of your 'break' from missions with us. Poor you. - Mama and Daddy _

_P.S. - JARVIS was right: MOTHER KNOWS BEST! :) _

With a small smirk, she recognized the handwriting as Natasha's, but knew that both Steve and Natasha had probably come up with the words in the note together. After that, Maggie carefully retrieved two pills from the bottle of Super Tylenol and downed them with a sip of water.

Next thing she knew, Maggie must have dozed off again, because her next coherent observation was Steve knocking on her door and entering her room. He was carrying a plate of what appeared to be grilled cheese and fries, and smiled softly at Maggie as he walked up to her bed.

"It's time for dinner," he said. She blinked the sleep away, and tried to push herself up into a sitting position. Steve immediately intercepted, abandoning the plate on her covers and adjusting the pillows behind her head so she could comfortably lean her back against them.

Maggie laughed softly as she sat up more comfortably. "This is why I kept it a secret from you and Mama; you were both just going to obsess over me."

Steve raised an eyebrow, sitting down at the foot of her bed and handing her the plate of food. "And that's a bad thing?"

She thought it over for a moment. Steve and Natasha obsessing over her...well, that was just how they were. They were obsessive over _everyone _they cared about, especially when they were hurt. And for Maggie, that usually meant Steve waiting on her every order and Natasha being extra affectionate and loving...that wasn't really _bad_, was it?

Okay, so _maybe _Steve had a point that Maggie hadn't really thought about before.

"I mean, unless getting to spend some quality time with your parents isn't cool anymore," Steve offered, but Maggie shook her head with a grin.

"No, it's still cool," she said.

Steve nodded knowingly, a small smirk on his face. "That's what I thought."

He leaned closer to her and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Maggie appreciated the contact for a moment.

"I'm sorry for lying," she apologized as he pulled away.

"It's okay, we understand why you did it; everyone in the Tower does it every once in a while, and it was a lot worse before you were born. But part of being responsible for yourself now means being responsible enough to tell us when you've been injured yourself," Steve said seriously, his voice, while sympathetic, leaving no room for argument. "Can we trust you to do that?"

Maggie nodded with a small smile on her face. She looked down at her food for a few moments before meeting Steve's eyes once more.

"Thanks, Daddy," she said softly after a moment.

He looked at her curiously. "What for?"

"Just for being my dad," Maggie shrugged, pulling a fry off of her plate and hungrily shoving the whole thing in her mouth in typical Maggie-fashion. A few more fries followed soon after. "And thanks to Mama for the same reason."

"Yeah?" Steve stole a fry off of her plate before she could swat his hand away. "Thanks for being my daughter."

* * *

**A/N:** I figured Natasha and Steve would figure out how to read their friends and family's behavior when injured, _especially _their own daughter. I think they're too sharp to _not _notice. (Also, writing this chapter made me really want to watch _Tangled_, but I don't think we have it on DVD, _dang it._)**  
**

Also! I made a timeline for all of these oneshots, since they are not written/posted in any order at all. It's on my tumblr, and the URL is in my description, so I suggest you'd all check it out. :)

Icebreaker question: **What's your favorite/least favorite school subject? **My fav is probably my AP Computer Science class right now, even though I've only had one day of it. There are a ton of fun peeps in my class and the teacher is awesome! My least favorite is definitely precalculus from last year; we all got screwed over in that class (no one had an A). -_-


	67. The Early Bird Gets the Ant?

**SPOILER ALERT: THIS ONESHOT CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM _ANT-MAN_. **

* * *

**A/N: **Well, we've definitely hit the _school takes over my life so I don't write nearly as much anymore_ bump in the road. I went from working full time on this story (and 100 Steps) to hardly at all. But fret not, dear readers! I'm trying my best to keep up with updates. I can say, though, that there won't be any more manifesto-length chapters for a while...it's time to go back to the days of 2000-4000 word oneshots.

That being said, I don't remember if I mentioned this or not, but I saw _Ant-Man_ a few weeks ago, and I loved it! So, naturally, I had to incorporate it into this story. There will be more of Scott and co. in the future because this chapter only features Scott - I wanted to play with the scene in the movie **SPOILER** featuring Sam Wilson and his fight against Ant-Man! Let's go! :)

Thanks for all the faves, follows, and reviews! I love you all much more than ants. (Actually, I love a _lot _of things more than ants.)

* * *

Natasha sighed as Maggie continued to fuss in her arms, her tiny eyebrows furrowed. She moved her small arms about, whimpering and close to tears, nearly knocking the teething ring - which Maggie had _refused _to hold herself, even though _she _was the one who needed it - out of Natasha's hands.

"You must have one killer of a tooth coming in, huh?" Natasha said, sitting down, cross-legged, in the middle of the sparring mat. They were in the new Avengers facility, as Steve and Natasha had been called in to help train some of their newer recruits: namely, the new Avengers. For now, it had just been Sam, Rhodey, and Vision, as Pietro was still recovering from Sokovia a few months prior and, naturally, Wanda was staying with him.

Because the twins wouldn't be there, Natasha and Steve decided to spare the others from having to take care of Maggie, who had been teething for the past few weeks, while they were gone. As much as Wanda and Pietro had proven themselves to be on the Avengers' side, neither Natasha nor Steve trusted them enough to be near Maggie. At least, not yet.

Now, though, Steve had gone off on a mission with Tony, and left Natasha with an irritable Maggie. Unfortunately, Maggie usually preferred Steve when she was in pain, specifically when teething, probably because he was bigger and she felt much safer in his big arms (Natasha couldn't argue that; _she _felt the same way about him).

Maggie pushed the offered teething ring away once more with a distressed _huff. _Natasha frowned, and leaned closer to her face. Maybe if she could catch a glimpse of this devilish tooth assaulting Maggie's gums, she'd be able to determine how much longer they'd all be stuck in teething hell.

"Let me see, Лапушка." Her finger approached Maggie's mouth, but Maggie promptly turned away, lips tightly closed. _Rejected. _"Come on, Maggie, I won't hurt you."

"No!" Maggie said, one of her all-time favorite words. As proud as Natasha was that Maggie had learned how to turn down things she did not want, her pride did not apply to Maggie stubbornly refusing to let Natasha see inside of her mouth.

Especially since Natasha had _just washed her hands _for this purpose; sometimes, Steve had been able to soothe Maggie by offering her mouth his finger. And Maggie liked _that_! What on Earth was so wrong with _Natasha's _finger that made Maggie reject her?!

Natasha tried offering her finger as the teething sacrifice once more, but Maggie turned her head once more.

"You're killing me, kid," Natasha said with another sigh, shaking her head in defeat. "What am I going to do with you?"

Maggie met Natasha's gaze evenly, the corners of her mouth still pointed downward in a disapproving frown. The expression looked fairly silly, but Natasha wasn't sure laughter would be the best reaction to the current problem.

"Hey," a voice called out from the other side of the gym. Natasha turned her head around, and saw Sam Wilson walking in, bearing his usual warm smile and waving his hand in greeting. "You already trying to teach your kid how to spar?"

It was then that Natasha remembered she and Maggie were sitting on the sparring mat. She rolled her eyes. "No way. This little monster isn't learning how to fight until she's _much_ older."

There was no reason to start teaching Maggie how to fight while she was little, even for years from now; Natasha wanted Maggie to grow up without needing the ability to fight someone. Maggie had already been doing so well, only hitting or scratching _occasionally_, only when greatly angered (which, of course, could be either easy or difficult to achieve, depending on the day).

Sam nodded in understanding as he walked up to them. "We'll make sure she doesn't need that for a long time. Assuming she ends up following in her parents' footsteps when she grows up." Oh, God, Natasha didn't want to think about that. Maggie _grown up_? And working as an _Avenger? _

Yeah, no way, not happening; Natasha was putting her foot down now.

Thankfully, Maggie was only fifteen months old, so that wouldn't be a problem for a _long _time; Maggie was currently too busy trying to squirm out of Natasha's grasp.

"I think she's got other plans on her mind right now," Natasha said, holding Maggie up. Maggie, meanwhile, thrashed her arms and legs in protest. "Sam, could you-"

"I got it," Sam said, leaning down and grabbing Maggie from Natasha's hands. Sure, he wasn't Steve, but Maggie looked a little less upset when she saw who was holding her (maybe she just _really _didn'tlike Natasha that day…). "Hey, baby Cap. What's up?"

Obviously Maggie wouldn't be able to answer; she wasn't _quite _talking yet, and Natasha found herself wanting both for that to continue and for the talking to begin. She had a feeling Maggie may never close her mouth after opening it (considering how lively and energetic she already was), but was also curious to see what kind of person Maggie would turn out to be.

Maggie cooed in response, setting her hands against Sam's chest as he settled her at his hip. Sam grinned proudly while Natasha stood up. "Look at that, Romanoff; _I'm _her favorite."

"Keep telling yourself that," Natasha said, holding up the teething ring. "Are your hands clean?"

"Yeah, I just washed them, actually."

"Perfect. Hold this."

He accepted the teething ring in the hand not holding Maggie up, and looked at Natasha sympathetically. "So her mouth is making her grumpy."

"Yep." Natasha nodded, looking worn out. "Steve is like a giant painkiller for her; I'm not sure why. But, since he's not here, she's been _extra _cranky about it, and extra mean to her mother. Isn't that right, Maggie?"

Maggie wasn't paying attention to Natasha, instead trying to reach a hand out toward the teething ring Sam was holding. Natasha rolled her eyes; _of course _Maggie would accept things when they came from Sam. _Of course. _

Sam chuckled at the sight. He carefully handed Maggie the ring, making sure it was secure in her hands before letting go of it. "Here you go, kid. Happy teething." Maggie happily stuck the teething ring into her mouth, looking more satisfied and less in pain.

"Wow. I might utilize you for this while Steve's gone," Natasha said, amazed at Sam's ability to soothe a fussy Maggie.

"I don't mind. I like your kid," Sam said happily, watching Maggie shove the ring in as far as she could. "She's like a miniature version of you who acts like Steve. And vice versa."

Natasha raised an eyebrow. "She's only fifteen months old."

"Hey, I'm not Uncle Sam for nothing," Sam said. "I know things."

"I guess that's true," Natasha sighed, relieved that Maggie was content now. If Sam could keep an eye on her for a while, maybe Natasha could have enough time to work out a bit and shower before they started thinking about dinner-

Suddenly, an alarm sounded, meaning someone had stepped onto the grounds of the base. Maggie, of course, started crying at the sudden noise, nearly dropping the teething ring (which meant Natasha would have to clean it _again_); fortunately, it was saved by Sam's quick reflexes. Natasha and Sam shared a worried look.

"I'll take care of it," Sam said, handing the now screaming Maggie back to Natasha; between the screams and the sounds of the alarm, Natasha was convinced she'd go deaf in a matter of seconds. He also returned the teething ring. "I'm going to go get my suit."

"I'm on comms." Natasha nodded, hoping it was nothing serious; of course, she didn't want Sam to get hurt, but if someone actually invaded the base, Maggie would be caught up in all of it. Pepper getting Maggie out of the Avengers' Tower when Ultron attacked had been lucky enough; Natasha wasn't sure Maggie had much luck left.

Together, Natasha and Sam quickly exited the gym, Sam running down one hallway to suit up, Natasha (and Maggie with her teething ring) down another to get to the control room, where there was video surveillance of every inch of the building.

She got there fairly quickly, probably looking _fantastic _to the agents inside, standing in her yoga pants and baggy t-shirt, holding a crying baby, and wearing a teething ring on her wrist like a bracelet. Fortunately, the agents hardly stared at her, too focused on their own tasks while she sat down at an empty station and turned on the comms.

Now that she was sitting, Natasha tried to shush Maggie and hug her to her chest; cuddling _normally _stopped crying, though there were usually never any blaring alarms going off…

As if the other agents in the room understood her predicament, the alarm suddenly cut off, meaning someone had turned the awful sound off. Maggie's crying had turned into a pitiful whimper by that point, and Natasha tried to quickly brush the tears away and rub her back. "It's okay now, Лапушка, everything's fine...Falcon?"

"_Yeah, I'm up in the air. Don't see anything yet…" _

Maggie leaned her head against Natasha's chest, and Natasha carded a few fingers through her messy curls. "See, there's nothing to be scared of now…"

"_What?" _

"Not you, Wilson; the _baby_." Natasha rolled her eyes, looking up at the different monitors. "Have you figured out what tripped the alarms yet?"

"_I don't see...wait, there's something here...something small!" _

Natasha watched Sam land on the roof, looking around once he landed. Something _small_? What _small _thing could set off the alarms to the Avengers facility?

"_I can see you," _Sam said at seemingly nothing, causing Natasha to furrow her brow in confusion. Was she missing something?

Suddenly, a man appeared, eliciting a few surprised gasps from the other agents in the room. Natasha was just _more _confused. "Wilson? What's going on?"

The stranger pressed a button to open his mask, revealing his face. He was white, young, and looked pretty calm for someone who was standing against an Avenger. Natasha admired his bravery, even though it was about to get him seriously hurt. _This will be good training for Sam, _she thought to herself.

"_Hi, I'm Scott," _the man casually introduced himself. Meanwhile, Maggie shifted in Natasha's lap, turning her head so she could see the screen with the strange 'Scott' man. _"I'm Ant-Man." _

Natasha wasn't sure how to react to that; she was torn between laughing at the ridiculousness of the name - because, really, _Ant-Man_? - and telling Sam to just squash this Scott fellow now.

"_Ant-Man?" _Sam echoed, looking unimpressed.

"_I didn't choose the name," _Scott hurriedly said. _"Just...look, I'm here because I have to borrow some tech to, you know, save the world and all that. You know how that goes." _

Sam's expression didn't change. _"I do."_

Scott suddenly turned genuine and heartfelt. _"By the way, I'm a huge fan of your work, Falcon...all of the Avengers, really." _

For whatever reason, the conversation was entertaining Maggie, as she giggled softly. Natasha found the reaction amusing, but was also weirded out by this entire encounter. Was this Ant-Man person going to fight Sam?

"_Thanks, but you can't be here," _Sam said, crossing his arms over his chest. He reminded Natasha of a bulldog guarding its home; it was a very funny mental image.

"_That's a shame... Antony!" _Scott called, suddenly disappearing. Natasha leaned forward in her seat, trying to get a closer look at the monitor. Maggie let out a surprised yelp as she clung to Natasha's shirt, though Natasha had instinctively thrown a hand under Maggie when she moved.

"Did he just _shrink_?" she demanded while Sam looked around, scanning the area.

He found something quickly, as he jumped into the air. _"He has some sort of shrinking device!" _

That explained that. It almost looked like Sam was chasing nothing, since Ant-Man was so miniscule. _Hence the name _Ant_-man,_ Natasha silently mused.

"Wilson, do you have eyes on-"

Sam was thrown off-balance before Natasha could finish asking her question, as she caught a glimpse of normal-sized Scott punching Sam before shrinking away again. Luckily, Sam was able to steady himself in the air, and blindly swung at the area Scott had just been in.

The fight continued this way for a few minutes: Scott grew, punched, and shrank, while Sam lunged, fired his guns, and flew around. Natasha judged that Scott wasn't very trained (_yet_), as he was still hit a few times when he could have easily dodged with his shrinking abilities. Sam was starting to lose his cool, as he just fired his guns at the grass, hoping one of the bullets would meet its mark.

"Wilson! Take it easy!" Natasha warned through the comms. "Don't lose your cool over this guy."

Sam didn't reply, instead yelling as he was thrown back once more by Scott's powerful punch. Meanwhile, Maggie was full-on _laughing_ now, because her Uncle Sam was being thrown around and looked very silly. She clapped her hands happily, and pointed a finger to the screen to start lecturing Natasha with some gibberish explanation as to what her silly Uncle Sam was doing.

"Not now, Maggie," Natasha said, trying to quiet Maggie so she could continue focusing on the situation outside. "I'm working, hon; just hold on for a few minutes."

"Mama!" Maggie said, giggling as Sam stumbled onto the ground. Natasha winced, hoping the impact didn't hurt as much as it appeared to.

Sam quickly hopped back up to his feet, launching himself back up into the air. He flew out of the frame in one monitor, and appeared in another, flying through the door to one of the storage areas.

Natasha cursed under her breath. _Damn it. We've lost visual. _"Sam, what's going on in there?"

Nothing. "Falcon?"

There was still no response, just silence for a few moments. Maggie filled the room with the sound of her laughter, and Natasha was sure the other agents felt fairly awkward being in the middle of all of this now. On one hand, the previously crying and fussy Maggie was now laughing and smiling, but on the other hand, they had no idea who this uninvited newcomer was or what he was doing to Sam.

The answer came in the form of Sam being thrown back outside through the door, yelling things Natasha couldn't quite make out. He flew upward into the air at an awkward angle, reaching behind him toward his wings. _"He's in my pack!" _

Oh no. Natasha held her breath, worried about what height Sam would fall to the ground from, should Scott shut off his wings. "Sam!"

One wing flew off, and, shortly after, another, leaving Sam falling toward the ground on his back. Fortunately, he hadn't been _too _high up, and just skidded backward through the grass and dirt - _Tony would definitely complain about Sam messing up the lawn later_ \- before coming to a stop. He groaned as he lowered his arms on either side of him, and Scott, the Ant-Man, was gone for good.

Natasha blinked, not sure what to make of what the hell had just happened. Maggie had stopped laughing so much, and now looked more upset. _Oh no. _

Quickly, Natasha pulled the teething ring off her wrist and wrapped Maggie's little fingers around it, guiding it up to Maggie's mouth before she could protest the fact that _Natasha _was the one administering this instead of Sam. Maggie accepted the teething ring fairly well, and Natasha made a mental note to grab a new one from the fridge fairly soon, since this one was losing its chilly temperature.

"Wilson, status?" she asked into the comms. "Are you okay?"

Sam cleared his throat and sighed. _"Yeah, I'm fine...just...don't let the Captain find out about this, alright?" _

Now knowing that he was fine, Natasha allowed herself to smile, and even laugh a bit. Just as Maggie seemed to have believed, that whole encounter had just been _hilarious. _

"_Please tell me I don't have to put up with _you _laughing at me, too. I already heard enough of Maggie's giggles throughout this entire thing." _

* * *

"So it was a man_._"

"Yes."

"The size of an _ant._"

Laughter. "_Yes._"

Giggling. "Dada!"

Steve smiled as Maggie reached her arms out to him, and lifted her from Natasha's arms. She now had a different teething ring in her mouth, the Iron Man color-schemed one Tony had given them. Maggie always preferred the other one - colored black with tiny, red hourglasses decorating the rim, courtesy of Pepper - so Tony's was hardly used.

Except for now. Maggie held it up to Steve's face, as if offering it for him to teeth on. He chuckled. "No, Maggie, no thank you. I already have all of my teeth, see?" He bared his teeth with a silly expression, showing off all of his white teeth, as Maggie laughed.

Natasha smiled as she watched the exchange from their bed; they were currently in the room she and Steve (and, on occasion, _Maggie_) stayed in when they came to the Avengers facility. Sam had long since been cleared and declared one hundred-percent fine by the medical staff hours earlier, but needed some time to lick the wounds inflicted on his man-pride (as Natasha had put it, anyway; Sam had just nodded and muttered something before walking away).

"You're technically not supposed to know," Natasha continued, smiling a bit mischieviously now. "But I couldn't just _not _tell you; it was hilarious. Maggie was cracking up the entire time."

"Really?" Steve asked, eyebrows raised in amusement as he looked back to Maggie, who was now faithfully nibbling on her teething ring. "I didn't realize she was one for slapstick comedy."

"I think she just thought her Uncle Sam, who always looks so cool and collected, looked really silly being tossed around by an invisible enemy," Natasha said.

"I probably would, too," Steve admitted, and Natasha nodded.

"Trust me, I saw it happen with my own eyes; he looked pretty silly."

* * *

**A/N: **I have a 12 paragraph essay due in theology on Tuesday that I was given time to work on in class on Friday. But what did I do instead? I WORKED ON THIS CHAPTER HAHA probably not a good idea but oh well...poor Sam! His part in _Ant-Man _was probably my favorite. I imagined Natasha sitting on the other end of the comms just _laughing _at him. Of course, that's not _exactly _what I had happen here, but it was pretty close!

Icebreaker question of the week: **How old were you when you lost your first (or one of your first, if you don't remember specifically) baby tooth? How did it happen? **I think my first baby tooth became loose naturally...until I hit my mouth with a basketball in first grade and really loosened it! (Or was that my second tooth...?) Either way, I lost my first tooth when I was seven years old, and basketball may or may not have been involved... (But, hey, that beats one of my other baby teeth which fell out as a result of my little sister hitting me in the face with the refrigerator door...)

Also, I uploaded a brief (2 minutes long) video to YouTube the other day, documenting my friends and I hanging out before school at Senior Sunrise, an annual tradition at my school in which the senior class gathers at school hella early to watch the sunrise! I'd really appreciate it if you all checked it out; it also provides some insight as to what life is like at an all-girls' school, if you were ever curious. ;)


	68. All Agents Go To Heaven

**A/N: **I'm still aiming for weekly updates, guys! This oneshot was the last one I had completed for emergency posting in the case of no other completed oneshots, so next weekend will be interesting...good thing it's a three day weekend!

That's my way of apologizing for posting this randomly short and pretty sad reality check oneshot. Oh, well, hope you all enjoy it anyway!

Thanks for all the faves, follows, and reviews! You all make me _die _with joy. (Is that a pun on this week's oneshot's theme? Yes, yes it is.)

* * *

"Daddy, I don't understand."

Despite the somber circumstances they were facing at the moment, Steve found himself smiling at Maggie's vocabulary. That had apparently been a word she'd been learning about in kindergarten a lot these days: _understanding. _Since then, Maggie had been taking her teacher's lessons everywhere with her, using the word whenever she could and believed it made sense.

And, unfortunately, here it did. They were in Arlington Cemetery in Washington, D.C. for the burial of a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who was recently killed in action. Steve had worked with her, Agent Russo, a couple of times in the past, but she had been on a mission led by Natasha and Clint when she was shot down.

That resulted in Natasha feeling obligated to go, and it made sense. Steve wasn't about to protest that, either, as he felt inclined to join her; he'd known the fallen agent in passing, at least. Instead of trying to find a babysitter (because, really, the local ones they _would _choose were at this funeral service), Steve figured he would just watch Maggie at the cemetery, since he wasn't as close to Agent Russo as Natasha and the others.

Which brought him back to Maggie's lack of understanding. After standing in the small crowd around Russo's casket for a while, Maggie was starting to get a little fidgety. So Steve slipped out of the crowd with her (she was already in his arms, as she had gotten tired from all the standing), and began walking down the road, looking out at the seemingly endless sea of gravestones.

Of course, Maggie wouldn't really comprehend what the stone slabs meant or what was going on at the service, despite Steve's efforts to explain on the way here. "This is a cemetery, where they bury people after they die."

Maggie had learned a bit more about the concept of 'death' ever since starting school a few months prior, as days of remembrance, like September 11th and Veterans' Day just a week prior, were observed. As the thought of the November holiday crossed his mind, Steve readjusted Maggie's thick coat once more, just to make extra sure she wasn't cold.

"Why do they bury them?" Maggie asked.

Steve thought it over before answering. "Well, when they bury them, the people can just rest, and then their family and friends can come visit them whenever they want. That's what all these stones - graves - are for; they tell you who is buried there."

"Oh." Maggie nodded, glancing around. Being in Steve's arms gave her a pretty good, high-up view of the massive area. "There's a lot."

"Yeah, that's because they bury a lot of special people here," Steve said. "Like soldiers, or, in this case, S.H.I.E.L.D. agents."

Maggie's mind seemed to have already moved on, though, as she looked between the graves and Steve curiously. "Daddy, does everyone have to die?"

Well, that was an unexpectedly morbid question, Steve thought, as he stopped his slow pace at Maggie's words. Though Maggie was asking in an innocent, _is this a thing that really happens to everyone? _way, Steve couldn't help but sympathize with the depressed, _why does every person have to die and leave?_ undertone.

"Yes, Maggie, they do," he said. "That's how the world works: new life is born, and old life dies. It's like a circle, like in that movie, _The Lion King_ \- the Circle of Life."

That helped her understand, as he could see the comprehension in her eyes as she thought over his answer. "Wait, Daddy," she grew wide-eyed as she looked at him desperately, "does that mean _you're _gonna die?"

Uh oh. This wasn't a good direction for the conversation to go.

Steve wasn't going to lie in his answer - but, man, that truth was going to _hurt _a five year old kid. He couldn't even _imagine _the pain he'd feel if Maggie or Natasha died; the overwhelming feeling of the concept would _definitely _scare Maggie.

"It does," he said softly, placing a gentle hand on the side of her face. He produced a small smile as she leaned into his touch, resting her cheek against his large palm while her big, worried eyes looked up at him. "Everyone dies someday, Mags. It's just a part of life"

"I don't want you to die," she protested, and Steve briefly feared they may reach tears soon. Oops. "I want you to stay _here_."

"I don't want to leave, either," he reassured her, placing a gentle kiss to her forehead, hoping to keep any coming tears at bay. "And, I promise, it won't be for a long time."

Shit. Now he's making promises he's not sure he could even _keep. _With the kind of life he led with the kind of work he did, he shouldn't be doing this, but any _normal_ parent would have, right?

Maggie looked at him very seriously. "You promise?"

_Shit, shit, shit, shit… _"...I promise."

"You swear on Avenger's honor?"

"Yes, of course…" This was not good. This was not good at all. He struggled for an escape. "For now, though, Maggie, we can't think about that. All we can do now is have fun, and remember to love each other very much."

But Maggie shook her head. "I still don't like it. I don't want you to _ever _die."

_This is not going well at all. _Steve sighed, gently brushing his thumb over her - thankfully still dry - cheek. "We all have to go someday, Maggie." He thought for a moment, thinking back on what he himself was taught about death and rebirth as a kid. "It'll all be okay, though; after everyone dies, they go to Heaven, where they get to be together again."

Maggie's worried expression was replaced with one of curiosity. "Heaven?"

"It's where people go after they die, so they can see everyone they love again and be with them forever," Steve said, hoping it made sense.

That seemed to placate her, as she thought it over. "So, you'll go there when you die?"

He nodded. "So will you. And Mama, and Uncle Clint, and Aunt Pepper, and everyone else. We'll all get to be together forever."

"Oh." She did a complete one-eighty at that, and smiled happily. "Then I can't _wait _to die!"

Was this bad? This was bad. Five year olds shouldn't be saying such morbid things. Should they? _Damn it._ Natasha definitely wouldn't appreciate Maggie running around and cheerfully wishing to die.

"First, you have to grow up here and live the rest of your life, though. Don't forget that, okay?" he said.

Maggie nodded. "'Kay, Daddy."

"Good." Steve smiled, kissing her forehead again. She giggled at the contact, wrapping her arms around his neck and catching him in a hug. He ran a hand up and down her back - well, he wasn't sure if she could actually feel it, since she was wearing such a thick coat (he and Natasha were very cautious when taking Maggie outside in the cold) - and exhaled happily.

This was the reason he fought so hard to come home on every mission - and now he'd promised Maggie that he wouldn't die for a long time. _God_, he prayed silently, _please keep me alive for as long as possible. _

He then heard a small yawn, and felt Maggie's head tilt a bit to the side, leaning against his neck. She was only five, he reminded himself; five year olds needed to rest a little extra every day.

"Maggie, are you sleepy?"

She made a soft noise of protest. "Nuh-uh."

_Liar_. Steve stifled a chuckle at the answer, because, _of course you're not tired, _said every child ever. But naps were vital, as no naps meant no energy, which meant yes cranky. "Well, how about I tell you a story, and you listen?"

Another yawn. Then, "'Kay."

Walking through the cemetery reminded him of all of his lost friends from the war, many of whom he knew were buried there. Including Peggy. But Steve wasn't ready to take Maggie there...she wasn't quite old enough for that yet.

It was soothing, just walking through the quiet area with Maggie in his arms. They were getting farther away from the group surrounding Agent Russo's fresh grave, but Steve didn't mind having to walk back all that way later.

"One time, back during the war, Uncle Bucky and I pulled this prank on the other Howling Commandos…"

* * *

Natasha breathed a sigh as the service concluded, and the small group dispersed. She hated funerals. The mood was always depressing, and all she could ever think about was how much she'd missed out on or lacked or what she should have done differently when the dead had still been alive.

She watched Phil and Skye, both of whom had also been on the mission with Natasha and Clint, exchange a few quiet words. The other agents and family members of Agent Russo were mingling about and bidding their last farewells to the fresh grave. Clint approached Natasha from behind and grabbed her hand, bringing her attention up to him.

He offered her a small smile. "How're you holding up?"

They usually didn't go to funerals of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents like this; before the collapse of the agency, they had just never had time. Now that S.H.I.E.L.D. was much smaller, though, and Natasha's mission intake was already significantly lowered for the sake of maintaining her family life, she felt much more connected to the agents she worked with. Agent Russo had been brave and kind, and had definitely deserved a better fate than this.

"Fine," Natasha said, sighing again. She watched her breath puff out from her mouth in the cold air, remembering how Maggie had been going on and on earlier about it making everyone look like they were dragons. Childish innocence. "I know there wasn't much I could've done on the mission to prevent this, but...well, you know how it goes."

Clint nodded, and squeezed her hand. "If someone's down, everyone's gotta live with the survivor's guilt forever." He looked off into the rest of the cemetery, its countless gravestones illuminated in the early afternoon sun. "But, hey, it also makes me more appreciative of life in general."

As he said that, Natasha followed his gaze, and located Steve and Maggie, walking on the path back toward them. Steve carried Maggie, of course, whom Natasha figured must have fallen asleep by now; the service had overlapped with naptime. It was weird, having to say goodbye to a departed soul while standing beside someone so young; how long of a life would Maggie live? Surely a long one, hopefully with no regrets. Did Agent Russo have any regrets before she passed? If she did, would she want to return to Earth just to take care of those loose ends?

But Natasha's mind said no. _The dead don't wish to come back to life_, she thought. _They just wish for the rest of us, who are still alive, to take advantage of what time we have left._

"Well, I guess that means the kid wasn't too cold after all," Clint said, smiling a bit at the sight. "She was comfortable enough to take a nap."

Natasha nodded, smirking a bit. "Nothing can ever come between Maggie and her beauty sleep; I know from experience."

Clint laughed and let go of Natasha's hand.

Steve reached them then, smiling apologetically at Natasha. She raised an eyebrow. What on Earth could he have done wrong in the twenty minutes he'd been gone, wandering around a _cemetery_?

"What did you do?" Natasha asked with yet _another _sigh. (It seemed that all she could do that day was sigh.)

"And that's my cue to leave," Clint excused himself, turning to where Phil and Skye were standing a few feet away. "I'm going to go catch up with Coulson and Skye, see ya."

He walked away at that, and Natasha held her arms out toward Steve. She'd just spent the past few hours grieving; she needed something (well, some_one_) lively to lighten the mood.

"I got her down with a story," Steve said, carefully transitioning Maggie from his arms into Natasha's. Maggie stirred a little, but Natasha quickly shushed her with a few murmured words and hands running up and down her back. It was almost like magic, Steve swore; Maggie drifted peacefully back off into dreamland a moment later, adjusting her hold on Natasha's neck to be more comfortable.

Natasha examined Steve closely. "It looks like you told her more than just a story. Spill."

Steve took a deep breath. "Well, Maggie knows what death is now."

That was bound to happen sooner or later. It was fitting that it would happen today. Natasha didn't see what the problem was. "I'm glad that she knows now."

But he wasn't finished. "And, uh, I promised her I'd still be here for a long time. That I won't die anytime soon."

Natasha inhaled and exhaled slowly. He'd fallen into the trap, sucked into Maggie's hopeful and pleading eyes, promised her something that he could not control.

How sad was it that this was actually a _problem_? Sure, life was unpredictable for everyone, but being an Avenger meant being in constant danger by just, well, _living_. Wherever they went, there would always be bad guys out for them. And there were always more bad guys to go out and stop. It was a vicious cycle.

"Steve…" Natasha's eyes reflected her own sorrow at this conflict, and she hugged Maggie a little closer to her chest.

"I know, I know, I shouldn't have said that...it was not a good idea," Steve admitted, ducking his head in shame. "She was just so torn up over the fact that we'd all die someday, so I just started talking before thinking…"

Natasha closed her eyes for a moment, focusing on taking a deep breath. With Maggie in her arms, this had almost become a calming exercise - as long as she had enough time to take a deep breath and hug Maggie, that meant Natasha had at least _some _time with her, away from the evils of the rest of the world. Naive and wistful thinking, she knew, but it was still soothing.

"What are we doing?" she said to no one in particular.

The question was so soft, Steve wasn't sure if he was supposed to have heard it. Regardless, he considered it for a moment. "Trying to protect the world?"

"Ours or hers?" Natasha opened her eyes, looking at Maggie. "It's one thing to protect the world from global threats; it's another to ensure that a little girl will actually grow up with her parents."

Steve knew Natasha had a point. "So...you want to throw in the towel? Retire?"

They couldn't do that. Steve knew that. Natasha knew that. All of them knew that. Yet, they seriously considered the option every now and then anyway, as if they actually _could _take it. But there was just no way.

The world needed the Avengers. It needed Captain America and Black Widow. Maybe not all the time or always together, like Steve and Natasha had done before becoming parents and taking on more personal responsibilities, but it still _needed _them. Until the world was free of evil, there was always more work to be done, more lives to save, more innocence to defend.

"I want to protect both," Natasha murmured, carding a hand through Maggie's hair. "It's impossible, but we've been doing a decent job for the past five and a half years. Let's aim for more."

That was all they _could _do. Look forward to each _tomorrow _they got, each new, fortunate moment they got to spend with Maggie. Protecting the world meant protecting Maggie's home. It was necessary to do, even though it could, potentially, tear their family apart.

But they'd find a way through it.

Steve nodded his agreement. "It's the best we can do, so let's keep doing our best."

* * *

**A/N: **Well, at least we know Steve and Natasha stick around for the rest of Maggie's childhood! That makes this a little bit more bearable, don't you think?

And I'm glad you guys loved the last chapter! To those who asked (and have sent me this prompt!), I will bring Cassie Lang into this story eventually! To follow the MCU canon, she'd be about six years older than Maggie, so I'm thinking she could have some babysitting adventures with Maggie (maybe convince Tony to pay her big bucks per hour?).

Icebreaker time! Because this week's installment was more serious and addressed this, I'm genuinely curious: **What do you believe happens after death? Do you believe in an afterlife? **If you don't feel comfortable answering this question (I know it often blurs with the theme or religion, which can be problematic), that's fine, but for those of you who are, I'm interested to know! See, I'm like Steve here, grew up Catholic and such, so the whole concept of life after death has been pretty much ingrained in my from starting school (I've gone to Catholic school my whole life...yee). Though, I will admit, I've drifted a bit, and take on more of a lax belief about it, like really I don't think admittance to Heaven is based off going to Church on Sundays or believing in God/Jesus Christ or whatever...I can't say where people will end up where they die, because you can never truly know a person unless you are that person. What about you guys?


	69. A Day in the Life (of the Rogers family)

**A/N:** Happy final hours of Labor Day! I told you guys I'm still trying for updates each week, and I'm really, really trying! This one almost didn't make it out, but I managed to focus and get my other work done so I could do this tonight.

For anyone following my other fic, _100 Steps to Falling in Love_, I promise, promise, _promise _I haven't given up on it! Things have been super duper busy around here these days, and I've hardly had time to write fanfiction because of it...I'll get back to it as soon as I can, though!

This one ended up kinda long (lucky you guys!). It's basically following a typical day in the Rogers household, so it should be fun!

Thanks for all the faves, follows, and reviews! And happy September! :D

* * *

**5:30 AM**

Steve silently slid out of bed, carefully escaping the covers and vacating the space with little movement as possible. Despite his efforts, Natasha still stirred, as she sleepily turned over to look up at him.

"I'm going out for a jog," Steve said, even though this was his routine three to five times a week (it depended on Steve's mood and how busy their family was on a week-by-week basis). But grumpy, morning Natasha didn't always remember details. He draped the blankets back over her, amused by the way she immediately snatched them from his hands and pushed her face back into the pillow.

"'M goin' back t'sleep," she murmured in reply, eyes closed and sleep evident on her features. Steve chuckled to himself before walking over to the dresser to retrieve his jogging clothes.

After changing, he exited their bedroom, and walked down the hallway toward the living room. On his way, he poked his head into Maggie's room, smiling at the sight of her sprawled out all over her bed.

As soon as he reached the front door, he grabbed his keys and phone and went outside. He locked the door, and then jogged down the street.

* * *

**6:20 AM**

Natasha's alarm sounded from her phone.

She blindly reached an arm out in the general direction of the nightstand, knocking over a tissue box (she'd pick it up later, _whatever_) before discovering her phone.

Her fingers tapped the screen a couple of times until she'd successfully hit _snooze_, and she returned to sleep.

* * *

**6:28 AM**

Natasha groaned when her alarm chirped back to life, meaning it was _really _time to get up. She resisted the urge to roll over and go back to sleep once more, since that would put their entire morning behind schedule.

Forcing herself to stay awake, she reached over and retrieved her phone from her nightstand, turning off the alarm and checking it for messages. There was some information from S.H.I.E.L.D., specifically Maria and Fury, mission assignments and training information, blah blah, same old, same old. Natasha would just be in for another boring day.

She pushed herself up into a sitting position, swinging her legs over the side of the bed and stretching her arms above her head with a yawn. Steve would probably be back soon, which meant Natasha better take care of her morning routine before he claimed a monopoly on their shared bathroom.

With another yawn, Natasha stood up, blinking sleepily as she skillfully navigated her way around the bed and to the bathroom without bumping into anything; she didn't need Steve making fun of her all day today. (He'd watched her not-so-gracefully trip, walk into the wall, walk outside toward the hall instead of the bathroom, etc. a good handful of times over the years on her tired journey from the bed to the bathroom; he would _never _let her hear the end of it for _days _afterward.)

* * *

**6:41 AM**

Steve whistled to himself as he unlocked the front door and walked inside the house. He knew Natasha would immediately comment on how he smelled since he was sweaty, which meant the first item on his agenda for the morning was to hop in the shower.

He poked his head in Maggie's room once more when he passed by, amused to see her now curled up under the covers; Maggie was just as active in her sleep as awake, they'd observed over the years. When Maggie would share the bed with Steve and Natasha, they would occasionally take bets on who Maggie would hit first in her sleep (it was almost always Natasha).

"Morning, stinky," Natasha greeted when Steve arrived at their room. She was retrieving her S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform from the dresser and looked much fresher (and actually _awake_) than when Steve had seen her last.

"Morning, grumpy," he returned, walking by her to grab his own clothes. As he passed by, Natasha pecked him on the lips, smiling at their 'affectionate' morning exchange. That had always been their first impressions of each other first thing in the morning, since Steve would go out for a jog and return when Natasha woke up; he was sweaty and smelly, she was tired and cranky. It was kind of their thing.

"I'm not grumpy this morning," Natasha said in protest, pulling her suit on.

"I'm sure you will be, at some point," Steve shrugged, kicking his shoes off and walking toward the bathroom. He caught sight of Natasha rolling her eyes before he closed the door and started up the shower.

* * *

**6:54 AM**

"Maggie, it's time to wake up."

At the sound of Natasha's voice, Maggie rolled over and turned her face away.

* * *

**6:56 AM**

"Maggie, it's morning; time for school!"

Maggie pulled the covers up over her head; Natasha pulled them back down.

"Come on, Maggie, fourth grade is exciting!"

_It's too early_, Maggie argued back in her head before drifting off to sleep once more.

* * *

**6:59 AM**

"Alright, I gave you three extra minutes to sleep in. It's time to get up now."

* * *

**7:00 AM **

"Come on, Maggie, we're leaving in twenty-five minutes."

* * *

**7:01 AM **

"Maggie."

* * *

**7:02 AM**

"_Maggie._"

* * *

**7:03 AM**

"Если вы не получаете прямо сейча, я тебя щекотать."

_If you don't get up right now, I'll tickle you._ That didn't sound very appealing, in Maggie's opinion. But she was just so sleepy…

Next thing Maggie knew, the covers were gone, and she was exposed to the cold morning air. She made a soft noise of protest, curling up in a ball on her bed in an attempt to get warm.

Natasha sighed. "Ты слишком молод, чтобы быть настолько устал." _You're too young to be so tired._

"Ten year olds can be tired, too," Maggie mumbled against her pillow in reply. "Just because I'm not old like you doesn't mean I can't get tired."

That was a jab if Natasha could ever spot one. She was _not_ old!

(Okay, maybe her hundredth birthday had passed in the past year or so...but that was still a low blow and Maggie _knew it._)

"Вы не оставляете мне выбора, любовь." _You leave me no choice, love._ Natasha's voice was calm..._too_ calm, Maggie knew. Natasha laid a hand on Maggie's shoulder. "I'm only doing this because I love you and want you to go far in life."

* * *

**7:04 AM**

Steve calmly sipped his coffee as he read through the paper, catching himself up on current events (though he generally always knew what was going on in the world due to his job). He was reading one interesting story when he heard a shriek of laughter from down the hall.

It didn't surprise him in the slightest; this was practically routine by now. When Maggie wouldn't get up, Natasha got creative. And by _creative, _Steve meant evil (to quote Maggie), as in resorting to _tickling _as a tactic.

The laughter continued for a few moments, and Steve resumed his morning reading.

* * *

**7:12 AM**

"I'm ready," Maggie yawned as she trudged into the kitchen, fully dressed for school, stopping at Steve's seat and slumping against him. "Ready to go back to _bed_."

He folded the daily paper up and set it down on the table, beside his coffee, and sympathetically laid a hand on Maggie's head. "Who taught you to say that?"

"Uncle Clint," Maggie said, yawning once more. "Can I have breakfast?"

"No, we were planning on starving you," Natasha said sarcastically as she entered the room, walking by Steve and Maggie to dig through their cabinets for food. They probably didn't have enough time to sit down and wait for Maggie to eat a whole bowl of cereal at this point, so they'd have to turn to unhealthy food; Natasha sighed to herself. "Do you want a PopTart?"

That got Maggie's spirits up. She immediately jumped up with an elated gasp. "_Yes_! Can you heat it up, too?"

"Of course, what's a room temperature PopTart?" Natasha murmured to herself as she retrieved the box of (special edition) Red Velvet-flavored PopTarts from the cabinet. "While I get it ready, go double-check with Daddy and make sure you have everything you need for school, Лапушка."

"'Kay!" Maggie chirped as Steve stood up. The two walked out of the kitchen while Natasha got to preparing Maggie's well-balanced breakfast.

* * *

**7:21 AM**

"Eat faster, Maggie; we have to leave soon!"

* * *

**7:22 AM**

"Steve, _no_, that doesn't mean _you start _eating...the PopTarts have been here all _morning_! You should have eaten _earlier_, when Maggie started...you've been up since _5:30_ this morning, you have no excuse!...we have to _leave _soon!"

* * *

**7:24 AM**

"Come on, people, car! Get in the car! Move it!"

* * *

**7:24 AM**

"I'm counting to ten, and you both had _better_ be in the car...yes, Steve, that includes you, even though you're driving."

* * *

**7:36 AM **

"Who's your friend who likes to play?"

"Bing Bong, Bing Bong!"

"His rocket makes you yell, _hooray_!"

"Bing Bong, Bing Bong!"

"Who's the best in every way, and wants to sing this song to say…"

"Bing Bong, Bing Bong!"

Natasha resisted the urge to unbuckle her seat belt, swing the car door open, and disembark the vehicle as quickly as she could. She loved Steve and Maggie, _really_, she did, but her love did _not _extend to the character, Bing Bong, and his song from the movie _Inside Out. _Maggie just _loved _to sing his song whenever they were stuck in traffic (which was pretty much everyday), and Steve encouraged it, both because he enjoyed _Inside Out _and he knew how much it drove Natasha up the wall.

"Okay, Daddy, this time I'll sing the words, and you sing Bing Bong's name," Maggie said from the backseat, smiling happily.

Steve nodded, momentarily meeting her eyes in the rear view mirror. "Yes, Ma'am."

Of course, they'd already done it this way plenty of times already...they had only been in the car for ten minutes or so, and, yet, the musical theatre seemed to have started _immediately_ upon Steve pulling out of the driveway.

Maggie cleared her throat very seriously. "Who's your friend that likes to play?"

Natasha closed her eyes and allowed her head to fall back against the seat; this was going to be a _long _car ride.

"Bing Bong, Bing Bong!" Steve glanced at Natasha. "Come on, Nat, _sing_!"

She was never giving them PopTarts (or anything sugary) for breakfast _again_.

* * *

**7:38 AM **

"Bing Bong, Bing Bong!"

"His rocket makes you yell, _hooray_!"

"Bing Bong, Bing Bong!"

* * *

**7:39 AM **

"Bing Bong, Bing Bong!"

* * *

**7:40 AM**

"Hehe, _again_, Daddy!"

"No, please, I beg of you…" Natasha mumbled weakly, leaning her head back against the seat in _pain_. "Please..._no more Bing Bong._ I'll take anything, _anything_ but that."

Steve raised a mischievous eyebrow. "_Anything_?"

She glared her warning at him.

* * *

**7:41 AM**

"...Keep your eyes, locked on mine, and let the music be your guide!"

While Maggie slow-danced with herself in the backseat, Steve swayed his shoulders from side to side and returned, "Won't you promise me?"

"That you'll never forget!"

"To keep dancing…"

"Wherever we go next!"

Natasha wondered when Maggie's first father-daughter dance would be. She was only in fourth grade now, which meant it probably wouldn't be for a long, _long_ time...but with their musical theatre going on in the car right now, Natasha wanted nothing more than to leave the two in a ballroom somewhere and continue on with her day _without _musical accompaniment.

(And she was _so done_ with the _High School Musical _trilogy after Tony had shown it to Maggie. _So done._)

"And with every step together, we'll just keep on getting better…"

"So, can I have this dance?"

Steve smiled over at Natasha.

Natasha made an expression akin to gagging.

Maggie and Steve moved onto the second verse with no care for her negativity.

* * *

**7:50 AM**

"Goodbye, Лапушка; have a good day!"

Maggie waved back to Natasha and Steve before turning around and hurrying into her school; Natasha sighed, relieved. No more Bing Bong, no more _High School Musical_, no more musical theatre for at least eight more hours.

Steve laughed, driving out of the school parking lot. "We didn't sound _that _bad."

"It had nothing to do with how you sounded; it was the _repetitiveness_ of it all that drove me up the wall…"

"You know you love it," Steve insisted, and Natasha rolled her eyes.

"Work now. Sing later. Up and at 'em, Cap."

* * *

**8:12 AM**

"Who's your friend that likes to…"

Steve stopped his soft singing when a hand slammed down on the table beside his tablet, accompanied with an aggressive blur of red and green. He swallowed nervously, pushing himself a little farther back into his chair.

Natasha stared down at him, eyes ablaze and irate. "_Don't you fucking dare_," she hissed.

"It's not my fault it's stuck in my head," Steve said in protest, raising his hands from the table to appear innocent. "It's Disney's fault for making such a good movie!"

"Technically, it's _Pixar_, but...oh, my God, I can't believe I'm even having this conversation." Natasha shook her head, loosening up and relaxing her hold on his desk. "Just, please, _finish_ your files today _without_ singing."

"Aww." Steve frowned, pushing his bottom lip out and furrowing his brow in an adorable pout (meaning he and Maggie must have been practicing their mastery of the Rogers Pouty Face recently).

But Natasha was _strong_. She could handle their pouty faces like _nothing_.

"Less complaining, more working, chop chop," she said, walking away, chin raised and hips swaying. The _pride _from her ability to stand up to Steve and Maggie's pitiful faces was evident.

She left his office, and Steve sighed. Okay, maybe starting to sing the Bing Bong song while Natasha had still been _inside _of his workspace was a _pretty _bad idea. He should have waited until now, once she was out of earshot, to do it.

"Bing Bong, Bing Bong…"

His phone buzzed. A text message.

It read: _shut the fuck up rogers _

Following: _yes I can hear you singing that damn song from a distance so stop it now_

Steve decided to wait until later, when he would be safe from Natasha's wrath by hiding behind Maggie's childlike innocence and enthusiasm, to return to paying homage to the great Bing Bong.

* * *

**9:24 AM**

_Man! I need recess _now_! _Maggie thought to herself as she worked through an English worksheet. _I can't wait fifteen minutes!_

* * *

**9:42 AM **

Natasha was _bored. _

This was exactly why desk work had never been her thing. The job consisted of files upon files _upon files_ of work, which was _very _boring.

Of course, now wasn't really a good time to be bored. Fury, sitting across from her, was droning on and on about some mission he needed her and Clint to do, how they should try to _not _get deported from small European countries this time, stay out of trouble, _blah blah blah_.

Maria Hill was sitting on one side of Natasha, and Phil Coulson on the other; they appeared to be much more enamored with whatever Fury was saying than her. Phil was even taking notes (though, that may be because any bad things done by Clint and Natasha on missions would fall back Phil, since he was their handler).

Natasha made the executive decision to spend her time folding papers from old files into origami cranes. Her mastery of the Japanese art had always impressed Steve, and later Maggie, so, in Natasha's opinion, it was a _pretty _productive way to spend her time.

"Romanoff," Fury said, pulling her eyes up from her hands, "please don't stir up trouble in Scotland. _Again_."

"It was only _one_ time," Natasha said, her focus already returned to her origami. "Besides, it was Clint's fault; shouldn't you be telling _him_ to stay in line?"

"I'm telling _you_ so you keep _him_ in line," Fury replied, looking to Phil. "Please keep them in line."

"I try, sir, really, I do," Phil sighed, glancing at Natasha in exasperation. She shrugged.

"After that," Maria said, pulling everyone's eyes to her, "we need the Avengers for a mission. So try to make this quick."

"Yes, sir, Hill." Natasha held up her latest paper crane, frowning slightly. "It looks a little..._off_, don't you think?"

"I think the left wing is a little longer than the right," Maria advised, pointing at her observation. "It's not very noticeable, though."

"I can't believe this is considered a professional, business meeting," Fury sighed, shaking his head. Phil offered him a sympathetic smile.

* * *

**11:11 AM**

Natasha almost pulled out her gun, aimed at her phone, and fired, when it vibrated at 11:11.

As she expected, it was Tony: _IT'S 11:11 HA I WIN LOSERS I CAUGHT IT FIRST MAKE A WISH BITCHES_

Clint: _I'm going to block you Tony_

Natasha, tempted, held her thumb just over the _block_ button on Tony's contact. If it weren't for emergency contact purposes...

* * *

**11:38 AM**

Natasha's phone buzzed in her pocket. She curiously pulled it out, wondering who could have messaged her: was it Pepper with surprise lunch plans? or Tony with a new, annoying joke? maybe Clint with a plan on how to, as he so eloquently put it, fuck shit up in Scotland?

As she read the name of the sender, she smiled to herself; that would explain the romantic content of the message.

It read: _Meet me on the roof at noon. :-)_

She wondered what Steve had in mind. Was this his way of asking her out to lunch?

* * *

**12:02 PM**

"You're late."

"You're too persnickety."

"Persnickety?" Steve echoed, eyebrows raised. "You need to work on your comebacks, Romanoff."

"Touche, Cap," Natasha said, walking across the tile of the roof to stand beside him. They stood together at the railing, looking over the city. "I was only _two _minutes late."

"Excuse?"

"Paperwork," she supplied effortlessly. "What's up with your vague text? If you want to have a lunch date, just ask; we've been married for a while, in case you've forgotten."

He just smiled. "I was inspired this morning to make lunch more exciting."

She blinked, then groaned. "I swear, if this has anything to do with _Bing Bong_…"

"Not that," Steve reassured her, taking one of her hands in his. "I was more inspired by the _High School Musical_ part of the morning."

It was then that Natasha took it all in: Maggie and Steve's duet of "Can I Have This Dance?", the rooftop, a vague message to meet Steve here..._Christ, Rogers is such a sap. _

"This is the cheesiest thing you've ever done," she said, walking away from the railing and pulling him with her. The smile on her face only grew as she turned back to face him. "I love it."

"I'm glad. So, can I have this dance?"

Natasha cleared her throat, grasping Steve's other hand. "Take my hand, take a breath…"

* * *

**12:46 PM**

"Coulson, have you seen Rogers or Romanoff? They were supposed to be back from their lunch break ten minutes ago."

Phil hardly spared Maria a glance as she entered his office. His tablet held his complete attention. "They appear to be pretty busy. And cute. _Painfully _cute. Come look."

"What?" Maria cocked her head to one side, walking around Phil's desk and looking over his shoulder at the screen. She smiled at the sight. "Aww, they've been dancing for forty-five minutes? That's cute."

"_Painfully_ cute," Phil reminded.

Maria nodded. "_So _painful. Let me guess, they're also singing that _High School Musical_ song?"

"Yep."

"Damn."

* * *

**12:55 PM**

Natasha smiled against Steve's lips. "You know, we've been out here for a while."

Steve pressed his forehead against her. "So?"

"_So_, I think we put on a show for Coulson, Hill, and the rest of S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Too bad. I've been having dancing withdrawals."

She laughed. "'Dancing withdrawals'? I have to admit, I never thought I'd hear you say that."

"There's a first for everything."

* * *

**12:59 PM**

Maggie laughed as she ran through the playground, kicking wood chips up with her thundering steps. She grabbed onto a pole supporting one part of the play structure, hiding behind it.

"I bet Marie will never find me here!" she called out loud as said second grader approached, giggling at the sight of Maggie's poor hiding spot.

"I can see you, Maggie!" Marie announced, lunging forward and tapping Maggie's arm before Maggie could escape. "Tag! You're it!"

"Oh no!" Callie poked her head out from a nearby slide. She pulled the rest of her body out so she could stand on the ground. "Come on, Marie, run! Before Maggie gets you!"

Marie broke into another fit of giggles as she dodged Maggie's first (poor) attempt at tagging her. Maggie playfully groaned in frustration, lumbering behind Marie as she ran to Callie.

"Save me, Callie! The monster's coming!"

"Hey!" Maggie huffed as Callie laughed. "I'm not a _monster_!"

"Hurry, Callie, the monster's _talking_!"

Maggie actually _growled_ at that; Callie and Marie laughed as they ran away together.

* * *

**1:32 PM**

"Look who decided to _finally _return from their lunch break," May said as Natasha and Steve walked by her office, hand in hand. Natasha stopped at the door when May spoke.

"That's the closest I've had to a date in _months_. Usually, we have a third-wheeler with us when we try to go out," Natasha said, putting her free hand on her hip.

"Good thing you have an army of babysitters ready, waiting for the signal to pounce," May quipped without looking up from her tablet. "Now, shoo, I'm busy _working_, unlike _some _people…"

"Boo, you whore," Natasha teased, sticking her tongue out and walking away. As she dragged Steve away, May heard him ask, "Why did you call May a whore?"

May heard Natasha reply, "_Ten _years, Steve. We've been married for _ten years_, and you _still _can't understand _Mean Girls _references? God, I can't wait until Maggie's old enough to watch it with me; at least _she'll _get my jokes."

* * *

**2:22 PM**

Steve sighed as he read the time and looked to his phone, which, as expected, vibrated from its spot on his desk.

He hadn't been paying much attention to his 'Avengers Group Chat' all day, but, of course, Tony had, as Tony _always _had.

And Tony now said: _WOWEE I CAUGHT 11:11 EARLIER AND NOW 2:22 I AM SO LUCKY GUYS_

Steve laughed at Natasha's response: _Tony you are now blocked on my phone so please send any urgent message you have for me through Steve thank you :-) _

Tony: _party pooper _

* * *

**2:31 PM **

"Romanoff, Rogers, I need you here for the rest of the day."

Natasha and Steve both looked back at Fury, expressions akin to children caught with their hands in the cookie jar. They had just been on their way out for the day, Steve with car keys in hand and Natasha with her purse hanging on her arm, when Fury caught up to them. _Damn it. _

"There are some missions that need your consulting."

"They need our consulting from _here_?" Natasha asked with a disappointed sigh. Every day Steve and Natasha worked at S.H.I.E.L.D. while Maggie was in school, 2:30 was the time they made a mad dash to the garage, trying to get out of work as quietly and quickly as possible so they could just grab Maggie and go home before someone noticed. But Fury, despite his lack of two functioning eyes, always seemed to be watching them.

"Agents Skye and Morse just returned from their missions, and they wanted to meet with you two," Fury explained.

Steve studied Fury for a moment. "They just want to see Maggie, right?"

Fury _almost _smiled. "That may have been part of it."

Of course. Steve and Natasha, Captain America and Black Widow, made great and exciting company, always. Until their kid came around. Then _she _was, apparently, the best person to spend time with.

Natasha crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, as long as _someone _gets her and brings her here, then fine."

* * *

**3:04 PM **

"Lemonade!" _Clap, clap clap! _"Crunchy ice!" _Clap, clap, clap! _"Beat it once!" _Clap, clap, clap! _"Beat it twice!" _Clap, clap, clap! _"Lemonade, crunchy ice, beat it once, beat it twice, turn around, touch the ground, kick your boyfriend out of town, and _freeze_!"

Marie watched in amazement as Maggie and Callie froze, in accordance to their little hand clap game; she wondered which of them would win. Maggie was always fidgety and couldn't sit still for long, but Callie wasn't really any better. How long would they last?

The two determined pairs of blue eyes were locked onto each other, neither Maggie nor Callie looking close to giving up.

But Marie wasn't going to stare at them stare at each other for long. She pointed to somewhere random in the classroom. "Hey! Look! A butterfly!"

"Not gonna work, Marie," Callie insisted, still staring Maggie down.

"You'll have to do better than that to distract me," Maggie gloated, returning Callie's burning gaze.

Marie scratched her head. What if they stared at each other _forever_? Was that possible? Could a person really stare at _one thing _for the rest of their _life_?

"Callie! Marie! It's time to go home!"

"Mommy!" Marie squealed happily as their mother walked up to them. She ran between Maggie and Callie, pushing them both aside and breaking their focus.

"Aw, Marie! You messed us up!" Callie groaned as she looked to her mother approaching with Marie already in her arms.

"Interference!" Maggie said, pointing at Marie. "That means it's a tie. We hafta finish it later."

"I wanna know who wins!" Marie said excitedly.

"Hi, Mom," Callie greeted at the same time Maggie said, "Hi, Mrs. Pierce!"

"Hello, girls. Callie, grab your things; Maggie, I saw your uncle outside on my way, so you'll be leaving in a few minutes."

That didn't surprise Maggie too much; her parents often got held up by some sort of desk work (they always told her beforehand either in person or through a message delivered via the phone by her teacher if they were leaving on a mission while she was in school). She nodded. "Okay."

Marie was still thinking of their game. "Mommy, can you stare at someone _forever_?"

"No way; that's _impossible_." Callie shook her head, grabbing her backpack from her desk. "Bye, Maggie."

Maggie caught Callie in a quick hug. "Bye, Cals."

* * *

**3:31 PM **

"Skye!"

"Maggie!"

"Skye!"

"Maggie!"

"_Skye_!"

"_Maggie_!"

May sighed as Maggie and Skye continued to scream at each other from opposite ends of the hallway, taking their sweet time in meeting each other in the middle with a hug; though she couldn't see them because she was sitting in her office, May could definitely _hear _them. Maggie apparently liked doing things in 'slow-motion' lately, so she and Skye were pretending their movements were actually slowed.

But that was the _opposite _of the truth. May could hardly keep track of Skye and Maggie most times; they ran off so far so quickly, it was almost _impossible_ some days.

After a few more seconds of unnecessary shrieking of the other's name, Skye and Maggie _finally _united in the middle, just outside May's door, throwing their arms around each other as if they'd missed each other for _years. _In reality, it had only been a few weeks, but May could see how that would feel like an eternity for Maggie, a nine year old (and Skye, a full-grown, but impatient, adult).

"I missed you, Skye," Maggie giggled into Skye's chest.

Skye ruffled Maggie's hair. "I missed you, too, kid. But, hey, I picked up some cool stuff for you from the places I went to! Wanna see?"

Maggie pulled out of the hug and grabbed Skye's hand. "Yes, please! Please, please, please!" She happily bounced up and down.

"I bet you can't guess where I went," Skye challenged as she led Maggie away.

"The North Pole!" Maggie guessed enthusiastically. May chuckled to herself.

"We need to work on your guessing skills."

* * *

**4:04 PM **

Steve didn't like being the party pooper. Really, he didn't, but Natasha was in another meeting with Fury, Maria, and a few other agents, so that left him in charge of ensuring Maggie completed her homework for the next day.

He practically dragged his feet on the way to Phil's office, where he knew Maggie would be - with Skye, and other members of the Bus team as well, of course.

When he walked down the respective hallway, he didn't even need to use his _eyes _to find Phil's office; the loud music flowing out through one of the office doors was a telltale sign of who currently occupied that room.

Knocking once, Steve didn't wait for an answer from inside before swinging the door open and walking in. Phil was sitting at his desk, reading something on his tablet, while Skye and Maggie were dancing in the middle of the room, swinging each other around. Bobbi, meanwhile, was sitting on the couch, chatting with FitzSimmons about their latest project down in the labs.

Steve wasn't sure how everyone else was able to do their work (Phil) or have a conversation (Bobbi and FitzSimmons) while Maggie and Skye had a radio playing music so loudly. Maggie looked up at him, over her shoulder, as he closed the door behind him.

"Hi, Daddy!" she greeted, giggling as Skye spun her once more. "We're dancing!"

"I can see that," Steve said, walking over to Phil's desk. The latter looked up at Steve when he approached, and simply shrugged his shoulders; who was he to stop the combined forces of Skye and Maggie?

Fortunately, the song, which Steve couldn't identify, ended, and Skye released Maggie with a sigh. "Phew, kid, I'm beat. Let's take a water break."

Phil lowered the volume on the radio by several increments; Steve offered Maggie a sympathetic smile. "Actually, it's time for a homework break."

Both Skye and Maggie groaned at that, even though only one of them had homework to do. Maggie frowned. "Aw, Daddy…"

"You can play with Skye more after we finish up your homework," he promised. Phil nodded at Skye from behind Steve, and she backed off.

"I'll still be around later, kid; don't worry. You can't get rid of me _that _easily." Skye winked, causing Maggie to giggle. "For now, though, you need to do your school work so you can get good grades and take over the world when you grow up."

Steve withheld a groan at that idea; he would expect nothing less of Maggie trying such a thing, and of Skye putting the idea in her head in the first place. "Skye's right; you gotta do your homework before you can do world denomination. Come on."

As he held a hand out to her, Maggie returned the gesture, looking at him with a questioning gaze. "What's denomination mean?"

* * *

**4:29 PM **

"I hate science; it's so _boring_."

"Come on, Mags, science is _fascinating_! That's how Uncle Tony built his Iron Man suit, and all the fun experiments FitzSimmons, Uncle Tony, and Uncle Brucie do…"

"It's still boring."

* * *

**4:43 PM **

"I hate math."

"It's hard, I know, but you just have to keep trying…"

* * *

**4:53 PM **

"I hate English."

"I thought it was your favorite subject? Because you get to read?"

"I don't like _this _English; I hate worksheets."

* * *

**5:44 PM **

Natasha sighed happily as she opened the door to Steve's office, relieved to finally be out of mission meeting hell. Now she was free to round up her family and head home for the day...of course, only to repeat the whole cycle once more the next day.

Steve was sitting at his desk, reading over Maggie's school books - an action Natasha recognized as Steve checking over her homework. Neither he nor Natasha minded reading through Maggie's school work for mistakes; since they both had much different educational backgrounds (or lack thereof), they found Maggie's curriculum each year interesting.

Meanwhile, on the floor between the door and Steve's desk, Maggie, Skye, Bobbi, and May were all playing Apples to Apples.

"What do you mean brains aren't _cute_?" Bobbi asked Skye, frowning in disagreement. "You wouldn't even be able to _judge _if things were cute or not if you didn't have a brain!"

Skye held the much coveted green card far from Bobbi's grasp. "That doesn't mean brains _themselves _look cute. In fact, they look creepy to me."

"That's why you should choose George Washington!" Maggie suggested, pointing at the card she'd submitted to Skye in that turn. "He's the cutest president!"

"Ew, he's, like, three hundred years old." Skye wrinkled her nose.

"_Way _too old for you, young lady," May said, glancing back at Natasha as if to say, _we're supposed to stop girls from dating older boys, right? That's how the parenting thing works? _

Natasha just smirked back, letting the door close behind her as she walked over to the group. "Though age is but a number, I have to agree there."

Bobbi leaned closer to Maggie. "She's just saying that because she's, like, a hundred years old, like your dad," she stage-whispered, causing Skye to cackle, May to grin, Natasha to look (playfully) offended, and Maggie's eyes to widen.

"_Really_, Bobbi?" Maggie gaped, looking at Bobbi in shock.

"Yeah, just ask her."

"She's proof that old things can still look cute," Steve chimed in from the background, causing everyone to giggle and Natasha to sigh.

"Touche, Captain Casanova." She placed a hand on Maggie's head. "It's time to hit the road for the day, kiddo."

"Aww, but I need to beat Agent May!" Maggie protested, gesturing to May's impressive collection of green cards. "I can't let her win!"

"I can't believe she wins every time," Skye grumbled, looking at her own measly number of green cards, three to May's intimidating ten. "We should make her the permanent judge."

"You can't be good at everything, Skye," May said faux-sympathetically.

"Says the person who's good at everything." Bobbi rolled her eyes, tossing her cards into the middle pile. "Said person can also clean up the game."

"Yeah, winner cleans up!" Skye agreed, adding her cards to the pile. Maggie did the same, and the three of them all stood up while May returned everything to the box.

"Daddy, did you finish checking my homework?" Maggie inquired as she skipped up to his desk. Natasha, meanwhile, gathered up her backpack, and smiled gratefully as Skye and Bobbi helped her get the rest of Maggie's things together.

"Just about. You got mostly everything right; there are just a few things we need to go over when we get home," Steve answered, organizing all of her homework back into respective folders.

"Yay!" Maggie threw her hands up victoriously.

"I wish I was that smart," Skye huffed, handing Maggie's Avengers-themed lunchbox to Natasha. "I'm telling you, you're going to take over the world some day."

"Don't encourage her," Natasha sighed.

* * *

**6:56 PM **

"Dinner will be ready in a few minutes, Лапушка; go wash your hands."

"Okay, Mama, but don't let Daddy get his food first, 'cause he'll eat it all!"

Maggie looked very concerned about that happening, which made Natasha laugh a little. She waved Maggie's concerns off with her hand. "I've got your back, kid; just go get ready."

Steve shook his head as he set three plates down on the table. "I can't believe she doesn't trust me."

"_I _can believe it; I don't trust you either. Not after that one time you ate everything. You're getting your food _last_."

* * *

**9:35 PM **

Maggie had spent the rest of her evening after dinner watching Disney channel with Natasha while Steve did some chores (like the dishes, laundry, other general cleaning tasks…). Eventually, Natasha got Maggie to take a shower and assisted in combing Maggie's hair out, while Maggie tried to not fall asleep.

She finally gave into her drowsiness on the couch, drifting off while leaning against Natasha's arm. Natasha allowed her to sleep for a few minutes as she waited for Steve to return from their room in his pajamas.

When he did, he smiled at the sight on the couch. "Looks like hanging out with the others at S.H.I.E.L.D. tired her out."

"We should utilize them more often," Natasha agreed, looking down at Maggie's peaceful expression. "Can you grab her?"

Steve leaned over and collected Maggie in his arms, allowing Natasha to stretch her own stiff limbs out and stand. He laid a hand on Maggie's back as she leaned her head against his shoulder. "I wonder what tomorrow will bring."

That was something Steve and Natasha often said and thought to each other every night - their lives as superheroes were so eventful and unpredictable, having a kid only made it more so. Each day, there was chaos, but in a good, fulfilling way; there were new adventures to embark on daily.

"Who knows?" Natasha said, standing beside him and watching Maggie sleep. "There are so many variables, it's impossible to know."

They began to walk down the hall to Maggie's room, maintaining a peaceful, reverent silence as they reflected on their days. Even though waking up was hard (as usual), there were high, excitable moments that kept everyone energized and involved as the long hours of the work/school day dragged on, and Natasha and Steve knew the following day would be no different.

Maybe Maggie would make a new friend. Maybe Fury would actually let Steve and Natasha get away with leaving work at 2:30. Maybe someone other than Melinda May would finally win Apples to Apples.

As Steve carefully laid Maggie down in her bed and Natasha tucked her in, they shared a smile. Today had been a success, today was good, today they were happy.

And surely tomorrow would be another fine day.

* * *

**A/N: **This chapter turned into a lot of Romanogers fluff, didn't it? I'm not even sorry, I just love Steve and Nat so much. Also, in case you were wondering, yes, I am, in fact, _High School Musical _trash.

Also, I had a fun time the other day! I attended an anime convention. :D I cosplayed Natasha, and I'm thinking of changing my profile picture to this pic my best friend took of me in my cosplay, hehe...which brings me to this week's incredibly generic icebreaker question: **Who is your favorite Avenger and why? **I think the answer for me is pretty obvious...but in case it isn't: **_NATASHA ROMANOFF  
_**


	70. First Friend

**A/N:** Woo! We made it through another week, guys! And I managed to answer another prompt. :] Well, at least, this opens the door for this prompt to be further explored in the future; I love the Lang family and everyone in _Ant-Man_, so they'll be around more, for sure, in the future!

Thanks for the reviews last week! It appears we've hit a bit of a dormant period with favorites and follows, hmm...well, let me just take this time, then, to give an extra special thanks to all of you who have been around all this time, whether it be since the very beginning or just two weeks ago! I LOVE YOU ALL! :D

* * *

**Daniel6: Maggie and Cassie Lang meet **

* * *

"Wait up, Cassie!"

But Cassie Lang couldn't wait up for her father; she was at the real-life _Avengers' Facility_! She'd never been before, despite her dad's work with Earth's Mightiest Heroes for years now, and the feeling of being there was just so _exciting. _

Sliding to a quick stop at one of the large windows, she spotted a group of recruits jogging in formation together outside, on the grass. It held her attention for a moment before she saw a large figure standing at the end of the hall.

It was _Thor_!

Amazed, Cassie ran up to Thor with a gleeful smile, stopping just in front of him. He looked down at her with a curious expression.

"Hi, Mr. Thor!" she greeted, grabbing one of his large hands in her own tiny fingers. "I'm Cassie! My Daddy is Ant-Man!"

Thor immediately smiled, and knelt down to her level and shaking her hand. "It's an honor to meet you, Lady Cassie."

Scott finally caught up with a groan. "Come on, Peanut, I told you _I'd _give you a tour; you need to stop running off at everything you see!"

Cassie looked up at him with an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Daddy; I'm just so _excited_! Look, I already met Thor!" She held up their joined hands for proof.

Gentle laughter came from Thor. "I admire your daughter's spirit, Ant-Man; she is small, but mighty." Scott smirked, knowing how Cassie would react to Thor's words.

"I'm not small, I'm _nine_," she protested, retracting her hand so she could cross her arms over her chest.

"My apologies, Lady Cassie," Thor said. Cassie looked a _little _pleased at that.

Scott just shook his head. "Hey, Thor. Long time no see."

"Aye, it has been far too long," Thor replied happily. "It is an honor to finally meet your child."

"Well, I figured it was time she got to see what I've been up to for these past couple of years," Scott said, placing a hand on Cassie's head. "She loves the Avengers, so she's been asking about visiting for a while now."

"You told me I could be friends with all of 'em," Cassie reminded Scott, looking up at him. "You pinky promised."

Thor laughed a little again, and Scott offered her a reassuring smile. "You will, Peanut, you will. Just be patient; everyone's really busy, so we'll just have to see…"

The door behind Thor's large form opened, revealing Tony Stark and Steve Rogers. Or, to Cassie, Iron Man and Captain America.

She _squealed_ in excitement, startling Tony but not surprising Steve. (What could he say? He had a particularly loud child of his own; he was used to the sudden, sharp noises.) Tony had to take a moment to compose himself while Thor stepped over to the side, giving the two newcomers room to see Scott and Cassie.

She pointed at Steve. "You're Captain America!" She turned her finger to Tony next. "You're Iron Man!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know, it's really cool, but that's no reason to scream…" Tony grumbled as he massaged his ear with his fingers.

"This must be your daughter." Steve smiled politely at her, and Cassie returned the happy expression shyly.

Tony looked at Scott. "Lang, why weren't _you _this excited when you met us?"

"Ha, ha, ha, like you needed me to boost your ego for you." Scott rolled his eyes. "Anyway, fellas, this is my daughter, Cassie."

"She is not small, she's nine," Thor said with a small grin. "She told me herself."

"Hi!" She waved.

Steve knelt down in front of her. "So, you're Cassie, huh? Your dad tells us about you all the time."

Cassie's eyes practically sparkled. "Really?"

"Yes, really," Steve said. "We've been looking forward to meeting you for a really long time!"

"Me, too! Daddy pinky promised that he would let me meet the Avengers." Cassie frowned at Scott. "I've been waiting a _really_ long time…"

Scott looked exasperated. "I pinky promised _last week_!"

"She's good at keeping you on your toes, Scotty," Tony observed with an amused smirk. "I like her."

Cassie beamed. "I like you, too, Mr. Iron Man!"

"_And _she has good manners. You're not too shabby of a parent, Lang, I gotta hand it to you; I thought you would've raised her just like an ant."

"Very funny, Stark."

While Scott and Tony exchanged sarcastic remarks, Cassie turned back to Steve in front of her. "Mr. Captain America, is Mrs. Black Widow here?"

Steve immediately thought back to where he'd last seen Natasha, trying to convince Maggie to eat lunch as peacefully and efficiently as possible. Of course, that was a challenge for any three year old, so Natasha had looked ready to sit down with her for a long time when he'd walked out to discuss the training progress of the recruits with Maria.

But that was a while ago, so Steve wasn't too sure about what Natasha may be up to now. She was around here somewhere for sure, though. "She is. Do you like her?"

Cassie nodded fervently. "She's my favorite Avenger; I _love _her!"

Steve couldn't help but smile at that. "So do I."

She regarded Steve with curious eyes at that. "My Daddy said you and Mrs. Black Widow love each other a lot, like him and Hopie. Is it true?"

He had been wondering if Cassie knew about his and Natasha's relationship. Well, by this point, it was much more than a _relationship_ \- it was a very serious commitment that included a child.

"Yeah, it's true," Steve answered after a moment. "We even have a little girl like you."

That seemed to make Cassie's day. Her face lit up with the most beautiful smile. "Oh, can I meet her? Can we be friends? _Please_? What's her name? How old is she?"

The flurry of questions made Steve laugh. "Sure, Cassie, you can meet her. Her name's Maggie, and she's only three, so she's still pretty little. But I'm sure she'd like to be your friend."

The new subject of their conversation had captured Scott's attention, as he was watching them attentively. At Steve's words, he sent Steve a partially apologetic, partially appreciative, smile, which Steve shrugged in reply to; it really wasn't a big deal, and, besides, Maggie should probably have _some _friends who aren't just adults.

(And, Steve could almost picture Natasha saying innocently, but thoughtfully, because of the age difference between Cassie and Maggie, he was basically recruiting a future babysitter right now.)

Scott placed a hand on Cassie's shoulder. "I guess any kids of any Avengers should get to be friends, right?"

"They will grow to be the next generation of heroes," Thor said.

"I don't want to think about that yet," Steve sighed, and Scott nodded in agreement.

"Oh, yeah, Daddy, you're still s'posed to show me how to talk to the ants," Cassie said. "You and Hopie pinky promised!"

Scott groaned, looking at Steve. "My first piece of advice for raising a daughter: don't teach her what a pinky promise is."

* * *

"Mama, I wanna watch _Frozen_," Maggie said, swinging her legs in the large chair she was sitting on at the dining table. After about an hour of goofing off between each bite of fruit, Maggie had grown bored of eating lunch and Natasha decided enough was enough.

Which was why she was washing the dishes now in the usually unused kitchen. This area in the Avengers' Facility was reserved just for Avengers themselves when they were staying over; it included multiple bedrooms and a lounge area with a kitchen.

And, of course, there was a large TV on the wall, courtesy of Tony Stark, which Maggie was pointing at with a recently cleaned hand, hoping Natasha would fulfill her movie request.

Natasha shut off the water and wiped her hands on a paper towel, throwing it away when she was done. She returned to the table, standing next to Maggie's chair. "Can you say 'please'?"

"Please, Mama?" Maggie asked, pushing herself up to her feet on the chair. Natasha took the cue to lift her into the arms and hold her, smiling at the amended request.

"Thank you for saying 'please'; yes, we can watch _Frozen_," Natasha assured Maggie, walking them over to the couch in front of the TV. "You just have to be patient and wait while I get it set up, okay?"

"'Kay," Maggie said obediently as Natasha set her down on the couch.

Before Natasha could turn on the television, she heard the door open. She turned to it, expecting to see Steve return from his meeting, but raised an eyebrow when she saw Scott Lang instead.

"I didn't know you were here today, Lang," she said, watching Maggie, out of the corner of her eye, curiously move to the side of the couch and push herself up on the arm to see who had interrupted her daily dosage of _Frozen. _(Yes, you read correctly: _daily. _Natasha wasn't sure how Maggie managed to _not _hate this movie yet.)

Maggie didn't really recognize Scott, so she continued to stare at him; she hadn't met him very many times before, and she was young enough that new people didn't stick in her memory very well unless they were a consistent presence.

"Yeah, well, I pinky promised my kid I'd show her around here," Scott admitted, stopping just a few feet away from the door. "So, I'm warning you now: you've got incoming."

Natasha hardly had time to recall every piece of information she'd mentally stored on Cassie Lang before she heard the young, small voice speaking at an excited speed. Accompanying the voice was the girl, Cassie, dragging Steve into the room by the hand. He looked amused, but not too taken off guard, given his own experience with energetic children.

"It's really her! Mrs. Black Widow!" Cassie said excitedly when she saw Natasha standing there. She came to an abrupt stop, causing Steve to nearly stumble in his attempt to not topple over on top of her. Scott smiled, almost apologetically, as Cassie released Steve's hand to approach Natasha. "You're my favorite Avenger!"

Said Avenger shifted a bit uncomfortably at the attention, but took it in stride. Only in recent years had she begun to accept the admiration and praise from the little kids who would shower her with love like this. "You must be Cassie."

Cassie nodded. "Yep! My Daddy's Ant-Man…" She trailed off as she caught sight of Maggie on the couch and gasped happily. "Is that Maggie?"

Natasha sent Steve a questioning expression, silently asking him when Cassie had learned about Maggie (not that she really minded at this point, as Scott had proved himself a worthy teammate many times over). He shrugged in reply, wordlessly promising to fill her in later.

"Yes, that's Maggie," Scott said, walking up behind Cassie. "Careful now, Peanut; Maggie's still like a baby, so you have to be gentle-"

"She's so _cute_!" Cassie bounced up and down, darting around Natasha and to the couch where Maggie was sitting. Maggie made a surprised noise as Cassie suddenly pulled her into a hug. "She looks just like Mrs. Black Widow!"

The name amused Natasha, but it was a bit too..._formal. _"You can just call me Natasha, Cassie."

"Okay, Mrs. Natasha," Cassie amended, hugging Maggie tightly to her chest. Maggie seemed neither pleased nor upset, just _confused. _

"Alright, Cass, loosen up a bit, you might suffocate her-"

"Wait! I didn't even introduce myself yet," Cassie suddenly remembered, lightening her hold on Maggie a little so she could make eye contact with her. "Okay, Maggie - do you know who Ant-Man is?"

"Ants?" Maggie echoed, confused.

"No, no, not just ants - Ant-_Man_. That guy over there. Oh, whatever, I'm his daughter, Cassie! Can you say 'Cassie'?"

"Cassie."

The avid hugging resumed. Cassie giggled gleefully, while Maggie looked a little more aware of what was going on. "I love you so much already! Let's be best friends forever!"

"Maggie," Natasha said, gathering Maggie's attention, "can you say 'I love you, Cassie'?"

Maggie blinked before turning back to Cassie's light brown hair (her face was behind Maggie's head, since they were in such a tight embrace). She pet Cassie's hair with a small hand and happy smile. "I love you, Cassie!"

Cassie leaned back so she could see Maggie's face once more. "I love you, too! Oh, Daddy, can we keep her? I always wanted a little sister!"

"Sorry, Peanut, but that's not how this works-"

"I'm gonna adopt Maggie! Maggie, how does that sound? Do you wanna come live with me? I'll share all my toys with you, and you can learn how to talk to the ants, too!"

Maggie wasn't sure how to respond to that, so she didn't say anything; Steve and Natasha shared a look for a moment before laughing at Cassie's sudden passionate love for Maggie.

Scott, meanwhile, looked flustered. He stood beside Cassie with a conflicted expression. "We can't just take Maggie from her parents, Cassie. Think of how much Maggie would miss them."

"I'm gonna keep her," Cassie insisted, squishing Maggie's face against her own. "You can't stop me!"

"But it'll make Steve and Natasha sad, too; they'll miss Maggie a lot. Just like you miss me when I'm at work," Scott continued, hoping his words were making sense. "You don't want all of them to feel like that all the time, do you?"

Cassie thought it over for a few moments before sighing in defeat. "No, I don't want them to be sad."

Wanting to help Scott out, Steve walked over to help. He sat down on the couch beside Cassie and Maggie. "You can come play with Maggie whenever you want, Cassie; we'll be happy to have you."

"Future babysitter," Natasha murmured to herself, just loud enough for Scott to hear and chuckle at.

"Okay...and Maggie can come to my house when she wants to, too," Cassie said very seriously.

"Of course."

"Then we can grow up to become Avengers together!" Cassie said, lifting Maggie's little arms in the air. Maggie giggled.

"Not for a long time, thank God," Scott sighed.

"Well, for now, Maggie was saying she wanted to watch _Frozen_ right before you guys came," Natasha said, walking over to the TV and looking at the group on the couch. "Cassie, would you like to join us?"

"Yes! I love _Frozen_! Anna is my favorite princess," Cassie said happily. Scott gestured for her to let go of Maggie for a moment and sit back against the couch while Steve lifted Maggie onto her lap, and Cassie's arms snaked around her waist. "I'm gonna sing all the songs! So is my Daddy!"

Scott raised a hand in protest. "I nominate Steve as the resident singer for all of the male singing parts today, since I'm sure he does it for Maggie all the time."

Before Steve could escape, Cassie turned to him with cheerful curiosity. "Mr. Steve, you can sing?"

"Oh, yes, he loves to sing Kristoff's parts," Natasha said mischievously. "Maybe he can be Kristoff while you're dad is Olaf."

Both Steve and Scott groaned while Cassie said, "That's a _great _idea! Right, Maggie?"

"Right," she chirped loyally, not really sure what she was agreeing to but liking it because it made Cassie sound so excited. Even though Maggie couldn't recognize it then, she'd made her first real friend.

* * *

**A/N:** Cheesy ending is cheesy, I can't deny it! Haha, I can't wait to see more of Scott and Cassie in future MCU installments. For now, though, I've done the mental math in my head, and if we maintain this non-canon timeline I've got going on for this fic, Cassie is about 6 years older than Maggie. So, yes, future babysitter material! ;)**  
**

I've never had a babysitter other than my grandparents, though, so for the icebreaker, I ask instead: **How/when did you make your first friend? **Or, like, the first one you remember, haha...my first memories are of my two close friends in kindergarten, and I'm not really sure what we did to connect besides play with each other on the first day of school? I dunno man, I was a huge crybaby back then, so maybe they were part of the "tasked by the teacher to get that one girl to stop crying all day" squad (I'm pretty sure that was a thing). XD


	71. Reckless

**A/N: **Sorry not sorry this one's shorter than usual, guys! School's been, well, _school_, lately, so writing time is hard to come by. I'm just glad that I'm still managing to come back every weekend! But I'm not so sure about next weekend - I'll be gone for most of next week for a school thing, and I'm not sure if the reflective time during then will grant me motivation to write or not. We'll see.

Anywho! We're back at pre-baby Romanogers this week, kind of going off the same theme as a chapter a few weeks ago. I tried to keep the mood light, though, so this one shouldn't be too sad! Just fluffy.

Thanks for all the faves, follows, and reviews! We upped the numbers a little last week, so that's awesome! AAAAND WE REACHED 450 REVIEWS! Amazing! You guys are way cool! B)

* * *

"What the _fuck_, Rogers."

"Ssh," Steve murmured drowsily, weakly gesturing to Natasha's growing baby bump. "She has ears now."

Natasha's expression didn't change as she loomed over Steve, who was lying in their bed in a delirious state. After hearing of his arrival to the medical wing of the S.H.I.E.L.D. base, Natasha rushed over there to drag him home immediately. No one protested her as soon as they finished patching him up, because everyone feared the wrath of an angry Natasha Romanoff, _especially_ when it concerned Steve Rogers.

Now, he was drugged up and in pain and exhausted and just not making sense, as he completely missed when reaching a hand out to place on Natasha's belly for emphasis on the kid picking up on her 'bad language'. (Which didn't even make sense because having ears didn't mean the baby could actually _comprehend _what Natasha was saying.)

Rolling her eyes, Natasha appeased Steve by placing her hands on each side of her large abdomen, as if covering the unborn child's ears. "You _ass_, how the hell did you end up with a couple of bullet holes in you?"

Steve gave some sort of half-shrug in reply, and still had a hand out toward Natasha. Taking pity on him with a sigh, she guided his appendage the rest of the path to the small bump, trying to keep her anger present over the warm affection Steve's gentle touch on her belly always seemed to bring. His eyes lit up even _bluer_ than usual with delight, while her greens flashed more irritation to emphasize her stern position on the matter.

"That wasn't even an answer," Natasha muttered, as Steve appeared to have nothing else to say on the matter. "Asshole."

"Language, Nat," he insisted, his words meshing together in a jumbled mess. "She has ears now."

He was repeating himself, his attention completely on the unborn kid behind the skin of Natasha's stomach. "She won't be able to talk for a while, Rogers."

"Still," Steve protested with a worried frown. Natasha held back a smirk; _God_, he was going to be such a doting and devoted father when their daughter - they were having a _girl_, Natasha still couldn't believe (she was pretty excited, she had to admit) - arrived.

"This does not excuse your idiocy in the field," Natasha threatened, but she could feel her strong resolve crumbling a bit. _Damn him. _"You had Sam and Clint with you for a reason. Where the hell were they when I got to S.H.I.E.L.D., anyway?"

"They heard you were comin', and ran away," Steve answered nonchalantly. Natasha scoffed; their 'fear' of her these days was incredibly amusing. "'Didn't stop 'em."

"That was probably a good choice," Natasha said, returning Steve's hand to the bed. "But that still doesn't excuse you being a twit in the field."

"'M not a...twit," Steve mumbled against the pillow, trying the word 'twit' out on his tongue. "'M Cap'n 'Merica…"

Natasha rolled her eyes, sitting down on the bed beside his torso. "Captain America isn't invincible, Steve. You know that."

Steve's eyes fluttered closed against the pillow. "I can take on anythin'..."

"No, Steve, I'm serious," Natasha said, the playfulness from her voice gone as she laid a hand on his arm. He opened his eyes and looked up at her, eyes still hazy from the injury and resulting medical treatment, but more understanding than before. "You're going to be a father in a few months; you can't keep throwing yourself at every gunman you see."

His lips turned slightly downward and eyes now a darker shade of blue, he at least had the _decency_ to look a _little_ remorseful for his recklessness. "There were inn'cent lives a'risk, Nat…"

"And now there will _always _be one at risk right here, in our home," she said, gesturing to her baby bump. "Another person who will be expecting you to come home after missions. _Needs_ you to come home after missions. I can't do this alone."

"You won't," he insisted, trying to turn his body more to face her. It didn't work, though, as his struggle depreciated to a pained moan and sigh. Natasha combed her fingers through his mission-messy hair.

"You can't promise that," she murmured as she gently massaged his scalp. He relaxed at her touch, his head sinking down a little further into the pillow. His body almost seemed to _deflate_, the tension previously in his muscles escaping through Natasha's careful touch. She smiled bittersweetly, yet sympathetically, the evilly contrasting emotions reflecting in her eyes. "You know you can't promise that. Not now, not ever."

He cracked an eye open at that, the tired blue shard connecting to Natasha's own wide emeralds. "Y'want me t'stop working?"

God, no. She _couldn't_ do that to him. Except for the man Steve Rogers himself, Captain America was the only thing Steve still had a hold of in connection to his past, before being frozen. It was a part of him, even if were just a public cover under which to fight the evils of the world; she couldn't take that away from him.

"Maybe I will," he continued after she didn't respond. Her eyes widened slightly in shock; surely, this talking was being done by the drugs and fatigue working together in corrupting Steve's mind, right? "I wouldn't mind...I think."

"I think you would," Natasha said, gently patting his head now. "We all would. Including her."

"Maggie," Steve said, as if to correct Natasha's exclusive use of pronouns in regards to their child. "We decided on the name, 'member?"

"Yes, I remember; I was _there_," she said, pushing herself up from the bed. _In fact_, she thought silently to herself, _I was the one who suggested the name in the _first _place. _

"I like the name," Steve said nonsensically, sounding fairly pleased with himself. His eyes slipped closed, and he laid his linked hands over his chest. "Maggie, Maggie, Maggie…"

Okay, Natasha had to admit: this was _slightly_ creepy. And cute. But mostly creepy, because Steve's chanting sounded slightly demonic. And a bit obsessive. But she didn't mind.

"I'll go get you some more water," Natasha said, picking up the empty glass from the nightstand. "Then, you need to sleep."

He made a soft noise of protest. "Sleep wi'f me."

She knew he meant cuddling rather than sex. Normally, Natasha would have cracked a joke about his injuries preventing him from being capable of engaging in such activity, but his mangled appearance had genuinely spooked her this time. The usual energy she had for teasing jokes seemed to have been lost with Steve's health out in the field.

But she wouldn't mind some snuggling, either. So she nodded, even though he wouldn't be able to see through his closed eyes. "When I come back, you drink some more water, and I'll crawl into bed with you. Sound fair?"

His response was a yawn, which Natasha interpreted as a very cooperative and enthusiastic _yes. _(Because a girl could dream about Steve Rogers actually _following_ the rules.)

She hurried on her quick quest to the kitchen, suddenly missing him when she was in a different room. Immediately, she thought to blame the unprompted sentimental emotions on her hormones, because _there was no other reason why. _

Retrieving water felt longer than it actually took because of this, but after thirty-six _years _of waiting (read, thirty-six _seconds_), Natasha was scurrying back to their room. Upon arrival, Steve looked to be in about the same position she had left him. She smiled.

"Drink up, soldier," she said, climbing onto the bed to assist him in drinking. Only two small spills of the water onto the bed sheets later, she crawled away from Steve and set the glass down on the nightstand.

"Sleep," he said once more, reaching a hand out to the vacant side of the bed. "I missed you."

"Aw, I missed you, too," Natasha said sweetly, carefully sliding under the covers and turning on her side so she could face Steve's uncomfortable form.

"I'm glad you're home now," she murmured to him. Under the protection of the blankets, she guided one of his hands to her belly, and he smiled at her.

"Me, too," he said.

"_Now_ it's time for you to sleep," Natasha ordered, and Steve managed a small nod. "Go to sleep."

"'Kay."

* * *

**A/N: **This was hella slice of lifey, I have to say. _Super_ slice of lifey. As for this week's icebreaker question: **Have you ever broken a bone? If so, how? **I am part of the lucky group who has gone to the hospital for anything since being born *knocks on wood* so I have never broken a bone. :P


	72. Being Brave

**A/N: **I could go on for paragraphs upon paragraphs over my experience for the past few weeks in terms of emotions. Basically, the school thing I went on after the last update was a retreat called Kairos (if any of you guys have been on it, hit me up so we can totally talk about it because WOW THAT WAS SO COOL!), where I really re-evaluated my life and the relationships I have. Overall I came out with a better outlook on everything and a healthier list of priorities - the fictional lives of the Avengers were far from my mind.

As I said, I could probably bore you to tears with my emotional journey post-Kairos in the last few weeks, but all you need to know is this: it's okay not to be okay; similarly, it's okay to be okay when other people expect you to not be okay (and vice versa).

Anywho, yesterday (October 11th) was National Coming Out Day, so I decided I'd write something for it and explore Christina's character a little more. :) So, not a lot of Avengers in this one, just Maggie and Christina!

Thanks for the faves, follows, and reviews! I do apologize for keeping you guys waiting, but fanfiction has really been not my biggest priority right now (especially with college applications being due next month, YIKES!). That said, you guys are all just as awesome as ever!

* * *

"Maggie, how did you come out to your parents?"

At Christina's gentle inquiry, Maggie looked up from her chemistry textbook, eyebrows furrowed and mouth frowning thoughtfully. The way Christina had just spoken...well, it was definitely different than her normal, confident, and loud attitude. It was much more..._sensitive_-sounding.

Maggie drummed her fingers against the open pages of her text book, knowing this conversation would prove to be a lifetime's worth of more importance than any chemistry final exam. (And she welcomed the distraction from studying, honestly…) She straightened her back, leaning more comfortably against the back of her chair. Christina and Maggie had come to the library after school to get some studying done before finals the following week, and they were about as productive as one would expect: _not at all. _

"Um...well, you know the story of how I had a crush on that girl in fifth grade, right?" Maggie began, her eyes traveling from Christina's face to the ceiling in recalling thought. "I'd always had an idea that it was okay to like someone from any gender because my relatives made sure heteronormativity wasn't forced on me...so I thought I would end up being able to like whoever I wanted."

Christina fiddled with the mechanical pencil in her hands, her fingers trembling with slight unease. "So you didn't have some big 'coming out' thing?"

"Not really," Maggie admitted. "I mean, after that whole crush fiasco, my parents both reassured me that I could like whoever I wanted, as long as they weren't bad guys or anything. Though, even then, they've let me be such close friends with Callie despite her crazy, evil grandpa that tried to kill both of my parents and most of my family." She sighed, letting her droopy eyes close momentarily. "So, if you have any relations to H.Y.D.R.A., now would be a good time to let me know."

"Maggie," Christina started sadly, her brown eyes melancholy, "I still haven't told my parents we're dating yet...I haven't even told them I'm _pansexual _yet."

Maggie opened her eyes, eyebrows raised. "Damn, I _totally_ could have ruined things for you in the past month, whenever I was at your house! Why didn't you _tell _me?"

"We'd just started dating, I didn't want you to think I wasn't taking it seriously or anything like that," Christina said. "I just...my mom's super Catholic, and my dad...well, he just doesn't really _get _things like this. They still think you're just a good friend. A _really _good friend, I guess."

"Christie, I know it's not easy, but you should tell them," Maggie advised, concerned. "I _know_ you're taking us seriously, don't get me wrong about that; but I don't want to get you in trouble by having to sneak around or something."

"I've made it this far, I don't think I'll get caught any time soon," Christina said dryly. "How should I break the news to them?"

"However you want," Maggie shrugged. "I mean, I've only come out to my parents so far...I still have to tell the rest of my family, which I was planning to do after finals, when we go on break. But I _do _want to do it."

"You're so brave," Christina murmured to herself, picking her phone up off the table. She looked at the screen for a few moments before sighing. "Looks like my mom's here. I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?"

"Yeah," Maggie answered sadly, her expression troubled. Christina gathered her things and gave Maggie's head an affectionate pat on her way out.

After Christina was gone, Maggie lifted her textbook to her face and groaned into the pages. She wasn't sure how she felt about Christina's admittance, nor how she was _supposed _to feel about it. All she knew was she hoped dating Christina for the past few weeks wouldn't get Christina in trouble, and Maggie wished Natasha and Steve's acceptance for her identity and attractions could just pass over onto Christina, too.

As if on cue, Maggie's phone vibrated then, the screen illuminating with a text cheerfully announcing Natasha's arrival to pick her up. Maggie typed out a quick _okay_, closed her study materials, and packed her bag.

* * *

Maggie tried her best to mask her concern for the rest of the afternoon and evening, but her parents could (easily) see through it. Though they didn't pester her about what was going on at first, Maggie was certain it would come up eventually; of course, it came up at _dinner. _

"Лапушка, you're poking at your food like a stereotypically upset character in a movie," Natasha said bluntly, hardly _ninety seconds _into dinner.

Maggie just stared at her incredulously, holding her hand out in a questioning manner. "_Really_? We haven't even been sitting here for _five minutes_!" She set her fork down on her plate with a _clink _and groaned.

"But you've been like this since you got home earlier," Steve said, looking between Natasha and Maggie. "Though, I must agree that was a very straightforward and rushed way to approach the situation."

Natasha rolled her eyes. "I got impatient, okay? I can only let you brood for so long."

"I'm not _brooding_," Maggie protesting, crossing her arms in a _very_ non-brooding manner.

"But something is clearly on your mind," Natasha argued, pointing her fork (and the broccoli on the end of it) in Maggie's direction.

"Coming from the person who puts _salt _on her _broccoli_…" Maggie grumbled in disbelief.

Steve nodded his agreement and looked to Natasha with an _I told you so _expression. "See? I'm _not _crazy! People don't put salt on their broccoli; it's just _unnatural_."

"For nearly twenty years, I've been hearing those same words coming from your mouth almost _regularly_," Natasha huffed. "But enough with the tangents. Maggie, what happened at school today?"

Maggie sighed, her hopes for weaseling her way out of Natasha's interrogation using Natasha's odd salt habits snuffed out. "Nothing really _happened_, per se...it's just..._Christina._"

"Are things okay between you two?" Steve asked, clearly concerned and a little disappointed. He'd really liked Christina since he'd first met her; he'd hoped their relationship would last _at least _longer than a few weeks.

"That's just it, everything's fine," Maggie reassured them earnestly. "But Christie still hasn't come out to her parents."

Neither Steve nor Natasha appeared to have been expecting _that_. Natasha put her fork down to indicate Maggie had her full attention, her eyes bright with sympathy. "Is she worried what they might say to or think of her if she tells them?"

Of course she was, that was the only explanation. Everyone knew it, there was no other reason that would give Christina such _pause _in openly celebrating her new relationship with Maggie. Maggie nodded. "Something like that. I don't really know the specifics, but she's really nervous about it. I'm not sure when or _if _she's ever going to tell them."

"I hope her parents don't give her too much trouble," Steve said. "The last thing Christina needs is people telling her she's wrong to be attracted to whoever she's attracted to."

"I agree," Natasha said. "If anything happens, let her know she's always welcome to stay here."

Maggie smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Mama. I'll make sure she knows. It was just so weird when she was telling me about it...like, you know how she's always so sure of herself and confident?" Steve and Natasha both nodded. "Well, when she was telling me all of this, she sounded so..._anxious. _It was totally different than how she usually is."

"It's a sensitive topic," Steve said. "Just make sure you support her through the whole process. It might get frustrating sometimes because you want your relationship to be open and public, so be patient with her."

Maggie nodded. "That's the plan."

Seeing that the issue at hand had been addressed and somewhat dealt with, everyone decided they could eat then. They ate in a friendly silence, each reflecting on how lucky they'd had it - they lived in a house where no one's pasts, sexual orientations, or identities could hurt them. Of course, for Steve and Natasha, that had started as an acceptance between each other, and, over time, it naturally passed onto Maggie.

But Steve's words reminded Maggie of her own plan to come out to the others. She thought back to her words to Christina earlier, about coming out to the Avengers. As they wrapped up dinner, she voiced her thoughts. "I have a plan for the summer."

Natasha gathered her silverware onto the plate while shooting Maggie a curious glance. "A _plan_?"

Maggie hummed in thought for a moment. "More like a mission. An extensive operation, maybe? Something along those lines."

Steve and Natasha shared a knowing look (Maggie's missions usually involved _pranks_), to which Maggie rolled her eyes. "Not _that _kind of operation."

At her words, Natasha raised an eyebrow, skepticism as evident as ever on her face. "Really? Why do I feel like you're just saying that so I'll let my defenses down?"

Maggie just gave a huff. This was going to be a _long _conversation.

* * *

The following day of school was uneventful; Christina seemed to have moved on from her troubling sentiments the day prior, and acted more normally around Maggie. But, deep down, Maggie had a feeling Christina's struggle was far from over.

Questioning Callie, who had been Christina's friend the longest, assured Maggie of that. "Callie and her parents seem pretty okay on the outside, but, in reality, her dad's kind of a homophobic asshole," Callie had said when Maggie asked about Christina's fear during the final passing period of the day.

"I knew about the asshole part," Maggie said, thinking back to the tense air in Christina's house whenever her dad was around. He'd apparently done some things in the past that had spoiled his relationship with Christina, and she had yet to forgive him. "But, come on, it's the _twenty-first century_; what's holding him back?"

"There are still racist people out there, despite it being the twenty-first century," Callie reminded Maggie, her voice echoing centuries of American history. "Of course, no way does that justify being a dick to people for who they're attracted to, but it at least explains that there was never any guarantee in the first place."

Maggie sighed. "Sometimes, I hate it when you're right."

Thankfully, it was a Friday (though finals started Monday), so Maggie was looking forward to a weekend full of rest and studying. Most of her grades were relatively safe, so she wasn't too nervous for her big tests. With Christina and her problems far from Maggie's mind, Maggie was able to go home in a relatively positive mood.

Later that evening, she got a text from Christina: _hey can I come over for a little while? _

Surprised, Maggie submitted the request to her parents for their approval, and they gave it easily. Considering what had been going on the day before, it would make sense for them to be a bit concerned with Christina.

She came over about an hour later, eyes downcast and general countenance melancholy. Natasha welcomed her in with a reassuringly warm smile.

"Christie, what's up?" Maggie asked as she walked up to Christina, greeting her with a quick hug and tugging her back toward her bedroom by the hand. "You don't look so good."

Once they were behind the comfort of Maggie's closed door, Christina let out a small sigh. "I still can't figure out how to do it, Maggie. I know you don't want our relationship to be a secret, and I don't want it to be either; it's just…"

"It's hard," Maggie finished knowingly, setting a comforting hand on Christina's shoulder. "I mean, I still have a lot of work to do, too, to publicize our relationship within my family, but we can't expect everything to work out perfectly overnight."

"I wish it could." Christina laid her body back on Maggie's bed, emphasizing the exhaustion this situation was giving her. "I've been trying to find a way to do it for the past month...I've been _thinking _of doing it ever since I came out at school _months_ ago. But I just can't seem to do it."

Maggie understood where Christina was coming from. She nodded and sat down beside her. "Well, maybe you should just leave this alone until after next week. I mean, this isn't really something you should contemplate while trying to study for finals, don't you think?"

"I can't wait any longer," Christina protested, meeting Maggie's calm eyes with her impatient ones. "_You _shouldn't have to wait any longer to be acknowledged as something more than a _friend _in my house."

"It's okay, Chris, I'm not mad," Maggie reassured her. "I'd rather you have a safe atmosphere at home rather than a hostile one. Everything will be okay in the end."

Christina shook her head in disbelief. "How can you know that?"

"Well...if it's not okay, then it's not the end," Maggie said, channeling Steve for a moment. (He'd said that every now and then in her brief sixteen years of life - it always seemed to both annoy and reassure Natasha, so he must have been saying it for a _long _time, then. For Maggie, it just gave her hope.) "Really, you should just try to focus on finals right now."

"I don't think I can," Christina disagreed, sitting up. She looked at Maggie, lips piqued with thought. "Maybe you can help me practice."

Maggie blinked. "Practice what?"

"Coming out." Christina turned around on the bed so she could properly sit before Maggie, face-to-face. "You pretend to be my mom, and I'll pretend to come out to you."

"Hey, who says I'll be playing your mom accurately, though?" Maggie raised an eyebrow. This plan had _way _too many flaws; if Christina's parents had a good chance of mistreating Christina for coming out, there was no way Maggie would be able to recreate that negative sentiment.

"It's more about me getting the words together," Christina said, taking Maggie's hands into hers. She stared hard into Maggie's eyes, freaking Maggie out a little bit (she tried not to show it, though). Christina cleared her throat. "Mom."

"Um...yes?" Maggie answered lamely.

Christina opened and closed her mouth a few times, her facial expression changing with each cycle, indicating the different approaches she was considering taking (and then discarding). After a few moments, she finally gave up with a groan. "I can't do this. Can we switch roles temporarily so I can see how you did it?"

Maggie nodded. "Sure, sure. Now, then, let's see…" Maggie tried to recall her conversation with Natasha five years prior, when she had a crush on her classmate, Dawn. (Though Maggie wasn't sure if that instance was her 'coming out,' or if it was a few weeks ago when she'd started dating Christina.) "I have to tell you something."

"Yes, Russian Term of Endearment I Can't Pronounce?" Christina inquired sweetly. Maggie laughed at the so-called 'impression' of Natasha.

"There's this girl in my class at school, and I really like her," Maggie said, thinking back to her fifth grade year. _Fuck fifth grade, honestly_, she thought cynically to herself. "Like, I _like_-like her. I think I like both girls and boys. Is that okay?"

"Wait a minute, wait a minute, _pause_," Christina said, ripping her hands from Maggie's so she could hold one up in a _stop _position. "You just said _that_? _That _was _it_?"

Maggie turned her head a little to the side. "Uh...yeah. I mean, I was kind of _eleven _years old. I wasn't making any grand speeches about my sexuality then or anything."

"I figured _that _part out, Jesus." Christina shook her head in disbelief once more.

"Well, my more 'formal' and recent coming out, after we started dating, went more along the lines of this," Maggie cleared her throat and assumed a more serious expression, placing her hands on her hips, "Hi, my name is Maggie Rogers, I like chocolate and superheroes, and I'm bisexual!"

Christina couldn't help the laugh that came out of her mouth at that. She even _snorted _a little. "You're joking, right?"

"Nope," Maggie said, her voice and grin swelling with pride. "And _that's _how my parents found out we started dating. They were very excited; my mom fangirled a little."

"Wow," Christina observed. "So, I can be as blunt as _that_?"

"If you want," Maggie said, leaning back against the headboard of her bed. "It's _your _coming out, so it's up to _you_. You can write a letter, do a dance, yell it all in one sentence, whatever you want. That's the beauty of it."

"I don't think I could work up the courage to just burst into my house and declare it like you did," Christina said honestly, distracting herself by picking a piece of thread off of Maggie's comforter. "That's a bit too much for me."

"Just do whatever you feel like," Maggie advised. "That's how I plan on doing my next rounds of coming out, anyway."

"Whatever I feel like," Christina echoed, sounding a lot more confident. She thought for a moment, then turned to Maggie, smiling big and eyes fiery with determination. "I'm gonna do it!"

"Hooray!" Maggie threw her arms up into the air for extra spirit.

"I'll pick a day - after finals, mind you - when I can talk to both of my parents about it," Christina decided aloud. "Or maybe we won't talk, maybe I'll write something. Or bake cupcakes! Who knows?"

"I'm proud of you already, Chris," Maggie said happily, taking one of Christina's hands in her own. "You're fearless."

* * *

True to her word, Christina selected a date to come out to her family after finals, which greatly relieved Maggie. On the day she selected, it rained, as if the sky was trying to make up for their very dry April.

Maggie hadn't seen Christina since school ended just two days prior, but had been in contact with her via text messages and phone calls. On the morning of Christina's day to come out, Maggie had bombarded Christina's phone with supportive messages wishing her luck, love, and full support. Both Steve and Natasha, though not in direct contact with Christina like Maggie, also kept Christina in their thoughts.

Finally, after hours upon _hours_ of uncertainty, Maggie received a phone call from Christina.

"_My mom's supportive but my dad won't talk to me," _she summarized to Maggie over the phone, her voice as nonchalant as ever. Maggie wasn't sure what to make of it. _"But it's just my mom's opinion that matters to me, anyway; my dad doesn't do shit." _

"I can share my dad with you," Maggie offered lightly, releasing the nervous breath she'd been holding when she'd picked up the phone. "He thinks you're pretty rad, anyway."

"_Ha! Tell him I think the same about him," _Christina replied with a laugh. She then sighed. _"I'm so glad I told them, though. I mean, my dad can be an asshole all he wants, but at least I don't have to hide anything. And my mom thinks you're good dating material, anyway." _

"That's so sweet. I'm so proud of you, Christie," Maggie praised, fiddling with her arrow necklace and smiling widely. "And, really, your dad will come around. Eventually. If not, you can totally share my dad with me at the father-daughter dance next year."

"_I'll keep that offer in mind; both of your parents are cool, honestly," _Christina said. _"But, anyway, now that I'm out and my dad's being a childish dick, my mom's going to take me out to dinner to celebrate. And she said she'll talk to my dad about it later." _

"That's good. Good for you," Maggie said, feeling relieved. "It's your dad's loss if he wants to be a dick, anyway."

"_Yup, exactly!" _Maggie could practically hear Christina's toothy grin over the phone. _"My mom also wants to have a family dinner with you and your parents sometime. My dad's invitation to it is pending, of course. But we have to all get together sometime soon!"_

"Watch out, when my parents hear about that, they're going to be all over it," Maggie joked. "They like being a part of my social life, since theirs are nonexistent. Don't tell them I said that."

"_You're a riot, Maggot," _Christina teased, using the so-called 'first term of endearment' she'd used for Maggie since they'd first started dating. Maggie just rolled her eyes.

Now it was Maggie's turn to come out to everyone else.

* * *

**A/N: **A few things:

1\. Yes, Callie is related to Alexander Pierce, our favorite guy from _Winter Soldier _(maybe he's _your _favorite, but he's definitely not mine...)! Aside from this being ironic and me just goofing around a little, I thought this would be an interesting plot device. I do plan on exploring this in the future. (I've been waiting for you guys to guess that I was secretly doing this!)

2\. For those of you who follow my other fic, _100 Steps to Falling in Love_, did you catch the reference to chapter 4 (The Salt of the Earth)?! Haha, I love Romanogers banter!

3\. This chapter kind of overlaps with chapter 57 (The Cat's Out of the Closet) of this fic; the conversation between Maggie, Steve, and Nat that opens that chapter takes place here, when Maggie begins to voice her plans to come out to the others (but her parents first assume she just has a plan to prank everyone).

After I just spent the day doing a college visit in San Francisco, I have to inquire for this week's icebreaker: **If you could live in any city in the world, what would it be and why? **Personally, I'm aiming for Los Angeles in my future residency, as I have a lot of family down there, so it would be very convenient!


	73. Friendship is Magic (Literally)

**A/N: **It seems we've all hit the school slump in our schedules, considering how spread out reviews for the last chapter were. Between college apps and homecoming week, I think my busyness speaks for itself in how long it takes me to write these days! I can't promise that updates will come any better than this, but I'll try.

This chapter is long and based off of anime because I am trash, lol.

Thanks for the faves, follows, and reviews!

* * *

Pepper struggled to free her hands from the rope around her wrists. She tried everything she could - pulling, yanking, groaning, biting - but none of it seemed to work. A few feet away from where she sat on the ground, Loki stood proudly, arms crossed over his chest as he grinned evilly.

"You'll never get away with this, Loki! The Avengers will stop you!" Pepper insisted as she gnawed on the rope bonds.

But Loki just laughed manically. "I seriously doubt that. You already witnessed my brother fail," he gestured to where Mjolnir was lodged into the ground, beside Thor's unconscious and unmoving body, "no one else stands a chance against the all-powerful Loki!"

Pepper frowned. "They may be down a person, but the Avengers can _still _beat you; I just know it."

"Oh, how pitiful, you clinging to your petty faith," Loki taunted, giving Pepper a (fake) sympathetic look. "Your faith is too great."

"Pepper!"

Both Loki and Pepper looked up to see Natasha swiftly approach them, and skid to a stop beside Thor and Mjolnir. Shocked to see the God of Thunder defeated, Natasha looked at Loki with slight uncertainty in her eyes, but quickly dismissed it. "Leave Pepper out of this, Loki!"

"The spy. Of course, I should have known you would sneak away from where the rest of your teammates were fighting the Chituari to face me alone." Loki gave a sly smile. "Your bravery is admirable, but idiotic."

"I came for Pepper," Natasha admitted, making brief eye contact with her best friend. Pepper smiled appreciatively. "I won't let you hold her hostage any longer."

"And what can you do to stop me, hm? I have magic, and you have nothing." Loki raised an eyebrow at Natasha's tattered uniform and empty gun holsters. "For you, this is a losing battle."

"Don't give up, Natasha! You can do it!" Pepper cheered her on.

Mjolnir's battle-worn silver glimmered faintly, a bright contrast from the otherwise dark skies and field they were standing in, catching Natasha's eye. She thought for a moment before turning back to Loki. "Maybe it's just time for me to get creative."

Loki hardly had time to question what she meant by that before Natasha lunged forward, reaching for Thor's beloved weapon. She hadn't thought _that _hard about her sudden decision, nor had she really taken time to consider what to do in the event of her idea not working out, but Natasha would take any chance, no matter how slim, to save Pepper. Her fingers wrapped around the handle, snagging the metal in a secure grip. She pulled back on her arm, ready to accept her fate, whether it be rejection or empowerment. A bright light came from where Mjolnir was half-buried in the ground then, blinding Natasha.

* * *

"_Natasha_! Wake up!"

Natasha's eyes _flew _open, and the rest of her body also _flew_ \- off the couch, that is. In her sudden awakening, she managed to get tangled up in her blanket and then roll off of the furniture, landing on the floor with a _thud_. Her forehead pressed against the cold tile, she groaned her irritation.

Pepper, meanwhile, stood over her, looking partially concerned, but mostly exasperated. She crossed her arms over her chest. "Come on, Nat, we don't have time for this; we have a meeting at S.H.I.E.L.D. in less than an hour! It must be important if they needed _me _to attend."

Tilting her head up, Natasha was blinded by red. Annoyed, she blew a puff of air against the color, dismissing her messy hair from her face. She turned back to look up at Pepper. "Well, you shouldn't have let me fall asleep on the couch!"

"You looked so peaceful, though," Pepper said, almost looking apologetic. _Almost. _"I think you need to get more sleep; you and Tony and the others always looked _dead _on your feet."

Natasha managed to free her hands from the restraining blanket and push herself up into a sitting position. She stretched her arms out over her head. "Gee, thanks."

Pepper sighed, letting her arms fall back to her sides. "You're a handful." She turned her head, looking at something else in the room. "You also looked like you were having another weird dream. I swear, it _must _be because Thor left his hammer here."

It was true - the object Pepper was looking at was, in fact, Mjolnir, which Thor had just..._left there. _Of course, no one was able to lift it to return it to him while he was at S.H.I.E.L.D. for the past few days with the other Avengers (sans Natasha, who was on her last few days of bedrest after a gunshot wound to her side), but since he wasn't fighting any monsters, he didn't seem too concerned about being apart from it.

"I think it's more my unconscious reacting to Thor's hammer being here rather than any magic from the hammer itself," Natasha said to Pepper as she stood up. She lifted the mischievous blanket and deposited it lazily onto the couch, deciding she would just fold it later. "So, what's this meeting about, again?"

"I don't really know. But it must be important, because _I _was invited," Pepper replied, leading Natasha out of the main room of the penthouse. "I hope everyone's okay."

"If anyone _wasn't_ okay, we would have heard by now, don't you think?"

"I guess that's true. But it's still very suspicious."

"Oh, absolutely."

* * *

The S.H.I.E.L.D. base was ominously quiet when Natasha and Pepper finally arrived. The hustle and bustle of the agents was absent, the intimidatingly large building mysteriously empty. Of course, there were still a few agents here or there, but they lacked enough energy to make the entire place feel abandoned.

"Maybe all of the agents were spirited away, and Fury wanted us to come help investigate," Pepper guessed as they walked down another empty hallway. The solid-colored walls almost seemed to laugh at them, taunting them with the knowledge of why the base was so quiet.

But Natasha didn't give into the tempting frustration. She continued walking with her head high and shoulders back. "With all the things we've seen over the years, I honestly wouldn't be so surprised. Maybe the base is haunted, even."

Pepper didn't like that idea. "I don't really want to be the star of the next installment in the _Paranormal Activity _series."

"Neither do I," Natasha agreed.

Silent moments passed until they finally reached Fury's office, and Natasha pushed the door open without knocking.

Three heads turned around to look at them, none of which were Fury's. That immediately struck Natasha as suspicious, but she disregarded it as she and Pepper were greeted with the faces of Avengers. "What's going on in here?"

"Close the door, quick!" Clint called. Pepper hurriedly fulfilled the command.

"Thor's down," Steve reported, his voice melancholy. "Something put him to sleep, but we can't figure out what it is."

"Why are _you _guys here?" Tony asked bluntly. "No offense, honey."

Pepper just rolled her eyes as she and Natasha approached the huddle of heroes. Behind Steve, Clint, and Tony, they saw Thor lying on a couch, as they said, unconscious. "Fury called me earlier and told me we needed to come in for a meeting."

The three men all looked at each other, thinking. "He was drawing them out," Clint guessed, and both Steve and Tony nodded, their expressions somber.

"Drawing us out?" Natasha echoed. "What the hell are you guys talking about?"

"You should have stayed home," Steve said, his eyes blue with concern. "Something's wrong right now...a bunch of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents have gone rogue, and even some civilians have started acting out as well. Fury must be one of them."

"Thor said something about there being magic in the air before he passed out earlier," Tony recalled. "Something's screwing with everyone's brains."

Natasha and Pepper shared a confused glance for a moment before Pepper looked back at them. "Tony, we have _no idea _what the hell you're talking about right now. Magic in the air? People going rogue?"

"Have you two been living under a _rock _lately?" Clint gaped at them. "How could you _miss _everything?!"

"H.Y.D.R.A.'s come back," Steve said sadly. "And they're somehow turning a bunch of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents into mindless robots, doing things they'd never do. Somehow, they were even able to defeat Thor."

"He was doing a perimeter check around the base earlier," Tony explained, looking at the sleeping giant. "But then some kind of energy blast hit him and knocked him out. He's been out cold ever since, and we sent Bruce back to the Tower to get supplies. You two were supposed to stay there and hold down the fort."

_H.Y.D.R.A. coming back isn't anything new, _Natasha thought to herself, confused. _But that's just happening now, and not even in the way I remember it… Where the hell are we? _

One look in Pepper's direction told Natasha that Pepper was just as confused as her. Natasha shook her head. "This doesn't make any sense. S.H.I.E.L.D. already fell to H.Y.D.R.A. a while ago."

The others looked at her in disbelief, but Pepper nodded in support of Natasha's statement. "It's true! It was when Alexander Pierce launched the helicarriers…"

"And dispatched the Winter Soldier," Natasha added, looking for a reaction from Steve, but he seemed to not make the connection to Bucky.

"The energy in the air must be screwing with your guys' minds," Clint said. "Because none of that makes sense."

"That's because these Ladies Widow and Potts hail from another realm!"

A new voice joined them then, out of seemingly nowhere; there was no new person in the room. Except, Natasha looked closer, there was a little light flying around in the air, which stopped just in front of Natasha's face: a fairy.

But it wasn't just any fairy. Though the similarity to Tinkerbell was still there, Natasha quickly recognized the tiny figure before her. Brown hair, brown eyes, fair skin, silver armor...and light blue _wings_?

"Is that...is that _Sif_?" Pepper squinted at the miniscule newcomer, confusion evident in her eyes.

Sif bobbed her little head, smiling pleasantly; it freaked Natasha out, honestly. Instinctively, though, Natasha held her hand out, and Sif (the _fairy?_) lowered herself down to stand in Natasha's palm. "Yes, this is Lady Sif of Asgard."

"You're so…" Natasha took a moment to share a calculating glance with Pepper before looking back to Sif. "You're so..._not_-like-Sif."

"The Sif we know is a big, strong warrior," Pepper elaborated, looking at Sif with a skeptical expression. "She teams up with Thor and the Warriors Three to fight battles a lot."

Sif held up her fist. "Aye, ever since Thor started traveling to Earth, Lady Frigga tasked me with watching over him." She placed her hand over her chest. "With the power of Mjolnir, I am able to follow Thor to the ends of Midgard in this form; similarly, I am the guardian of Mjolnir, and can grant the power of lifting it to whomever I deem worthy."

Natasha looked at Pepper. "Alright, someone drugged me; this is _not _real. Was it you? Did you put something in my tea?"

"_I _could be asking _you _the same question!" Pepper protested. "I wouldn't put this past your typical pranking methods…"

"Sif, you said the Natasha and Pepper standing in front of us are from another _world_?" Steve said, drawing Sif's attention back to him.

She twirled around on her feet to face him, still occupying the space offered by Natasha's hand. "Yes, Captain; I can sense that they aren't from here. Somehow, the magic in the air reacted with Mjolnir to transport our Ladies Widows and Potts to another realm, and bring back these two in their place."

"Okay, well, how do we fix it?" Tony asked.

"We have to return to the Tower," Sif answered with a somber tint to her voice. "Which means I will have to entrust one of you with Thor's care; we must leave him here to recover…"

"Alright, how about this," Steve began in his 'mission' voice, immediately gathering everyone's focus, "Clint and Tony will escort Natasha and Pepper back to the Tower while I wait here with Thor. The base is secured for now, so it shouldn't be too difficult. After you get this whole 'world switching' thing figured out, grab Bruce and come back here. Sound good?"

"No matter the world, Steve is always a leader," Pepper whispered to Natasha, who gave a slight nod in agreement.

"You got it, Cap," Clint said, clapping Steve's shoulder once. "We'll make sure to get everything sorted out. Stark?"

"Ditto," Tony said. "We've got this."

"We need to retrieve Mjolnir while we're there," Sif added, floating back up into the air so Natasha could have her hands back. "You all need Mjolnir to transform and fight whoever brought all of this Asgardian magic to Midgard."

Natasha and Pepper made confused eye contact. The others used Mjolnir to _transform_? What could _that _mean?

"What are we waiting for, then? Let's go!" Tony pumped his fist into the air, signalling for the group to begin moving out.

* * *

As they made their descent through the base, Sif flew in front of the group, her wings providing a guiding light through the dark hallways. Natasha stuck close to Pepper, nervous for what kinds of things they may encounter in this 'magical' world (well, at least, more magical than their home); Pepper wouldn't be able to defend herself, Natasha believed.

"Sif, do you not have any ideas of who could be causing all of this?" Clint asked as they quickly walked.

"I have a few potential culprits in mind," Sif admitted, turning back to look at Clint briefly. "At least their magic is unable to affect these two," she gestured to Natasha and Pepper, "since they're from a different realm."

"What about us?" Tony asked. "How long can _we _go without being affected?"

Sif looked a little sad at that. "Not much longer, Man of Iron. Mjolnir has been without Thor for too long; her magic can't endure forever by itself."

"Have you just given up on trying to understand everything and decided to just go with it?" Natasha murmured to Pepper as they walked behind Clint, Tony, and Sif.

"Yes," Pepper answered. "You?"

"Same," Natasha said. "None of it really makes any sense, but if this is what will get us back home, then I'll go with it."

"Halt!" Sif suddenly announced, stopping in her path. Tony and Clint immediately got into defensive positions while Natasha and Pepper looked around them to see what had stopped their group.

"Paperwork...paperwork...someone must...do all of this paperwork…" A voice muttered from up ahead. "No missions...only paperwork…"

"Uh oh," Clint said, looking to Natasha. "I don't know about the Maria Hill in your world, but in this world, if you see her with a stack of paper, you better run."

"She's the same back home," Natasha said, thinking back to her own encounters with Maria, which ended with a stack of files on Natasha's desk and Maria laughing evilly. "I tend to avoid her whenever I'm at S.H.I.E.L.D. because of that...but what's going on now?"

"Someone has to...do all of...this paperwork!" The voice suddenly got louder, and Maria came into view, standing in the large, open room at the end of the hallway. Her eyes were icy blue; in one hand, she held multiple manila folders which Natasha assumed to contain paper, and in the other hand, she held multiple pens, all open and ready to go.

"Lady Hill is dangerous; her mind has been transformed!" Sif warned.

At Sif's words, Maria threw the pens at them like a person throwing knives; Natasha managed to dodge in the last moment, and the pens instead imbedded themselves in the wall behind where her head was moments before.

"Damn it, we need the hammer!" Tony cursed under his breath.

"Just summon your Iron Man suit," Pepper said, confused.

"Things operate differently in our realm, Lady Pepper," Sif said, shaking her head. "The Avengers' powers come from Asgardian magic."

"Well, _mine _don't!" Natasha said, pushing past everyone to charge Maria.

"Wait, Nat, you're still injured!" Pepper protested, but Natasha ignored her.

Maria, meanwhile, just laughed demonically, throwing her stack of files up into the air. As the sheets fell, they temporarily blocked Natasha's view of Maria, making Natasha skid to a stop.

"Tasha, watch out!" Clint called from behind.

Natasha barely had enough time to react as she was then kicked in the back by Maria, who had managed to sneak by her with the temporary distraction. Determined to prove her magic-less powers to everyone, Natasha took a step away to balance herself as Maria stood tall in front of her.

"Fill out your paperwork, Natasha," Maria taunted, her eyes sparkling with evil. Honestly, it _did _intimidate Natasha a little (it was just so _creepy_). "Come on, now, you have to add more information to your file; it's just so _bare_."

"Leave her alone!"

At the same instant Natasha heard Pepper's voice, Natasha saw what appeared to be a Stark Industries tablet fly through the air, and hit the back of Maria's head with a _thunk_. Maria collapsed with a brief groan, as the impact ultimately knocked her out.

Natasha looked from Maria's now unconscious body on the floor to where Pepper was standing, purse hanging open from her arm (where Natasha assumed the tablet had come from), and eyes shut and muscles tensed for some expected form of retaliation from Maria. But there was none.

"I can't believe that worked," Tony said honestly, prompting Pepper to open her eyes slowly and look at the damage she'd done.

"I knew you had it in you, Pep!" Clint cheered.

"I hope I didn't hurt Maria too badly," Pepper admitted uneasily, closing and readjusting her purse. "I just wanted to knock her out."

Sif flew down besides Maria's face, which now bore a peaceful expression. "All is well, Lady Pepper; Lady Hill is just asleep."

"Oh, thank goodness," Pepper sighed, relieved.

"Come, friends; we must continue," Sif said as she floated back up to everyone's heights. "We haven't a moment to spare."

Natasha waited for the others to pass before pulling Pepper aside. "Thanks, Pep. You saved my ass."

Pepper gave a slightly nervous laugh, glancing between Natasha and Maria's unmoving body. "Yeah, well, I just acted instinctively...a best friend's gotta do what a best friend's gotta do, right?"

_Best friend_. Natasha still felt something inside of her _flutter _whenever Pepper would call her that, and this instance was no exception. She smiled, and gave Pepper's hand a light squeeze. Who knew friendship could be so rewarding?

"Now, come on, we better catch up to the others," Pepper said, tugging Natasha in the direction of where the other three had walked moments before.

* * *

"So, is it safe to drive back?" Pepper asked as they entered the garage, a level underneath the base.

"Aye, for you and Lady Natasha are protected from the foreign magic," Sif answered, sitting on Clint's head (apparently, Sif the fairy tended to sit on people's heads and shoulders whenever she grew tired). "I believe it to be safest if either of you drive."

"Well, I mean, Clint's driving skills aren't that great, anyway, so it's that way by default already," Natasha quipped from the back of the group.

Clint, not turning around to face her, simply held up his hand and held up his middle finger.

"I guess the Clint in this world is the same as ours," Pepper murmured to Natasha, who smirked in agreement.

"Guys...wait." Tony suddenly stopped, prompting everyone to do the same. They all turned back to him, their expressions varying in degrees of concern. Tony, meanwhile, just smiled maliciously.

Sif leapt off of Clint's head with a scowl. "The Man of Iron has grown dangerous!"

"Like Maria?" Pepper asked, taking a few steps away from Tony with Natasha.

"Aye, the magic is controlling his brain!" Sif cried, pointing at Tony's face; there, his eyes were a shocking shade of blue, reflecting the supernatural powers in his mind. "We must get away, immediately!"

"It's okay, Sif; Natalie is the only one I'm after," Tony said, taking a step forward. Natasha took a step back. "You know she's the _real _threat."

"What does _that _mean?" Natasha wondered aloud, looking between Tony, Clint, and Sif suspiciously. Pepper appeared as confused as her.

"We need to go, _now_," Clint said, and Sif nodded her agreement.

Tony laughed evilly, and threw his arm up to the sky. "This new magic has given me _more _than enough power...JARVIS, my suit!"

At his command, pieces of Tony's Iron Man suit flew out of practically nowhere, clinging to his body. Natasha and Pepper watched for a moment before Clint pushed them away, beckoning them to run forward.

"We need to get as far away as possible, before he catches up! It won't take him very long with the suit," Clint explained as they ran toward the garage exit. "Looks like we won't have time to grab the car after all."

"I shouldn't have worn heels," Pepper grumbled to herself, just loud enough for Natasha to hear.

Normally, Natasha would have laughed, but Tony's words still concerned her greatly. _He said I was his greatest threat...but something tells me it's not just in skill, in comparison to Clint and Pepper. The me in this world must have a very valuable ability that enables her to defeat any enemy! _

"If we head underground quickly enough, the trains will aid us," Sif said, abandoning Clint's head for Natasha's shoulder. "I believe this 'subway system' is the same in your realm, yes?"

"The New York City subway system is far too characteristic to be different for no reason," Clint joked as they emerged onto the sidewalk.

Dodging people was a bit challenging, but _staying together _while dodging people was even _worse. _To make things even more difficult, Tony finally came into pursuit behind them in his Iron Man suit. He fired his repulsor beams at them, managing to narrowly avoid hitting the other people on the street.

In the chaos and smoke from Tony's attack, Natasha quickly found herself separated from the others. She skidded to a stop, nearly throwing Sif off of her shoulder; she whipped her head around frantically. "Pepper? Clint? Where are you guys?" she called.

"They probably advanced to the station," Sif guessed, holding onto a strand of Natasha's hair so she wouldn't fall off of her shoulder. "We must tread carefully, Lady Natasha; enemies can be _anywhere_."

Natasha could hear the Iron Man suit flying nearby, so she quickly ran down a side alley to throw Tony off. She stopped behind a dumpster to catch her breath, shaking her head in disbelief. "None of this is real, I'm dreaming. Someone drugged me."

"You are not dreaming, Lady Natasha; this realm exists, just on a different plane from yours," Sif said. "You must believe me."

"It's kinda hard when a tall, powerful warrior is now a _bug _sitting on my shoulder," Natasha snipped, ducking down as she heard Tony fly by. "And neither Tony nor Maria would ever go after me like this, either."

"They are acting not of their own will, but of someone else's," Sif reminded, her voice melancholy. "They are still your allies."

"Can't you use your magic to turn them back into good guys?" Natasha asked hopefully.

But Sif shook her head. "I do not possess enough power for that. Not alone, at least. I believe that is why you and Lady Pepper are here, now, in place of our own Lady Pepper and you. You hold the power to defeating this villain."

Before Natasha could ask what the hell _that _meant, a noise from the end of the alley stopped her. Sif nervously flapped her wings. "Someone's here," she said.

"Agent Romanoff!" The newcomer called, who Natasha quickly identified as Fury. According to her team when she and Pepper had first arrived at S.H.I.E.L.D., Fury had gone rogue earlier, so he couldn't be trusted. "Romanoff!"

Natasha groaned, pushing herself further back against the wall. "What does _he _want?"

"It's as the Man of Iron spoke earlier; you are their greatest threat," Sif explained, looking up at Natasha. "Mjolnir grants you the most power."

"I don't understand," Natasha replied.

"Romanoff! Hill said you skipped out on your post-mission paperwork!"

"Unlike your home, in this realm, the Avengers' powers come from Thor's presence, specifically, Mjolnir," Sif explained, ignoring Fury. "When a Midgardian has great heroic capabilities and a strong wish, I can grant that wish and bestow upon them the power to be the hero they aspire to be. Your wish was the strongest.

"And what you wish for also determines your powers. For example, Steve Rogers wanted to defend the defenseless, those victimized by Midgardians who abused their power. His desire was strong, so his powers were great; his body was cured of all ailments, and he can protect the meek from any tyrant."

Natasha hated how much this started to all make sense in her head. She cursed under her breath as she accidentally hit the dumpster, creating a noise that was bound to attract Fury's attention. "Well, then, why can't I use these so-called 'powers' right now and get us out of here?"

"You need Mjolnir to transform," Sif said. "We need to return to the Tower at once."

Suddenly, the unmistakable sound of a bullet hitting metal sounded right beside Natasha's head, the shock of the sudden noise nearly knocking her over. Fury was _shooting _at them! "Well, then how the hell do we get out of here? Fury has us cornered!"

"Believe in a miracle, and it will happen," Sif advised solemnly. She tilted her head to one side, her dark eyes challenging Natasha's light ones. "Do you believe?"

Another bullet bounced off of the dumpster, just a few feet away from them. "Believe in _what_?" Natasha tried to understand.

"That," Sif said, pointing to the end of the alley opposite from where Fury was approaching.

Following Sif's small finger, Natasha caught sight of Clint, bow in hand and arrow loaded, aiming for Fury. It appeared to be an ice arrow, which he fired, aiming for the ground beneath Fury's feet. Fury, unable to dodge in time, swore loudly as his legs were encased by ice.

"Natasha! We're here now!" Pepper called Natasha out of her hiding spot.

Natasha breathed a sigh of relief as she walked out from behind the dumpster, and saw Pepper and Clint walking toward her. She smiled sheepishly. "Guess I've needed you guys to bail me out again, huh?"

"Always believe in your allies, Lady Natasha," Sif said, her voice soft with wisdom. "They will be there for you in the end."

"We can take Fury's SUV back to the tower," Clint said, pointing to the black vehicle parked out on the street at the end of the alley. "Then we can get to Thor's hammer."

"And we can finally go home," Pepper said, relieved. Natasha nodded.

But something was bothering her. Surely, their transportation to this world wasn't just _random_? There _must _have been a reason for entering this strange, parallel world.

* * *

"_Finally_, that took us _so long _just to get back!"

Clint's exaggerated announcement drew tired nods of agreement from Natasha and Pepper as they rode the elevator up to the penthouse of Avengers' Tower.

"It's been a long day," Natasha added, to which the others agreed.

"It will all be over soon," Sif said, floating between Pepper and Natasha's heads. She looked to Natasha happily. "All that's left is for Lady Natasha to transform, so she can restore everyone's hearts and then return home with Lady Pepper!"

"Do I really have the power to do that?" Natasha questioned, her voice tinged with doubt.

"Come on, Nat, give yourself a little bit more credit than that," Clint said, his eyes twinkling with, Natasha believed, memories of his first encounter with her, when they had been enemies. Or, more accurately, when _she _had been the enemy. "You're the only one who can do this."

"If I had to choose one person to save the world, it would be you," Pepper said earnestly, her eyes bright. "You're the most heroic person I know."

The elevator stopped, and the doors opened. "You guys have standards that really worry me," Natasha muttered to herself as they entered the penthouse.

"There! It's right where we left it this morning," Pepper said, pointing to where Mjolnir was on the floor near the couch. "When Natasha was napping."

"I had weird dreams again, probably because that was right near me," Natasha said. They all approached Mjolnir slowly. "What am I supposed to do now, Sif?"

"Aye, when you reach your hand out to Mjolnir and grasp it by the handle, there should be an immediate reaction that will allow you to power up," Sif explained, hovering over the silver hammer. "Then you will defeat the fiend who is bringing this toxic magic upon Midgard!"

Natasha looked upon Mjolnir nervously. So, it really _was _just like in her dream. She'd reached out to Mjonir and managed to wrap her fingers around the handle before she was enveloped by a white light. Perhaps that was a foreshadowing of what things were to come now?

_But you aren't worthy_, a voice inside of her insisted. _Any other person on this Earth is worthier than you. You don't deserve such honor. _

But Natasha shook her head to that voice. It was wrong. She was worthy of all good things in this world, or so Pepper and the others had been telling her for years - surely, the power of Mjolnir was one of those things.

"I will do it," she said out loud to herself, reaching out the hand that had been cradled to her chest toward the tempting handle.

Her fingers were about to make contact with it...when Clint suddenly snatched it from her grasp. She turned to Clint, surprised, as did Sif and Pepper, their faces full of confusion.

"Sorry, Tasha, but this is the end of the line for you…" Clint closed his eyes momentarily, allowing them to take on the electric blue shade when he opened them. "I have other orders I need to follow."

"No! The Eye of Hawk has betrayed us!" Sif protested. "Return Mjolnir to us now!"

"No way! Not when I finally have my hands on all of this power...I can give it to my Master." Clint smiled to himself. Natasha lunged toward him.

"Hand it over, Barton! You're out of your mind!" she yelled, reaching for Mjolnir, but missing.

"I think it's the other way around, Tash," Clint taunted, holding Mjolnir up with a victorious laugh. Out of the corners of their eyes, Pepper and Natasha noticed Bruce sneaking up behind Clint, an expensive, heavy-looking lab tool in hand. But Clint didn't notice. "No one can defeat me now, the Incredible Hawk-_buh!_"

Clint didn't get to finish his statement as Bruce knocked him out with his lab tool, looking both determined and apologetic. It reminded Natasha of what Pepper looked like earlier when she'd hit Maria. "Sorry, Clint," Bruce said to Clint's unconscious form.

"Bruce!" Pepper said, relieved, as Bruce offered them a shy smile. "Thank goodness you're still with us!"

"I'm not sure how much longer I will be," Bruce admitted. "It sounds like everyone else has already gone rogue."

"This entire thing is just messed up," Natasha shrugged. "We really have no idea what's going on."

Sif suddenly perked up, looking more aware. "I can sense someone nearby! It's the villain behind this, he's coming!"

Natasha and Pepper immediately got into more defensive stances, watching as the bringer of the mind-controlling Asgardian magic entered the penthouse through the glass doors usually utilized by Tony when he was returning after using his Iron Man suit.

The figure, his face hidden by a hood, gave a laugh. "So, I see you all made it to where you were supposed to go."

"Reveal yourself, coward! A true warrior shows her face when she goes to battle!" Sif yelled, her hand clenched in a fist.

"Sif...had I known this would be your fate after we grew up playing together - you, me, and my 'brother' - I may have treated you more nicely." The newcomer cast aside his cape, revealing himself to be none other than Loki.

Natasha's eyes narrowed. "Of course. Who else could it have been? Hell, you were even in my _dream_!"

"But of course," Loki grinned mischievously, "who do you think sent you that dream, hm? Or dragged you here from the other realm?"

"Poor choice, God of Mischief," Sif said confidently, turning to Natasha. "Now, Lady Natasha, grasp the power of Mjolnir and bring down this tyrant!"

Natasha glanced at Pepper, who gave her an encouraging nod. "I still am not really sure what all of this means, but it sounds like you're the key to resolving it. So, go for it!"

"I don't really know what's going on either, but the Natasha I know is capable of many great things," Bruce added happily. "Regardless of where she's from, Natasha Romanoff can always save the day."

"Enough!" Loki snarled, casting his hand in the direction of Bruce. "It's time for my true weapon to come out, the great beast of anger! Show yourself, Incredible Hulk!"

Dark green magic wisped from Loki's fingers and assaulted Bruce's chest. He groaned and hunched over in pain, his breathing heavy. In a matter of seconds, the shirt on his back began to rip as his skin and bones expanded, the shade turning from a pale white to an aggressive green. Pepper took a cautious step back while Natasha looked to Sif.

"Go forth now, Lady Natasha!" she said. "Do not let the beast intimidate you!"

_It looks like I have no choice,_ Natasha thought, closing her eyes momentarily to compose herself. _It is time to embrace my true power! _

Natasha leaned over Clint's body to grab Mjolnir, and pulled it up with a confident grin. A light formed around her hand, and she held the silver weapon up victoriously. "Whosoever holds this hammer, if she be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor!"

The light wrapped around Natasha's body, and she could practically feel her _soul _taking a physical form. As opposed to her body and mind being two separate entities, they were one, and they were completely hers to dictate - for once in her life, she felt purely _in control_.

Somewhere in her mind she recognized this 'transformation' as one like the 'magical girls' in the cartoons on TV. This turned out to be a very accurate assessment, as when the light faded, her uniform was replaced with a much more feminine, yet childish outfit; she wore a black dress with a fairly poofy skirt, almost like a ballerina's, which bore a repeating red hourglass symbol pattern along the hem. The skirt ended just above her knees, where her long boots began. A red bow added to the _childish _appearance as it sat on the skin just above her chest, keeping the collar of her dress crisp and in place. Her hair also echoed a younger version of herself, as it was a slightly darker shade of red and cascaded down her back in smooth waves, with bangs covering her forehead. Finally, a headband with black cat ears sat atop her head (for whatever reason).

Natasha had been just beside a window when she'd transformed, as she caught a glimpse of herself, and nearly fell over in disgusted shock. "What the _fuck_? Sif, what the _hell_! I look like a _cartoon character_! This is so _humiliating_..."

Pepper scratched the back of her head, both in awe of what she'd just witnessed and a bit as confused as Natasha. "I think you look really cute, Nat!"

"And _why _do I have cat ears?" Natasha demanded, glaring daggers at her (kind of adorable, she had to admit) reflection.

Sif smiled apologetically. "When I granted her wish, Lady Natasha wished to convert the darkness of her past to light; because this darkness came from childhood, Mjolnir's powers drew from her child self. Apparently, Lady Natasha believed herself to be as stealthy and deceitful as a cat when she was a young child in training!"

Natasha let her forehead fall against the glass window in _embarrassment, _her cheeks slightly flushed. "Don't listen to me as a _kid_! I was so _lame_, and clearly had poor fashion choices.._._"

Loki cleared his throat, bringing everyone's attention back to him. "Impressive wardrobe change, Romanoff. But that means _nothing _against my powers."

To accent his words, Hulk stood up to his full height beside Loki, roaring with great ferocity. Sif quickly settled herself on Pepper's shoulder, knowing they'd both have to get out of the line of fire pretty quickly. Natasha grasped Mjolnir more tightly, and held it out toward Loki. "I won't let you get away with this, Loki."

"Maybe not me, but how about all of your friends?" Loki grinned.

At his words, Fury, Maria, and Tony all entered the room from different points, stumbling in like zombies out for blood. Clint, too, rose from where he had been unconscious on the floor, and his eyes immediately went to Natasha.

"Get her!" Clint ordered everyone, and they all cried out in agreement.

Loki climbed up onto Hulk's shoulders, watching as Natasha, Pepper, and Sif were surrounded by the others. Natasha looked around at her brainwashed companions with a nervous frown. Taking his chance to escape, Loki held onto Hulk as he leapt out of the tower windows and onto a nearby building, ready to wreak havoc on Manhattan.

"Loki's getting away!" Pepper observed, worried. "What are we going to do?"

"Lady Natasha must cleanse the minds of her allies first," Sif said, looking to Natasha. "Use the power inside of you, and believe in yourself - that is how to use Mjolnir's power!"

_Believe in myself_, Natasha echoed in her mind, determined. She gripped Mjolnir with both hands, taking a moment to silently reassert herself. _I've got this, I can do this, I can be the hero. _She closed her eyes, focusing on the Asgardian magic around her. "I call upon you, Asgard, to rid my friends of Loki's magic!" she yelled, holding Mjolnir up. Rays of light shone from the hammer, blinding those surrounding them.

Gradually, each of them collapsed on the floor, their expressions giving the impression they were sleeping. Sif jumped up with a victorious grin. "Aye, Lady Natasha! Loki's magic is gone!"

"Perfect," Natasha said, opening her eyes. "Now it's time to go after Loki!"

* * *

Natasha, Pepper, and Sif ran out onto the street from Avengers' Tower a few minutes later, just in time to hear the unmistakable sound of a building falling apart. People were scattered everywhere on the street, adding to the chaos of the scene, as the Hulk roared from where he was standing just down the street, Loki perched on his shoulder.

"It's just like the Battle of New York all over again," Pepper said sadly, looking to Natasha. "We can't let Loki destroy the city again!"

"As resilient a people the Midgardians of this city may be, such resilience cannot endure forever," Sif added darkly, floating beside Pepper's face. "They require protection."

Natasha looked unsure of herself, her grip on Mjolnir tightening nervously. "And _I _can provide that much protection?"

"There is reason for why you are still standing, while your teammates are not," Sif pointed out logically.

"You won't be alone," Pepper added, looking determined. "Sif and I can try to keep the people out of the way while you go after Loki and change Bruce back to normal."

Natasha nodded. "Be careful, please, Pepper." _She's not trained like I am or…'powered up' or whatever the hell I am right now, either. She's just like any other normal person on the street, vulnerable to Loki's attack. But..._

Pepper smiled confidently. "I always am, Natasha."

_But, like Sif said, I must believe in Pepper to succeed, just as I must believe in myself to defeat Loki_..._and now I sound like a character in a graphic novel. Awesome. _

"Go now, Lady Natasha! Before Loki can wreak more havoc on your world!" Sif said. Natasha mirrored Pepper's brave grin.

Meanwhile, Loki looked around at the chaos on the street, smiling devilishly. "This time, the God of Mischief shall prevail!" he proclaimed, lifting his fists up in a victorious manner. "Kneel before me, peasants!"

Unfortunately, everyone was too busy running away to stop and kneel, which frustrated Loki. He scowled. "I said, _kneel_!"

"The only one who will be kneeling is _you_, Loki!"

At the same time the words were spoken, Natasha flew at Loki, Mjolnir guiding her path similar to when Thor used it. She tackled Loki off of the Hulk's shoulders, and stood up between the two.

Loki skidded back on the ground, but stopped himself quickly. He looked up at Natasha, eyes twinkling with his magical mischief. "I see the Widow managed to defeat her friends." He paused, looking up at her unfitting headwear of cat ears. "Or, rather, the Feline?"

"I changed everyone back to normal." Natasha held Mjolnir up, pointing straight at Loki. "You're the one who I will defeat."

"I'm terrified," Loki said dryly. "Really. An adult in a child's costume while waving around a hammer haunts my dreams. I'm shivering right now."

The fingers on Natasha's right hand, not holding Mjolnir, twitched, giving a little _crackle _of electrical energy. "Well, considering my arsenal of weapons has now improved about 1000% thanks to your brother's mobile lightning rod, I think you're not wrong to feel that way."

Loki merely grinned, his eyes, though looking in Natasha's direction, looking at something _behind _her. She stiffened a bit at the realization of what he was looking at, remembering what had been looming behind her all this time, waiting to pounce.

"Hulk, please show your fellow Avenger what _real _power looks like."

Natasha whirled around in time to see the Hulk erupt into a series of roars and begin to charge her. She leapt out of the way as his fists slammed down on the concrete she'd been standing on only moments before, feeling slightly disoriented.

_Though fighting in this 'form' is different, I can adapt quickly; I'm good at readjusting myself. However, fighting the Hulk has never been my specialty, so combining those two factors may add up to a difficult time getting Bruce back, _Natasha calculated as she jumped up into the air. She'd realized on her way over to Loki and the Hulk that Mjolnir gave her similar 'floating' abilities as Sif, which she knew would be crucial to utilize now.

But Hulk was a jumper. His oversized muscles improved his physical abilities in all areas, which explained his complete lack of hesitation to follow Natasha up into the air. She cursed under her breath in Russian, narrowly avoiding Hulk's grabby hands by a few feet.

During her evasive maneuvering, Natasha caught sight of Pepper beckoning people out of a nearby building, Sif hovering over Pepper for a better view. "We have to get away from the city," Natasha murmured to herself as Hulk landed roughly on the sidewalk, sending cement flying everywhere. Loki hopped back up on Hulk's shoulders, grinning madly at Natasha. She grit her teeth, turning her head back up to look at her surroundings. "But where can we go...?"

_Central Park_ was the immediate answer her mind provided as she quickly caught sight of it from her aerial perspective. She made up her mind quickly, and started to ascend higher and toward that general direction.

"If you want the city, you'll have to go through me!" Natasha declared to her two opponents on the ground. "And to do that, you'll have to catch me!"

With that, she reached Mjolnir out in front of her in one rapid motion, immediately propelling her forward. She heard Hulk's roar behind her, as well as Loki's laughter.

_Sneaky as a cat, Sif said. I can't believe I used to think of myself like that, _Natasha couldn't help but think as she traveled. _How can you be sneaky when you're out in the open like this? _

Natasha continued to speed in the direction of Central Park, but gasped as she heard Hulk _directly _behind her, and not a moment later, felt a large hand swat at her like she were a bug. The blow, while not the hardest, was enough to throw off her flight pattern, and knock her lower to the ground.

But Natasha didn't give up. She stayed with the lower altitude, even as Hulk was quickly approaching downward, ready to stomp on her. She turned belly-up, and held her fists out toward him, sending out a large burst of electricity.

The blast hit Hulk and Loki, throwing them off of their own path and away from her. Natasha picked up the pace then, Central Park just a block away. She couldn't help the small smirk that formed on her face after seeing how powered up her Widow's Bites were in this form.

Fortunately, the park was fairly clear when she flew in, Hulk and Loki hot on her tail again already. Natasha turned back to face them, landing gracefully on the grass. Hulk also skidded to a stop, and gave a battle-ready roar.

"Now the real fun begins," Loki commented, his voice icy.

"For me," Natasha said, already in her battle stance. "How about for you?"

Loki scowled, and pointed his hand toward Natasha. "Green beast, attack!"

Natasha swallowed down her old fears of the Hulk. She tried not to see the time he'd chased her through the helicarrier before the Battle of New York, her life saved by Thor's interruption of their encounter. Natasha shook the thoughts away. _Bruce said he believes in me, so I must believe in him. _

The Hulk charged, and Natasha jumped back quickly. She held Mjolnir between herself and Hulk. "Just like the others, I will clean your heart of Loki's magic, Bruce! Go!" she yelled, launching the same rays of light that had purified her team earlier at the Hulk and Loki.

But Loki put up a force field in front of Hulk, blocking Natasha's magic like it was nothing. "That was pathetic. Valiant effort, I will say, but pathetic. You alone are not strong enough," he sneered, grinning madly.

Natasha frowned, concerned. _Why didn't that work? If I can't get Bruce back on my side, I'll have to fight him - the Hulk - to get him back! _

The Hulk's roar interrupted her thoughts, and he ran at her once more. Natasha nearly dodged as he slammed a fist down in the dirt, and she quickly stumbled away. Hulk lunged for her again, and Natasha managed to roll away just in time.

As she skidded to a stop and sat up in the grass, Natasha noticed the heavy foliage around them. There were many trees and bushes around them, and she recalled her thoughts earlier regarding her ability to adapt to new conditions quickly.

Hulk leapt toward her again, Loki yelling out commands as they moved. Natasha scrambled away into the nearby plants, moving out of sight. She weaved through the trees before hopping up into one, hiding herself in the thick leaves while she listened for Hulk lumbering through.

Which, of course, he did, as Loki had ordered him to. "She may have the ears of a feline, but not the skills. She cannot stay hidden for long," Loki said.

Natasha placed a hand on Mjolnir's edge, thinking of what else she could use the power for. _I feel like I have more attacks with this thing… _Her other hand drifted upward, making contact with the black cat ears on her head. _Sif said something about being as sneaky as a cat...maybe Loki is wrong. _

Loki saw bushes off to the right rustle briefly. Hulk also noticed and gave a snort. "That must be her, go!"

Hulk punched the bush, but his fist went straight through the leaves and collided with the tree behind it.

"Wha-?!"

Natasha came in from the side, hitting Hulk's head with Mjolnir. He roared in pain, and Loki fell off of his shoulder in surprise. Before either of them could catch sight of Natasha, she was gone.

"Impossible," Loki growled, looking around wildly. Bushes to the left of them rustled, and Loki sent a burst of magic at the movement, but Natasha jumped out of the way just in time.

"Eat this!" Natasha yelled as she came from another angle, sending an electric pulse from her hand. Before it could hit Loki, he moved his hand quickly, using magic to stop Natasha's attack and send it back to her.

She flew back as her own magic hit her, tumbling out of the deep foliage and back out into the open. She rolled across the grass, stopping herself with a pained groan. _Well, at least I know my powers _do _hurt. _

Hulk and Loki pursued her then, skidding to a stop just in front of her. Natasha quickly pushed herself to her knees, glaring defiantly at them.

"Natasha!"

_Oh no_. Natasha whipped her head around, and saw Pepper and Sif running in her direction. If they got too close, Loki and Hulk would crush them!

"Your friends," Loki observed with a malicious grin. "Do they want to play as well?"

Before Natasha could warn them, Loki sent a pulse of dark green magic toward them. Pepper and Sif skidded to a stop, bracing themselves for the attack.

"Pepper, no!"

Natasha moved as quickly as she could, using Mjolnir's powers to throw herself at them. She made it just in time, taking Loki's attack to her back, shielding Pepper and Sif. Natasha cried out in pain before falling to Pepper's feet.

"Natasha!" Pepper cried for her friend, kneeling down beside Natasha's collapsed form. "Natasha, are you okay?"

Natasha raised her head slowly, trembling slightly. "Pepper, you have to get out of here," she managed, trying to push herself up. "It's not safe."

"I'm not leaving you," Pepper insisted, looking determined.

Sif, hanging from the collar of Pepper's shirt, looked up. "Loki is approaching!"

"Mewling quim," Loki laughed at Natasha failing to raise herself up. "Prepare for defeat!"

Pepper stood up then, placing herself between Natasha and Loki. She raised her arms out to either side, glaring at Loki and Hulk as they stood before her. "I won't let you touch her, Loki!"

Natasha turned her head to the side, looking up at Pepper. "Pepper…" she pleaded, eyes dark with sorrow. _She _was the one with powers - _she _should be the one protecting Pepper!

"I may not have powers, but that doesn't make me any less responsible for doing what's right," Pepper said, her spirit unwavering. "And I won't let anyone pick on my friends, no matter the power difference!"

"That is quite foolish," Loki sneered. Hulk grunted in agreement.

"But it's the right thing," Pepper argued. "So, do your worst!"

Sif jumped up happily, twirling in the air. "You have uttered the necessary words, Lady Pepper! You are worthy!"

At Sif's words, Mjolnir floated up into the air from where it had lied beside Natasha, and flew over to Pepper, who looked at the object wide-eyed. Loki, too, looked surprised, and slightly worried, now that he realized he was standing against _two _magical girls.

Sif met Pepper's eyes with an encouraging expression, nodding her head happily. "Reach out and embrace your powers, Lady Pepper!"

Pepper blinked a few times, then nodded in understanding. "Okay...let's do this!"

She grabbed Mjolnir quickly, lifting the weapon to the skies. "Whosoever holds this hammer, if she be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor!"

The same white light that had enveloped Natasha consumed Pepper, transforming her appearance. Like Natasha, Pepper's clothes were replaced with a more childish outfit, her business attire changed to a yellow dress, styled like Natasha's, with dark yellow hearts lined along the hem. A bow of the same dark shade appeared on Pepper's collar, as well as in her hair. Long boots also covered Pepper's feet and legs, and she looked ready for action.

"How come _I _had to have embarrassing cat ears?" Natasha grumbled to herself as she watched Pepper raise Mjolnir up to Loki and Hulk. Somehow, watching Pepper power up seemed to restore some of Natasha's energy.

Pepper turned back to her, and offered Natasha a hand. "Come on, Nat, let's go!"

Natasha nodded, taking Pepper's hand and standing up with a proud smile. "This is officially the weirdest day of my life."

"Then let's embrace that weirdness together!" Pepper grinned, holding Mjolnir between them. Natasha returned the smile.

"I will take both of you down!" Loki swore, glaring between both of them. "Hulk, go!"

Hulk roared, and lunged forward. Both Natasha and Pepper jumped out of the way, Pepper still holding Mjolnir.

"Go, Extremis!" Pepper called, waving Mjolnir in Loki and Hulk's direction. The motion created a blast of fire, which hit Hulk square in the chest. He cried out in pain, flying back. Loki was thrown from his shoulders.

Pepper passed Mjolnir to Natasha, who grabbed the hammer with a grin. As the Hulk lied on the grass, dazed, Natasha pointed Mjolnir at him. "Here's one for my namesake: _spiders_!"

At her words (which Pepper and Sif both shuddered at), a multitude of black widow spiders appeared in the grass, and crawled onto Hulk. The black dots nearly covered his body, which made him writhe in discomfort.

"Nat, you're not actually having venomous spiders bite Bruce, right?" Pepper couldn't help but ask, concerned and intimidated by the large number of spiders.

"When they bite him, they aren't injecting a poison; it undos Loki's magic," Natasha explained, tilting her head toward Hulk's changing form. "See?"

Sure enough, the spiders crawled off of Hulk as he shrunk down, revealing (a barely clothed and unconscious) Bruce Banner moments later. The spiders all disappeared in the grass afterward.

"That was creepy, but useful," Pepper commented.

Sif flew down to Bruce, standing on his chest. "Lord Banner is alright - he will wake up soon enough!"

"Now, then," Natasha turned her eyes to Loki, who stood a few feet away from Bruce and Sif, "it's your turn, Loki!"

"You can never defeat me!" he yelled, jumping up into the air. "How can you beat me if you don't know who the real me is?"

Using his magic, Loki multiplied himself until there were ten of him, all of them circling Natasha and Pepper.

"You have to find the real Loki to end his spell!" Sif advised from the ground.

Natasha passed Mjolnir back to Pepper, who gripped the handle with both hands. "Fine. I'll take a page from Maria, then: Endless Paperwork!"

She twirled around in a circle, holding Mjolnir out, endless streams of paper shooting out of the hammer at the Loki clones as she spun. The attack wasn't meant to hurt, but simply to distract. While half of the Lokis focused on blocking the attack, the other half were blinded as papers covered their faces.

Natasha flew by Pepper and took Mjolnir then. "That's always an effective one." Natasha held her hands out. "Widow's Bites!"

Bolts of electricity flew out of her wrist, taking down the Loki clones who were blinded by papers. Pepper reclaimed Mjolnir after that and sent her Extremis attack out at the remaining duplicates then, singling out the real Loki, who narrowly managed to dodge Pepper's attack.

Loki scowled as he landed on the ground, looking up at Natasha and Pepper, who now both held Mjolnir between them. "You cannot defeat me!"

"I think we can." Pepper smirked, and Natasha nodded.

They pointed Mjolnir toward Loki together. "Take this, Loki!" Natasha and Pepper both yelled as a bright energy beam, the culmination of their powers combined, was shot from Mjolnir at Loki.

Loki cried out as the energy hit him, completely consuming him. The power, Asgardian in origin, transported him (and all of his magic) back to Asgard, leaving nothing behind but burnt grass where Loki had stood.

Pepper and Natasha floated back down to the ground then, breathing heavily. "That...was more exhausting than I expected," Pepper admitted, looking at Natasha, who nodded her agreement.

"You have succeeded in defeating Loki!" Sif cheered, flying up to them. "Congratulations!"

Natasha let Mjolnir fall to the ground between her and Pepper as she caught Pepper in a hug, grateful for their powers to protect each other. Pepper returned the embrace with the same warmth.

Bruce sat up in the grass, looking dazed and confused. He scratched his head. "Wh...what happened?"

Natasha looked up to Bruce from Pepper's shoulder with a proud smile. "We kicked Loki's ass!"

"All the way back to Asgard," Pepper added with a smug smile, releasing Natasha.

"Both Ladies Pepper and Natasha proved worthy of the power of Thor," Sif informed Bruce.

"Maybe I should become an Avenger," Pepper joked, but Natasha vehemently shook her head.

"No way. It's too dangerous."

* * *

"So, let me get this straight, _you're _a magical girl, too?"

"It would appear so," Pepper shrugged, placing a bandaid on a cut just above Tony's left eye. He stared at her in surprise.

"Lady Pepper committed a selfless act, ready to offer up her life for Lady Natasha's," Sif explained, sitting on top of Natasha's head. "Therefore, she proved her worthiness to Asgard!"

Natasha nodded, further examining Mjolnir in her hands. "What a strange world this is, where everyone can pick up Mjolnir…" She looked around the destroyed penthouse of Avengers Tower, glancing over each of her (equally worn out) teammates.

"But all is well now," Thor boomed, fully conscious and joyful for Natasha and Pepper's success, "never have our teammates carried such strength before!"

"Yeah, Natasha's powers were never so strong, and Pepper didn't _have _powers," Clint added thoughtfully. "I'd say we're in good hands from now on."

Steve and Bruce nodded their agreement. Tony whimpered in discomfort as Pepper applied alcohol to a cut on his cheek. She looked over to Natasha with a smile. "Let's keep doing our best then, Nat!"

Sif descended from Natasha's head and took Mjolnir from her hands. Natasha returned Pepper's smile. "Yeah, Pepper!"

They fell into a comfortable, victorious silence then, as Sif returned Mjolnir to Thor. Pepper continued cleaning Tony up and Natasha leaned back in her chair, letting her eyes slip shut.

_We're technically not supposed to be in this world, but I guess it's not that big of a deal, right?_

* * *

"The end!"

Maggie clapped as Cassie and Skye high-fived, from where they stood before her. Natasha raised an eyebrow.

"None of that ever happened."

Pepper nodded her agreement. "Yeah, I mean, I'm glad I got to be a superhero in this story, too, but that was quite the tall tale."

"Hey, hey, hey, don't look a gift horse in the mouth." Skye stuck her tongue out.

"It's hard not to if you do that," Natasha grumbled.

"Did our story make you feel better, Maggie?" Cassie, fourteen years old, asked Maggie.

Maggie, seven years old, nodded happily, her cheeks still red with her fever, but eyes brighter than usual. "I'm so glad Mama and Auntie Pep beat Loki! He's such a bad guy!"

"See? It was a success." Skye grinned at Natasha. "You can't deny it was a good story."

"It was unbelievable, but entertaining," Natasha admitted, poking at Maggie's feet in her lap. Maggie giggled and pulled her feet closer to her. She'd been sick over the past few days, which had put a stop to her shenanigans with Cassie. In that time, Cassie had tried extra hard to cheer her up, which eventually led to Skye spontaneously showing up at the Tower to double the effort.

Now, Maggie had been nearing her bed time when Cassie and Skye decided to regale Maggie with a long story of how Pepper and Natasha defeated Loki as 'magical girls.' From what Natasha had been able to pick up beforehand, it was based on some cartoon that both Cassie and Skye had seen, and was something Natasha was now sure would end up on their own TV to appease Maggie's inevitable curiosity.

"Are you sleepy now, Maggie?" Pepper asked, placing a hand on Maggie's arm.

Maggie yawned. "A little."

"Double success!" Skye cheered, high-fiving Cassie again.

"Alright, then, time for bed," Natasha announced, standing up from the couch. Maggie reached out to Pepper, who gathered her up in her arms.

"Maybe we'll sneak another story while we tuck her in," Skye stage-whispered to Cassie, causing her to giggle. Natasha just sent them a mock glare.

They left Natasha alone in the communal room (after she assured Maggie she'd be there in a moment). She turned to where Mjolnir was sitting on the floor next to Steve's shield, because _no one _in that tower was good at keeping track of their things. Rolling her eyes, Natasha grabbed Steve's shield and stood it up against the wall before turning back to Mjolnir.

She watched it for a moment before reaching a hand out. Gripping the handle, Natasha pulled back, smiling in satisfaction when the weapon was raised into the air.

"Just as I thought," she murmured to herself before setting it back down. She used her other hand to pat her head, just to make sure no cat ears had appeared (like in the story).

* * *

**A/N: **For anyone curious, I drew my inspiration for this from episode 2 of _Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kira. _This chapter's icebreaker is: **If you could have any power in the world, what would it be? **It seems that in this chapter I pictured small child Natasha wishing she were sneaky like a cat, haha. (Ironically, for Halloween yesterday, I cosplayed Natasha [like in my icon] while wearing cat ears - I called myself CATasha Romanoff.)


	74. The Day's Leisure

**A/N: **It's been awhile...again...but I just found this in my Google Drive and fixed it up just for you guys! A Skye and Coulson chapter, yay!

Though, I'm sure my minimal enthusiasm is relatable for everyone, given the past few days' tragedies. The world really sucks some times, huh? People are too cruel. For any of you guys who are in any way affected by the terrorist attacks in the various countries, even if it's just the news of it scaring and saddening you like it did for me, I'm sending you good vibes, lots of love, and my prayers.

I figured updating today would also give me an opportunity to check in with you guys, make sure you're all still out there - not just in reading my fic (we all have more important things to do than fanfiction), but that you're still happy and healthy. If any of you guys are having a rough time with something or just need to talk to someone, don't hesitate to PM me! I know I'm bad at responding to things in regards to fanfiction and my writing, but I will get back to you on any messages in which the subject matter is personal as quickly as I can, I promise.

And on that note, let us enter the new chapter! Thanks for your faves, follows, and reviews! Stay safe, guys, and remember how fragile your life is; never hesitate to tell people you love them, because you never know what a day could bring.

* * *

"I sense something..._cute_."

Phil looked over at Skye at her words. They were just so _random_. "You _sense _something _cute_?"

Skye nodded, apparently taking this very seriously. "_Yes_. God, being an Inhuman is so _weird _sometimes."

That was true. Normal, human people didn't suddenly announce they could sense something..._cute_ while they walked through Central Park in the middle of summer. Though, Phil thought, when had anything in his life - especially after Skye and the other Bus team members hijacked it - been _normal_ in any sense of the word? "Please explain to me, again, how you sense things," he said.

She shrugged. "I just _do._ The buildings are the loudest things around, they're so big...but I can also hear the grass and the trees." Skye gestured to the ground as they continued walking along a path. She stopped them both to point out a small rock sitting on the edge of the pathway. "I can even sense that little rock. See?"

As if to prove her molecular senses, Skye sent a weak burst of air at the innocent rock, pushing it backward, off the path, and into the grass. Phil simply raised his eyebrows at the little display; he didn't need to be reminded of Skye's powers. He was _well _aware of their existence.

"I understand you can..._manipulate _things through their molecules and all," Phil said. "But that doesn't explain being able to sense things specifically because they are _cute_."

"It makes perfect sense! Or, maybe I'm confusing 'cute' for 'enhanced.'" Skye scratched the back of her head, unsure, as they resumed walking. "Either way, I can hear people. Everyone around us, in the area. One of them is especially cute."

"Or enhanced," Phil said, quoting her admitted confusion. "Which one is it, Skye?"

She shook her head. "I can't know until I find it. Let's go!"

At that, Skye stopped again, glancing around them. It reminded Phil of the way dogs tried to track things through scents. He decided that telling Skye that was probably not a good idea.

"It's over there," Skye said a moment later, pointing down a nearby path. Without waiting for Phil's response, she quickly walked down their current walkway to turn onto the other, which would take them in the correct direction to find the mysterious _cute _thing.

"You told us last week you could sense what cards we had when we were playing poker." Phil had to jog a bit to catch up to her.

Skye snorted. "Yeah, well, my number of wins and losses debunks that myth for you, don't you think?"

"You're a bad liar," Phil teased instead, falling into step behind her after catching up. "And a decent bloodhound."

Okay, he couldn't withhold the dog joke; it was just too funny. Skye merely rolled her eyes at the comment. "I know you want to find this thing just as much as I do; you should be glad that I'm back and helping you find possible enhanced people."

Phil's smile tightened a bit. "I'm glad you're back because I missed you."

Skye had all but thrown herself into her Inhuman work for..._years_ now, actually. Phil had gone from seeing her every day to almost once a month, if they were lucky. But Skye had felt some sort of..._obligation_ to finding the other Inhumans in the world. Almost as if she were making up for her mother's betrayal and her father's murderous history. Skye owed nobody anything, they all tried to tell her; but she insisted that this was her duty.

That didn't mean seeing her off all the time was any less painful. This day was special, because Phil had managed to pull her into a day off with him. Central Park was selected as a relaxing venue for the occasion.

But now Skye was at it again: _finding Inhumans_. It was something she just seemed unable to let go of, even for a day. Unless this was really just something _cute. _

"I missed you, too," Skye said earnestly, leading Phil onto the grass as she continued to follow the strange molecular trail. "But this is my life now, my _job _now-"

"May misses you, too. And FitzSimmons, and Bobbi, and Hunter..._everyone _misses you," Phil said. "Maybe it's time for a break; I already know Lincoln said he'd take over when you were ready to come back home."

Lincoln had been a big help with everything Skye was doing. He, too, thought Skye should take a break and return home.

"We'll see," Skye said, not sounding very genuine. She pointed down the hill and across a wide field of grass. "I think the cute thing is in those trees down there."

Phil followed her view. There was an area covered by trees and bushes, and looked as if most people would walk around it. But perhaps an enhanced - or _cute _\- person would wander in there to hide.

They began descending the grassy hill. "Tell me again, Skye, why you think this thing is _cute_."

"It just _is_," Skye said, not quite sure how to explain it. "It sounded different from most people. Like, it's definitely an enhanced of some kind...but it's also small. Like a child."

"A _child_?" Phil was nervous now, thinking of May's deadly and traumatizing encounter in Bahrain years and years ago. If May were here now, she'd turn around and retreat at Skye's words.

"I know what you're thinking," Skye said quickly, "but I don't think it's bad. Not like May's Bahrain experience...God, it's not that. I just have a feeling."

Phil blinked. "A feeling."

Skye glanced back at him. "Yes, Coulson; shockingly, people have feelings."

"About distant Inhuman and/or enhanced people - _children_ \- and whether they're good or evil?"

Skye didn't reply, instead deciding to take bigger strides across the grass to walk farther ahead of Phil. The sun was beaming brightly, making Skye sweat uncomfortably. Hopefully the cute/Inhuman/enhanced newcomer would let them sit in the shade for a bit when they arrived, Skye thought to herself.

The sound in Skye's head was a lot stronger when they stopped in front of the bushes and trees. She looked at Phil. "She's definitely here."

"She?" Phil raised an eyebrow.

"Yes...with someone else." Skye frowned, turning back to the plants. "I'm going in."

Phil reached an exasperated hand out to her. "Skye, wait-"

Skye just pushed her way through the leaves, the curiosity burning within her. What kind of person would she find? Would she even be that cute, or were Skye's words to Phil really just nonsensical?

She weaved through a few more trees until she came to a space between them, almost prompting Skye to believe was standing in a forest. The source of what Skye had sensed was currently lying on her side, sleeping under a tree.

"I was right. You are cute," Skye said quietly to herself, walking closer. The girl was definitely a child - perhaps around five years old. Her long, red, wavy hair was strewn out across the grass behind her. Her chest rose and fell with each quiet breath, and she looked very peaceful.

"Hello?" a male voice called, startling Skye. She looked up and saw a blond head poke out from behind the tree the little girl was currently dozing under. Skye's eyes widened in surprise as she recognized the man.

"You're Captain America!" she said, pointing a finger at him. "The other enhanced I sensed!"

"The other…?" He looked confused, but then glanced down at the girl with the red hair before nodding in understanding. "Oh, yeah, that would make sense…"

"Skye!" Phil called from behind Skye, and he caught up with her a moment later. He stopped beside her, looking mildly upset. "If you sense danger, you shouldn't just run straight into it without a pl-oh, hi, Steve."

Skye looked between Phil and Steve, her confusion growing as she watched Steve return Phil's happy greeting. Phil walked closer to Steve and the little girl as Steve stood up and revealed the rest of his body. In his hands were a sketchbook and pencil.

Since when did Captain America draw pictures? Skye gaped at the apparently friendly duo. "Coulson, you actually _know_ Captain America?"

"See, Skye, these are the kinds of things you miss out on by being away from home for so long," Phil said, practically chastising her. "But, yes, Steve and I are good friends now."

"_Family_, Coulson; we're _family _now," Steve corrected, gesturing down to the sleeping girl for the first time. "You're her uncle."

"That's true," Phil said with a proud, warm smile, and crouched down beside his supposed niece.

Skye placed her hands on her hips. "Alright, Coulson, I'm _very _lost. Care to explain?"

Phil lowered the volume of his voice so he wouldn't wake the peaceful child. "Well, first of all, Skye, this is Steve Rogers. Steve, this is Skye."

Steve walked around Phil to shake Skye's hand. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Agent Johnson. Coulson has told us all about you."

This was wrong. This was _very _wrong, Skye told herself. This should be the _other way around_. He was _Captain America_, for Christ's sake! "Uh, thanks, Captain...Rogers...but, really, I think the pleasure should be all mine. I mean, _you're Captain America_"

Steve laughed a little. "Call me Steve."

"Okay...then you can just call me Skye."

From all the commotion, the girl on the ground stirred. She rolled over, onto her back, her face pointed upward toward the tree branches overhead as her eyes opened. At the unfamiliar sensation of being outside on the ground, she scrunched her face up in slight confusion as she looked around.

When she caught sight of Phil, she tilted her head back to better see him. "Uncle Phil? What happened?"

Steve chuckled at her groggy questioning, and returned to her side. "It's okay, Maggie; we're at Central Park, and you fell asleep."

The girl - Maggie, apparently - made a thoughtful noise. She sat up slowly, wiping at the exhaustion in her eyes and examining her clothes. "Mama doesn't want me to get dirty."

"We'll keep it a secret from Mama, okay?" Steve said, holding his index finger up to his mouth to indicate it was to be kept quiet. Maggie smiled at his words, nodding in agreement. "Your Uncle Phil just decided to visit us. With his very nice friend, Skye."

Maggie looked to Phil for confirmation. Phil nodded. "Skye could sense you all the way over here with her special powers."

Skye watched as Maggie gaped in awe at Phil's words, and quickly turned her head, looking over in her direction. Gone was the sleepy girl; present was a very curious and very awake girl. "You have _special powers_?!"

"Um, more or less? A little?" Skye answered uncertainly. She still had _no idea _who this girl was, or what her connection to Phil and Steve was, either. How did they know her? Why was Phil her uncle? And who the hell was her _mom_?

"Do you remember Skye from my stories, Maggie?" Phil said next, bringing Maggie's attention back to him. "She's the one who can make things shake, like an earthquake."

That was not a very fun power to have, Skye thought to herself. All it ever did for her was bring her trouble.

But, apparently, Maggie thought otherwise. As she looked at Skye once more, her eyes and mouth widened in _more _awe.

"_You're _Agent Skye?!" she demanded, pushing herself up to her feet to hurry over to Skye. Maggie stopped in front of Skye, looking up at her happily. "I always wanted to meet you!"

"Uh…" Skye stumbled, not exactly sure what to say. She couldn't say that she'd always wanted to meet Maggie, because she still had no clue who Maggie was.

Luckily, Steve bailed her out, as he walked up behind Maggie and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Sorry, I still haven't introduced you...this is Maggie."

"Hi!" Maggie chirped adorably, leaning into Steve's touch with a warm smile on her face.

"She's my daughter," Steve continued with a light laugh.

Skye's jaw _dropped. _"Your...daughter...Captain America has a _daughter_?!"

"My Mama is Black Widow!" Maggie said in a singsong voice, taking Steve's hand into hers and playfully holding it up over her head. "My parents are _Avengers_!"

Steve looked almost apologetic at the sudden revelation. Phil just smiled smugly at Skye, silently reminding her that he _had _had reasons to try and drag her back home all these years, those reasons being a new and unexpected family member…

"Daddy, can we go play now?" Maggie tugged on Steve's hand impatiently. "Can Uncle Phil and Agent Skye play, too?"

This...how...Skye's brain was practically melting with this information. Black Widow and Captain America were in love...okay, that wasn't _so _weird; Skye remembered hearing about their adventures in running away from H.Y.D.R.A. and then bringing S.H.I.E.L.D. down completely years ago. It was only natural they'd have a strong bond after tearing down what had previously been their entire lives like that.

But a child...now that Skye was looking at Maggie, it wasn't too hard to see the similarities between her and her parents. Maggie's eyes were basically a copy and paste of Steve's own baby blue, and her hair was identical to Natasha's hair. Her face resembled Natasha's a _little _as well, but Maggie _definitely _had the super soldier serum; that would explain why Skye had been able to sense her as an enhanced.

The only thing that was surprising Skye now was the personality of Maggie. Between the stoic personas of Captain America and Black Widow, Skye would have never expected something so..._energetic_ to form and develop.

And Skye had only known Maggie for a few minutes so far.

"Of course we can," Phil answered for himself and Skye while she zoned out. His words brought her back to reality as she watched Maggie hug Phil. "I've missed you too, Maggie."

"Sorry for just dropping all of that on you," Steve apologized, though his eyes were alight with amusement over the situation. "I know hearing that two Avengers got together and had a kid isn't something you'd typically hear about."

"I'm surprised I didn't know sooner," Skye admitted, mentally getting back on her feet relatively quickly. "Especially considering global media's obsession with the Avengers."

"She's our little secret," Steve explained. He smiled as Maggie released Phil from her arms and turned back toward Skye, scurrying over.

Before Skye could say anything, Maggie had her trapped at her midsection. Maggie rested her chin on Skye's stomach and looked up at her with a large smile. "Agent Skye, you're so _cool._"

The way Maggie said it made Skye laugh a little. "Uh...thanks, kid. You seem pretty cool yourself."

"Let's go play now!" Maggie released Skye, instead grabbing her by the hand. Skye could detect the raw power within Maggie that had yet to develop, as it probably would with age, but knew such power would be in good, conscientious hands.

"This is why you should stay home more," Phil called after them, tailing the duo with Steve.

"Well, you should have told me my Avengers OTP became canon!" Skye called back.

As Skye followed Maggie, she heard Steve, from behind them, ask Phil what that meant. Maggie looked back up at her with bright eyes and a joyous smile; this was what Skye fought for, keeping everyone, both enhanced and normal, healthy, alive, and happy. Judging by the instant affinity Maggie had for Skye, it appeared that Maggie was aware of Skye's work and greatly appreciated it.

Maybe it was time for Skye to return home to S.H.I.E.L.D.

* * *

**A/N:** Hi again fam, so I do have another thing to say: my irl friend Natalie recently set up a Tony Stark roleplay account on Instagram! Her username is ** .iron** and she needs some RP buddies! Even if you're not interested in actually RPing, I'd love it if you followed her account; she's an excellent writer and I'm sure you'll enjoy it! (Trust me, I have!)

On a darker note, there won't be an icebreaker question this week. The world has been extra scary lately, so I again invite you to talk about anyone you've lost (not necessarily to terrorist attacks) or anything that's weighing you down lately. Though it seems scary, sharing your feelings will ultimately free you from the negative hold the problems in your life may have on you. I again offer my condolences to anyone out there who was affected by the recent terror attacks in any way, and wish you the best from this point forward. Live on, readers.


	75. The Short-Lived Miracle

**A/N: **It's...been awhile. Again. Double again, actually, because I think this is exactly how I opened last chapter's author's note.

Well, a lot of things have happened in the past 5 weeks. I became obsessed with the computer indie game _Undertale_ (as seen by the two oneshots I've already posted for that game), I turned 18, finished the semester in all its glory in finals week, and partied for four days straight. Oh, and I received a new laptop, which is what I am using to communicate with all of you now!

This is a fairly sad oneshot, I'll warn you now. It's been sitting in my Google Drive for awhile, almost finished, until I wrapped it up last night. Even though this is supposed to be a super happy time of the year, it never will be for everyone - so, here's a not-so-happy oneshot. **Trigger warning for mentions of a miscarriage. **

Thank you for your continued support of this story! I know I haven't been very timely in expressing my gratitude these days, but knowing that someone will always be there to read my writing is really reassuring. :)

* * *

"We _can't _tell Maggie."

Horror came to people in many different forms. To some, it came in self-explanatory things, like monsters or wild animals or car crashes. To others, it came in emotional experiences, like failure or rejection or grief.

But for Natasha Romanoff and Steve Rogers, it came in the form of a white stick with two little lines on it.

_Again. _

"Not yet, at least," Natasha hastily added when Steve raised his eyebrows. "It's just so early on...I liked keeping it between the two of us last time, before we knew for sure."

He nodded in understanding and looked at the three tests Natasha had taken - all of which displayed the same _pregnant _result. "A lot can happen in the first trimester, I remember. Then again...do you really think…"

The shock of it all was impeding on his ability to speak, and it was kind of adorable. Natasha ruffled Steve's hair affectionately and sighed. "I didn't want this to happen again. Not after we almost lost Maggie that time."

The Red Room attack. _That _hadn't been a pleasant experience for _anyone _involved. And, afterward, Natasha decided one Romanoff/Rogers child in the world was enough; more children only meant more targets for their enemies, as awful and morbid as it sounded.

"It won't happen again," Steve said, trying to lighten the mood from the dark turn it had just taken. "Now we know what to expect. How to act in the case of that happening. It'll be fine."

_Famous last words,_ Natasha thought to herself, but didn't say.

When she didn't reply, Steve scooted closer to her, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. They were currently sitting on the bathroom floor, pregnancy tests and their respective packaging strewn across the tile around them. He leaned his head against hers. "If you really don't want this...I'll be here, for whatever you choose."

That was saying a lot. Obviously, Steve hadn't liked the idea of abortion when Natasha had initially brought it up during her first pregnancy, but he wasn't going to stop her from getting one if that was what she wanted. So that option was, once again, on the table.

But adoption was definitely out. There was no _way _Natasha could carry this baby to term, with Maggie and everyone else eagerly anticipating the baby's arrival and what he or she would be like for nine months, only to then give the baby away to some strangers.

And, after meeting Maggie and finding out what _one _product of Natasha and Steve combined was like, Natasha didn't feel comfortable aborting the second.

So that only left one option: keeping it.

"I think you know, just as much as me, that our hands are tied," Natasha murmured after thinking it over. She sighed softly. "There's no way out of this besides giving Maggie a younger sibling."

"The last time I talked to her about it, she was quite open to the idea," Steve said.

"The last time you talked to her about it, she was seven years old and in the first grade. She's nine and in the fourth grade now; opinions change," Natasha said, worried that her own words may be true.

Steve sat up straight, and met Natasha's eyes with an optimistic expression. "Well, we can worry about that when we actually get to that point. For now, it sounds like the next step is going to a doctor to confirm this, considering our relatively 'unique' bodies."

"Yep." Natasha nodded, gathering up the garbage and pregnancy tests into her hands. Steve did the same, and they stood up together to throw it all away.

"Same doctor as last time?" Steve asked when they returned to their bedroom. Natasha had woken up in a plight of morning sickness, and Steve followed her into the bathroom to hold her hair back while she so _gracefully _threw up. Now, it was just after 6:30 AM, and they would need to wake Maggie up for school in half an hour.

"Hmm...I think we know someone better," Natasha said thoughtfully, and Steve looked at her curiously. "Dr. Bruce Banner."

"Ah." Steve nodded, sitting down on the bed. "That's probably a good idea. Someone we trust and know fairly well."

"Maybe this will help him and Tony figure out how our serums work being passed down, and such," Natasha said, lowering herself to the bed beside Steve. "Could be helpful for future reference with Maggie."

"Alright. We can call him about it after we drop Maggie off at school." Steve smiled, and Natasha found herself returning the warm, happy expression. The sheer _happiness _of it all hit Natasha; they were going to have another _baby_! Maggie was going to be a _big sister_!

"We're really doing this."

Steve laughed. "Yeah...yeah, I guess we are."

Natasha gave a good-natured groan. "Just when I thought we couldn't get any _more _domestic…"

"Oh, give it a rest, Romanoff; you like the domestic life and _you know it_."

She smirked, and pecked a quick kiss on his lips. "Keep telling yourself that, Rogers."

* * *

"Well, this is exciting," Bruce said happily at the end of their sudden appointment. After dropping Maggie off at school, they had called him, and actually traveled up to New York to meet him. Thankfully, everyone else who usually frequented the Tower was either not there or working, so Steve and Natasha had been able to sneak in relatively easily. Natasha was, apparently, a month and a half along already. "Congratulations, you two."

"Thanks," Natasha said, reaching a hand under her shirt to touch her now pregnant (though obviously not showing) belly. The skin was still a bit cold from the gel Bruce had used for the ultrasound, but there was a certain _warmth _Natasha could swear she felt emitting from her womb all the way through the skin and into her hand.

"This wasn't exactly planned," Steve said with a small, sheepish smile.

"Again," Natasha added, as Maggie hadn't exactly been on their minds when _she _happened.

They all shared a laugh at that, and Bruce shrugged. "As long as you guys are happy about it, then I think it's great. Are you going to tell Maggie?"

"Later," Natasha answered. "Probably after we get through at least the first trimester. Just in case."

"Smart," Bruce said. "And everyone else?"

"The same," Steve replied. "Maggie gets to know before everyone. Though, since you're our doctor now, you got to bypass the rule. And maybe Fury will, too, since we didn't tell him until after the first trimester last time, so Nat still took missions." He shot Natasha a pointed look, and she threw her hands up in defense.

"Hey, _that _is something we're definitely not doing again," Natasha agreed, thinking back to the missions she'd gone on, newly pregnant, and pretending like everything was normal. It really _was _a miracle Maggie was even alive, in Natasha's opinion. "I know what I'm doing now. Sort of."

"Good, because if you tried to go on any missions, I'd put you on bedrest," Bruce threatened, and they could tell he was being completely serious. "You need to take it easy."

"I can already tell this run isn't going to be as easy as the previous," Steve said, glancing at Natasha, concerned. "You've been sick on and off for the past _week_. Maggie seemed to spare you from that when you were pregnant with her."

Natasha groaned. "That means this one is just going to conspire with Maggie and torture the rest of us in the future. That'll be _two _Maggie's running around. God, help us."

"We'll handle it." Steve paused. "Somehow."

Bruce chuckled. "Well, either way, I think Maggie will be a great big sister. And you two will be amazing parents. Again." He stood up from his seat, prompting Natasha and Steve to follow. "Now, you better get out of here before Tony or Pepper wanders in and sees you."

* * *

The following week, Natasha's morning sickness was a little bit better. Maggie was concerned, as she had quickly noticed Natasha's sickly habits and sudden loss of appetite, but Natasha and Steve had been able to dismiss her concerns quickly. Fortunately, fourth grade was keeping her busy, anyway, so she didn't have _too _much free time to spend worrying over Natasha.

When Fury told them he had a mission in mind for them, Steve and Natasha took the chance to tell him about their...latest development.

"..._Again_?"

Fury stared down at them, _hard_. Natasha looked relatively unintimidated while Steve looked a little apologetic.

"It wasn't exactly planned...also, _again_, but…" Steve shook his head. "The point is, we're not gambling with Natasha's or the baby's lives anymore, like Nat did last time." Cue a sharp glance in Natasha's direction, which she just rolled her eyes at; this little act of dragging _that _up again every time they talked to someone was getting _exhausting. _

"Which is why Natasha can't do any more missions for a while. Sir." He threw the title in for good measure. Because even though he knew Fury was happy for them - perhaps _deep down_ \- he seemed to be watching Steve a _little _more closely ever since Natasha and Steve had started dating. Apparently both Phil _and _Fury saw Natasha as a daughter, which always made Steve nervous.

Natasha sighed. "Look, I'll do more desk work like I did last time, help Hill out with some extra paperwork, whatever. As long as I'm not in the field."

"You're damn right you won't be out in the field. I'm taking you off of active duty until further notice," Fury said, his voice, while leaving no room for argument, having a subtle softness to it. It was similar to how he spoke about Maggie. "Keep me updated, and feel free to work from home; I don't want you puking everywhere."

Though blunt, the good intentions were there. "Thanks, Nick." Steve smiled. "Now we'll just have to come up with a cover for Maggie, until we tell her."

"And the others," Natasha reminded, looking stressed. "Everyone will be on our asses about me taking time off from field work."

"I'll try to keep them busy," Fury assured them. "Don't worry about it. I'm assuming you're waiting until you've gotten through your first trimester to tell the others?"

Natasha and Steve both nodded. "We want to be sure," Steve said.

"I understand. I'll do what I can to make keeping it quiet until then easier," Fury said with a hint of a smile. "Though, you may want to tell Hill and Coulson, since you'll be spending more time with them for a while, Romanoff."

* * *

Natasha was _exhausted. _She'd struggled with fatigue during her pregnancy with Maggie, sure, but she couldn't remember it being this..._awful. _

The simplest things wore her out: talking, standing, walking...even _sitting. _Naps became a daily habit, but still didn't do much to make Natasha feel more well-rested. Hell, it almost felt like _naps _exhausted her, too. There was just never enough sleep for this baby, apparently.

Fortunately, her morning sickness faded after a week or so, and only a few things sent her racing to the bathroom. The thing that was killing her was the fatigue, which meant Steve had taken on some of Natasha's share of the 'parenting duties,' like driving Maggie around, playing with her, and helping her on homework. If Maggie had noticed this shift in responsibilities between her parents, she hadn't said anything to Natasha about it; fortunately, Natasha could still participate in activities that consisted of cuddling on the couch, so Maggie seemed pretty satisfied.

According to Bruce, Natasha's due date was somewhere in mid-June, but no specific day yet. With all of her extra time spent lying down at home, Natasha thought long and hard about when and how to tell everyone else after getting through three months.

Because Maggie was a child, she would need more of a sit-down-and-talk conversation, explaining what this meant and how having a baby would change things. Natasha only hoped Maggie would be happy; having a second child would never change how much Natasha loved her first, and she wanted to make sure Maggie knew that. Just a few years prior, Maggie had wanted a younger sibling; surely, that couldn't have changed too much?

The others, meanwhile...well, Natasha thought, she would hit three months right before Christmas. Maybe she should take advantage of that holiday to share the good news of the future of their family.

Which led her to her other pressing thought...just _who _should be the godparents? Clint and Pepper had been obvious choices the first time around. But, now, it suddenly felt like the playing field was _huge. _Maggie had brought everyone much closer together, and Natasha wasn't sure who _else _she could choose for godparents. There were Phil, Maria, Fury, May, Tony (as much as Natasha would protest it, he'd proven himself with Maggie many times over the years…), Bruce…

"We can worry about that later," Steve would tell Natasha every time she brought it up. But that did nothing to dismiss her concern.

And, of course, there were many other things. Where to put the baby in their house, what to name the baby, how to adjust their work schedules to accommodate for _two _children… Not to mention the wide age gap between Maggie and the child, which could go either smoothly or poorly.

Other than that, life proceeded as normal. Maggie was looking forward to Thanksgiving all throughout the month of November, as she'd be able to see and play with everyone (as well as eat a _lot _of food). Though he wasn't as obvious about it, Steve was excited for the holiday, too (which, Natasha knew, was also related to the _eat a ton of food! _aspect of it), and Natasha found their cheerful moods contagious.

On Veterans' Day, Phil and May picked Maggie up for 'A Day of Fun With the Bus Team,' which had become a go-to way of getting her out of the house to allow Steve and Natasha some quiet time to relax. It was much appreciated this time, as Natasha didn't want to get out of bed at all that day.

"Y'know, if you keep spending more of your days sleeping rather than being awake like this, Maggie's going to start to get suspicious," Steve said as he entered their bedroom, having just seen Maggie off. Natasha was still curled up under the covers, her face in her pillow.

"She's only nine years old, I'm sure we can come up with something good enough for her," Natasha mumbled against the soft surface, pulling the blanket up closer to her chin.

"She's pretty perceptive," Steve pointed out, sitting down on top of the covers on his side of the bed. Natasha made no movement to indicate that she'd noticed.

"We can worry about it when she comes home," Natasha said with a yawn. "Now let me sleep."

Steve leaned back against the headboard. "But I hardly get to talk to you these days, you sleep so much."

"You sound like a child," Natasha grumbled.

He thought for a moment. "What food are you most excited for at Thanksgiving dinner?"

Instead of rolling over to shoo Steve away, Natasha settled for rolling her eyes. Internally, her stomach seemed to recoil at the mention of food. "I'm excited to go to bed afterwards, that's what."

Steve placed a hand on her arm and smirked a bit. "That'd be great for you, if you didn't already have plans to go shopping with Pepper all night."

Natasha shrugged his comforting (really, _mocking_) touch off, pulling the blankets up over her head. "Fuck off."

"Hey, I know the kid doesn't have ears yet, but he-or-she still shouldn't be exposed to any bad words."

"Are you kidding me? Maggie was exposed to _S.H.I.E.L.D. missions_, I think this kid can handle a little first trimester swearing, thank you very much."

Steve shrugged innocently. "Just sayin'."

Natasha yawned once more. "And, for the record, as far as the gender goes, I think this one's a boy."

Steve scoffed. "You said that last time, but look who was right in the end?"

"Do you _want _me to punch you?"

"Don't be so violent around the little one, Nat, you'll set a bad example."

Normally, Steve wouldn't pull her leg so much, but he knew she was too comfortable and exhausted to physically react to anything he said. Sure, it was a little evil and very mischievous (which Natasha should be proud of him for, anyway, after she first decided she would _corrupt _him when Fury first partnered them up all those years ago), but Steve couldn't help it.

Natasha groaned painfully into her pillow, praying to God and Asgard for some kind of patience (and maybe for Thor to come _zap _Steve with lightning once or twice, just to _really _get him to stop). She silently counted to ten.

When she didn't reply, Steve's voice grew softer. "So, you think this one's a boy?"

Natasha nodded against her pillow. "My mom-senses are tingling."

"Mom...senses?" Steve snorted.

"Again, fuck off, Rogers."

"Aw, I'm just playing, Nat," Steve said apologetically. "Anyway, do you have any names in mind?"

She actually _did _have a few names in mind. One in particular, whose weight was too heavy for Natasha to just share nonchalantly with her head burrowed in a pillow like this. So she rolled over, bracing herself for the impact, and met Steve's curious gaze.

"James," she suggested calmly, her eyes a reflection of her tone (despite the bags underneath).

Steve blinked once, then looked at her with realization behind the importance of the name. "James as in...Bucky?"

Natasha nodded once more. "It would make the most sense, since we already have a Maggie for Peggy."

Steve seemed to squirm a bit under her soft eyes. "But, what about someone who was really important for _you_?"

"James _was _important to me, a long time ago," Natasha reflected, rolling onto her back so she could stare at the ceiling, eyes slightly glazed over with memories. "Though that part of our lives is far behind us now, it helped shape who I am. And then he came back as the Winter Soldier, but managed to re-embrace his identity as Bucky. As someone else who suffered a lot of mind-fuckery in the Red Room and KGB, his recovery means a lot to me."

This wasn't anything new for Steve to hear - Natasha had expanded on these things a lot more to him in the past, after Bucky grew gradually more involved with their lives because of Maggie. But Steve still felt a little guilty.

"What about Clint or Phil or Fury, though? I know they've had big impacts on your life since you defected," Steve pointed out.

But Natasha's face scrunched up in distaste. "Like any of them need that ego-booster. Clint would never shut up about it, and he already has his hands full with looking out for _Maggie_. Someone else should take on that responsibility for this kid. And Phil, just…personally, I've never liked the name 'Philip,' so _no. _As for Fury, I think that might get us fired; he doesn't really _do _'sentimental.'"

Steve laughed a little. "I think you're overreacting."

"It's true and you know it," Natasha argued, looking back up to the ceiling. "And, besides, I've already resigned myself to the name James. And, since we still don't actually know the gender, we can just call it 'Jamie' for now, since that's a gender neutral name."

"Jamie," Steve tried the name out on his tongue before smiling down at Natasha. "I like it."

"Good," Natasha said, nodding once and closing her eyes. "Because a kid causing this many problems _needs _a name."

* * *

The Rogers family traveled up to Avengers Tower in New York the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, just hours after Maggie was released from school for the holiday. She was ecstatic to see all of her relatives, especially because they would be sitting around a table covered in _food. _

Natasha was, characteristically now, exhausted, which she hoped was hidden by Maggie's energetic interactions with everyone and Steve's enthusiastic planning for the big meal. Natasha spent more time sleeping than usual, which no one seemed to comment on, thankfully.

Wednesday afternoon, Steve and Natasha were set to have Natasha's ten week appointment with Bruce. He seemed to be relatively good at keeping the secret from everyone, for which both Natasha and Steve were grateful.

Maggie was kept distracted that day by joining her godparents in buying all of the groceries needed for their holiday feast. She'd followed them out the door bubbling with excitement and talking nonstop about God's gift to humanity that was mashed potatoes. Clint had simply dragged her along out the door while Pepper read through their grocery list on her phone one final time, making sure everything they needed was on there.

Tony was, per usual, holed up in his workshop. Though he had always been considerably perceptive about Steve and Natasha (he would psychoanalyze _everything _they each did before they'd gotten together romantically, as he was able to see through their feelings without fail, just like Pepper, who'd put forth an equal effort in uniting the two Avengers), he seemed to not notice anything different with them. Steve and Natasha were relieved. And that just left Thor, who had yet to arrive.

Therefore, the timing for the appointment was perfect.

But the appointment itself was not.

Natasha went into it with a sudden sense of dread, fearing the worst from Bruce's usual tests. She suddenly (and inexplicably) feared the worst case scenario. This wasn't how this was supposed to go, she protested internally; she'd finally invested herself in the concept of a family of four, having an extra troublemaker to run after.

Steve seemed to pick up on her negative mood and (without asking any questions) tried to offer her support through the squeeze of her hands, but for once, Natasha found no comfort in the touch.

Bruce set her up at the table, Steve sitting by her side. Natasha looked down at her lap before lying back down, feeling..._empty_.

Not even ten minutes later, Bruce's words confirmed it.

"I can't find a heartbeat."

* * *

The outcome of the appointment chilled Natasha, even now, hours after everything fell apart. After Bruce had spoken, he tried desperately to find something - _anything _\- that would be a sign of life within Natasha's womb, but he found nothing. Steve pleaded with him to keep trying, but Natasha shook her head once and softly called for them to cease their efforts. It was over, she told them. She knew the feeling in her gut would mean something bad (it had never meant anything good).

As usual with any tragic event, Steve and Natasha's conflicting natures were evident; Steve's grief immediately drove him to Maggie when she returned from her shopping spree with Pepper and Clint, while Natasha's grief immediately drove her _away_.

Maggie's younger sibling was no more. She wouldn't be a big sister...and she hadn't even _known _she could have been in the first place. At her age, ignorance was bliss; Natasha was glad they hadn't told her. Still…

She'd often thought of how Maggie would react when they broke the news to her. Would her face have lit up with a smile? Would tears, perhaps, gather in her eyes? Would she have been _mad_? They could never know now.

Natasha stayed in her and Steve's room for the rest of the day, missing dinner and Maggie's bedtime. The others were certainly aware that something was wrong now - whether or not Steve would tell them the truth didn't matter much to Natasha. The reason they'd kept it a secret in the first place was because of the possibility of what had happened today _happening. _It was to be safe, but she'd let herself believe that safety net would never be used. What a fool she was.

Though he hadn't said anything yet, Natasha expected Steve to approach her soon about the possibility of trying again for that second child. The _no _she'd given him three years prior resounded loudly in her head, the volume more deafening than before. Sure, Natasha prided herself on being a relatively fearless person, but she wouldn't hesitate to run away when things shook her to her core like they had today. She didn't want to try again, because she was afraid that she would only be disappointed once more. Life seemed to be no more than an endless cycle of pain on days like this.

Around 10:30 PM, Natasha heard her door open. She hadn't locked it because the others all knew that a closed door meant a closed Natasha, which indicated that something had really upset her. They always allowed her some alone time to grieve before pouncing her for answers. Every person in the tower followed that rule except for one, the same one who was entering her room now.

"Mama," Maggie said carefully, her steps toward the bed on which Natasha sat even slower than her voice, "are you okay?"

Natasha composed herself with a deep breath before turning her head to look at Maggie, wearing candy cane-patterned pajama pants and an oversized Avengers T-shirt. She looked pretty tired, considering her long day spent out with her godparents, and Natasha empathized with her appearance.

"Not really," Natasha answered honestly, watching Maggie as she pulled herself up onto the large bed. Maggie turned her interrogatory eyes up to Natasha, who gave a small sigh. "It's grown-up stuff, don't worry. I'm just a little sad."

"I'm sorry," Maggie said automatically, immediately (and, probably, _instinctively_) climbing into Natasha's lap and wrapping her arms around her. She leaned her head against Natasha's chest. "I don't like it when you're sad."

"Me neither," Natasha agreed, hugging Maggie back. She had to admit, having her sole _living _child in her arms was more reassuring than Natasha had expected it to be; Steve's automatic attraction toward spending time with Maggie today made sense. Natasha pressed a kiss to Maggie's hair. "I love you; you know that, right?"

"I love you, too!" Maggie replied happily, squeezing Natasha a little bit more tightly.

"You mean so much to me," Natasha murmured in Russian, resting her cheek against the top of Maggie's head. "I will always love you."

Maggie smiled - Natasha could feel the corners of Maggie's mouth raise against her chest, and allowed her eyes to fall closed. Even if just for a moment, she would forget about everything else in the world, all of the tragedy, so she could fully experience the sensation that was holding her safe, beloved child in her lap.

"Do you feel better now?" Maggie inquired after a few silent moments, love and concern flavoring her voice.

Natasha raised her head so Maggie could properly meet her eyes, and nodded with a small smile. Though Natasha knew this grief wouldn't disappear overnight, she knew it didn't have to dominate every moment of her life, especially those spent with Maggie. "Yes, Лапушка. Thank you."

"Aunt Pepper and Uncle Clint and I bought a lot of food that you really, really like, so you'll be happy at dinner tomorrow," Maggie informed her, beaming with this information. "We even got ice cream!"

"That sounds wonderful," Natasha said, suddenly feeling overwhelmed by the affection. There were a couple of things going through her mind; for one, Maggie's infinite warmth and love never ceased to amaze Natasha, who didn't always believe she deserved such treatment; on the other hand, though, this affection that Maggie offered, the kind that a child offered her mother, would never be doubled, with the new loss of Natasha's unexpected, second pregnancy.

Subtle tears pricked at her eyes, but Natasha blinked them away, pressing a kiss to Maggie's forehead. "I can't wait for dinner tomorrow."

Life would move on. The pain would lessen. It would get better.

"Me neither! Plus, I get to help by distracting you, so you don't set the kitchen on fire!" Maggie said enthusiastically. "Uncle Clint said it's super important. We can play lots of fun games! Okay, Mama?"

Things weren't okay now, but they would be okay later.

"Okay."

* * *

**A/N:** Well, like I said, kind of a depressing update considering we're only days away from the most joyfully commercialized holiday of the year (in America, at least), but Christmas doesn't protect everyone from tragedy. (Though, I guess, in this case, it was Thanksgiving whose celebratory nature failed to shield Natasha and Steve from a tragedy.)

Anyway, happy holidays to everyone out there. I hope you all have a nice end of the year. :)


	76. An Ending

**A/N: **Is this the end? You tell me! More information at the bottom.

* * *

"_Hello? Maggie? Are you there?"_

…

"_Ah. I figured you wouldn't be. I'll just a leave a voicemail."_

He softly cleared his throat.

"_It sure has been awhile, huh? It's your Uncle Clint, in case you've already forgotten. You've been gone for a long time...well, a few weeks. Maybe it doesn't seem long to you, but it is for all of us. I hope you're taking care of yourself!" _

Clint paused.

"_Things have been different since you left. The Bus team doesn't know what to do without you. I think Skye might go crazy soon. The same goes for everyone else. May and Coulson thought of you as a sort of granddaughter, y'know? They're really torn up about what happened...they feel really bad that they authorized the mission in the first place."_

He sighed.

"_Hey! Katniss! Who are you talking to?" _

"_Oh, hey, Tony. I'm talking to Maggie. Well, her voicemail, at least. I thought I'd just leave a message." _

"_Without _me_? Move over!" _

Shuffling could be heard, as it sounded as if Tony pushed Clint over so he could properly join the one-sided conversation.

"_Squirt! You need to come home! _Immediately! _The Tower's going nuts these days without you...I can't handle another day of it! It's hard to imagine that there was a time before you existed, eh, kid?"_

"_Things were just as hectic, just in a different way, I suppose." _

"_You've got that right, Barton-o. There was more dangerous activity. Hey, kid! Did I ever tell you about the time me and your Uncle Brucie accidentally brought the microwave to life? It was like Ultron, but in microwave form!" _

"_That was terrifying. I thought we agreed to never speak of that again." _

"_Sorry to bring up unpleasant memories. You're just upset 'cause it burnt your toast."_

"_I had a mission that morning and I was hungry!"_

"_Heheh…"_

Tony's laughter died out after a few moments, followed by a soft sigh.

"_Look, munchkin...I'm really sorry about what happened with your mission. You know Fury wouldn't have sent you on it if you were going to have to do...all of that," _he said.

"_That's the tough part about this job. It forces you to make hard decisions. Tactically, it may make sense, but morally, it can be completely self-destructive," _Clint added. _"Your mom totally blew up at Fury for it afterwards. The brutality of the mission just hit too close to home for her. It reminded her of some of the stuff she had to do for the Red Room."_

"_All those deaths, Maggie...they're not your fault, I promise. Those were bad guys threatening the safety of a lot of people; you did what you had to do. You used your abilities to protect the lives of others," _Tony said. _"I know this stuff is usually what makes you dislike the enhancements passed down from your parents, but…" _

He changed the topic, referring back to Clint's words. _"Anyway, Fury was just as upset about it as the rest of us, but because he seemed to be the most responsible, we all took it out on him. He disappeared without a trace, too. "_

"_Probably looking for you." _Clint's tone brightened a bit._ "Just like the good old days, when you'd play hide and seek with him at the Triskelion." _

"_Your parents have also been searching non-stop...Though, speak of the devil, your mom's walking by right now!" _Tony's voice grew momentarily distant, indicating he had turned away from the phone. He was now talking to someone else. _"Hey! Natashalie! Do you want to talk to…? ...Oh, okay." _

Clint made an apologetic noise. _"She said she's busy. I guess that's good for you, though. Because if we gave her the phone…"_

"_She would talk to you for hours," _Tony finished with a light chuckle. _"She really, really misses you, kid. You should talk to her sometime, make sure she just knows that you're still out there and okay." _

"_We understand that you may not be ready to face everyone yet...but, please do know that no one thinks any less of you because of that mission, OK? We all just want you home, safe and sound," _Clint said._ "And, at this rate, you might be forced into coming back, since everyone's dedicating all of their time to looking for you."_

"_Your dad has people everywhere on the lookout for you; Barnes, Wilson, former S.T.R.I.K.E. team members...really, your outlaw days are numbered, kid," _Tony said. _"And, hey, if you don't want to work for S.H.I.E.L.D. anymore, your Auntie Pep needs a new assistant! Or, if that doesn't sound fun, you're always welcome just to stay here for as long as you need to get back on your feet. No need to work if you're not feeling up to it." _

"_Wherever you are, Mags, we're rooting for you. We're all cheering you on and backing you one hundred percent. But, please...come home. It's been so long," _Clint pleaded.

The phone _beeped._

"_Oh, shit, Stark, I forgot to charge this. It's running out of battery." _

"_Good fucking job, Birdbrain." _

"_Anyway, it's time for us to go. We'll see you soon, Maggie, OK?" _Clint.

"_We love you very, very much! And we can't wait to see you again!" _Tony.

"_Bye!" _

_Everyone..._

The call ended.

* * *

**A/N: **Okay, fam, here's where we stand right now.

**Please watch the update video in my bio.** I am at a crossroads that I explain in the video, and need to know your opinions for what to do with this fanfiction:

1\. End it here?

2\. End the fanfiction version here, continue the story in another format (i.e., a Tumblr ask blog so plot advancements are much more reader-prompted)?

3\. Try to continue?

I care about your guys' opinions. If you think I'm beating a dead horse at this point, please let me know. If there are any specific loose ends you want me to tie up (some of which I do in my YouTube video, so please watch it!), please let me know.

Thank you. :-)

(Maggie's absence from her own story is supposed to be the satirical point of this oneshot. Just as I have been away from writing for so long, Maggie has been away from her own fucking story.)

((Yes, this was Undertale-inspired.))


	77. Lethal Preschool Germs

**A/N: **Hey, fam, thanks for all the responses last time! Like..._damn_, there were a LOT of responses! I didn't mean to leave you all for 2 weeks without a proper response, either; life got hella for these past 2 weeks so I haven't had the proper time to sit down and write until yesterday!

I'll talk more about where we'll be going in the future as far as this fanfiction goes sometime later; at the current moment, I just want to post this oneshot for you all! Don't worry, it's nothing super angsty (I _swear_); it's more lighthearted and fluffy. And I think someone might have submitted this idea as a prompt, but I don't really remember? Ah, well, in any case, let's try to get this fanfic show back on the road, eh? :')

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR EVERYTHING! LOVE YOU! :)

* * *

Usually, Natasha sneezing wasn't a very big deal.

Given the enhancements Steve and Natasha had received in their lives - especially the former - which were then passed onto Maggie, it made sense that sickness hardly assaulted the family. Steve, of course, was the most immune, given that he had the strongest serum of the three of them. Maggie, because she was still young, had yet to fully develop all of the benefits of the mixture of enhancements, while Natasha rarely got sick in general.

But when Natasha sneezed not once, not twice, but _three times _in the span of five minutes, coupled with a few coughs here and there and the unmistakable sound of _sniffling_, Steve was ready to diagnose her.

"I'm not sick," she boldly protested when Steve (very gently) suggested that she caught something. "I don't get sick. I'm immune, just like you."

She coughed after that. Then sniffled. Steve returned the shirt he had been folding to the basket of freshly cleaned laundry and reached for the tissue box on the coffee table in front of the couch, where Natasha currently sat with a S.H.I.E.L.D. file (which Steve hoped wasn't drenched in her snot). He grabbed a few tissues and handed them to her.

"I'm just saying," Steve said as she grabbed the tissues with a huff, "maybe you should go drink some water and lie down. You know, to cure your _non-_illness."

"Fight me, Rogers," Natasha said, blowing her nose with added emphasis. "I'm completely fine."

Steve frowned, leaning closer to her. He placed a hand on her forehead. "I beg to differ, as does your overheated forehead."

She swat his hand away, pushing the S.H.I.E.L.D. file in her lap off to the side. "You're ridiculous. For one thing, that's totally _not _an accurate way to measure body temperature. Besides, how would I even get sick? I haven't been on a mission in over a week, let alone exposed myself to germs bad enough to actually get me sick!"

Before Steve could reply, the quick patter of footsteps sounded from the hallway. Moments later, Maggie was in the doorway, wiping at her sleepy eyes (judging by the clock on the wall, Maggie had woken up from her routine naptime an hour early), her mouth positioned in a tiny frown. She clutched Stella the husky to her chest, looking more distressed than she usually did after nap time.

"Daddy, I don't feel well," Maggie said in a pitiful voice, explaining her negative expression. "My throat hurts."

Steve turned from Natasha to Maggie, crouching down in front of her. He placed his hand against her forehead. "It feels like you have a fever, kiddo."

"I don't like being sick," Maggie protested, eyes already welling with tears.

"Let me see," Natasha said, clearing her own throat (which, now that she thought about it, didn't feel too great either…). She knelt down beside Steve and Maggie, taking her turn at feeling Maggie's forehead. Just as Steve had judged, it felt hotter than it should have. "I'm sorry, Лапушка, but I think Daddy's right; you have a fever, so you have to rest."

"I don't wanna," Maggie said in her particular, four year-old way.

"Come on," Steve said, pulling her into his arms as he stood up with Natasha. "How about you lie down with Mama while I grab the thermometer so we can take your temperature?"

Maggie, exhaustion evident in her features, simply laid her head against Steve's shoulder. Natasha rubbed her back.

"Remember when you said you hadn't exposed yourself to any germs?" Steve said quietly to Natasha, a hint of _I told you so_ in his voice.

But Natasha refused to accept it. There was _no way _some _little kid _germs could get her sick. That was just..._embarrassing_! S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and Avenger Natasha Romanoff, conquered by a few germs from their local preschool?

No way. Natasha rolled her eyes. "Let it go already, Rogers. I'm fine, just like I told you."

"Okay, if you say so," Steve said, pressing a kiss to Maggie's hairline. "Alright, let's get you to bed."

They walked down the hall then, stopping inside of Natasha and Steve's bedroom. Natasha pulled back the covers (with a cough), allowing Steve to set Maggie, who had already dozed off again, in their bed.

"I hate to wake her, but we'll have to to take her temperature," Steve said before leaving the room to grab the thermometer and medicine. Though Maggie had gotten sick so suddenly, Steve was taking it fairly well; so much time spent seriously sickened as a child must have hardened him for these moments, Natasha figured.

She slid into the bed beside Maggie, watching her sleep for a few moments. Maggie had been sick only a handful of times through her life so far, which both Natasha and Steve thanked their luck for. Bruce predicted the serum would develop more strongly within her in the future, which meant, for now, she would still be able to catch bad germs from school like a normal kid.

In a way, it was nice; it made Maggie a little more like any typical child her age, playing games all day until the common cold took her out for a few days. Because Maggie was different than others in most respects, like parentage and genetics, Natasha valued those things that still made her a child, and sickness was just one of them.

Steve returned a few minutes later with the thermometer and children's cold medicine in one hand and a cup of water in the other. He walked up on Maggie's side of the bed, setting his items down on the nightstand.

Natasha gently prodded her. "Hey, Лапушка, come on, we need you to wake up for a second."

Maggie turned away from Natasha with a grunt. Natasha tried a few more times before giving up, sitting up in a cross-legged position and pulling Maggie up into her lap. She carefully pried Stella from Maggie's dormant grasp and placed the plush toy on the nightstand, where it wouldn't get lost in the tangle of sheets.

"Come on, we need to take your temperature," she insisted, watching Maggie's eyes flutter open for a moment. "Yes, that's it, Лапушка; we'll let you go back to sleep afterwards."

"Maggie," Steve said, pulling Maggie's drowsy gaze onto his face, "can you open your mouth for me, and stick your tongue out and say, 'aah'?"

It took a moment for her to comprehend, but, gradually, Maggie did, opening her mouth ever so slightly, but enough for Steve to slide the small metal tip of the thermometer under her tongue. He encouraged her not to move her tongue, which she actually managed to comply to.

"100.5," Steve read after the device finished its measurements with a _beep_. "Not too bad, but still a fever."

"Time for medicine," Natasha decided, lightly bouncing Maggie in her lap to keep her somewhat awake - just enough to swallow the medicine, at least.

"It tastes bad," Maggie said when Steve produced the cup of pink, "cherry-flavored", medicinal syrup in front of her. "Don't wanna."

"I'm sorry, Mags, but you have to take this so you can feel better," Steve said softly, pushing the cup closer to her. "I have water for you when you're done, to get the bad taste out. Then you can go back to sleep, okay?"

Maggie turned her face away, her nose scrunched up in disgust. Natasha sighed.

"Come on, Лапушка. It'll be over really quickly," she said, trying to turn Maggie back to Steve.

Thus started a slight struggle for dominance between mother and daughter, as Maggie defied the need to take medicine for a few moments. Natasha held her in place, however, until Maggie gave into her exhaustion and accepted her fate. Steve helped her drink the medicine in one gulp, arguing the more quickly she drank it the more quickly it would be over, then assisted her in taking a few sips of water from the Avengers-themed cup.

Maggie leaned back against Natasha's torso when they were done, her usually pale cheeks bearing a light shade of red as an indication of her slight fever. Natasha, after returning Stella to her, carefully laid Maggie back down after that, lying down with her.

Steve gathered the supplies up on the nightstand. "Mission accomplished, I'd say."

"We're getting better at this," Natasha said, running a hand through Maggie's hair. She coughed into her fist then, to which Steve raised an eyebrow.

"I'm gonna go sterilize the thermometer, you sure you don't wanna take your temperature?" he inquired, reminding Natasha that she herself had yet to be declared 100% healthy.

"Don't need to," Natasha insisted with a yawn, her eyes drooping. "I'll just stay here with her while you take care of all of that stuff."

"Alright," Steve said, his voice bearing a hint of amusement, as if foreshadowing what would happen next.

* * *

"When's Mama gonna wake up?"

_Ow. _

"Shh, she'll wake up when her body tells her to, okay? For now, let's just let her sleep."

_Ow, ow, my head…_

"But doesn't she hafta take medicine?"

_No, I don't._

"She will when she wakes up."

_No, I…! Well...maybe...now that you mention it…_

Natasha forced her eyes open, and everything wrong with her body suddenly hit her like a ton of bricks; her head was _pounding_, her throat was _burning_, breathing through her nose was suddenly _impossible, _and _it was really fucking cold. _And, for whatever reason, Stella the husky was currently sitting on her chest, its beady eyes looking at Natasha with an almost sympathetic expression.

Carefully pushing the stuffed animal away, Natasha shivered, pulling the blankets more tightly around her. Steve, standing beside the bed, smiled knowingly.

"Well, it looks like she's awake now."

Maggie, looking as if she _hadn't _just been sick with a slight fever, peeked over the side of the bed on her tiptoes. "Mama! You hafta take medicine!"

Natasha groaned. "I'm telling you...I'm not…" she broke off into a coughing fit, which had Maggie's eyes widening in surprise and Steve already reaching for the thermometer on the nightstand. Natasha looked at them with a sniffle (read: an unsuccessful attempt at clearing her nose of the sudden blockage inside). "Is Maggie feeling better…?"

Nodding enthusiastically, Maggie leaned in closer. "Uh-huh! After I took another nap, I felt a lot better! But, then, you looked sick, so Daddy and I have been waiting for you to wake up so we can take care of you."

_To take care of me_, Natasha mused. Of course her compassionate husband and equally compassionate daughter would set out to do as such. But, such help was not needed (or, at least, that's what Natasha believed). "Well, I'm glad you're feeling better, Maggie."

"I already talked to Bruce about it," Steve said, placing a hand on Maggie's head. "Really, she only slept for about an hour or so before waking up like nothing was wrong. Bruce thinks that was thanks to my serum, which I suppose makes sense."

"Fantastic," Natasha said dryly, pulling the blankets up to her chin. "And where does that leave me?"

"Still with a serum inferior to mine," Steve joked, prompting a glare from Natasha. "Kidding, kidding. Seriously, though, you are _definitely _sick."

"So we hafta take care of you!" Maggie added, bouncing on her feet.

"I can't believe it," Natasha grumbled in defeat, leaning her head back against the pillow. She couldn't even _remember _the last time she'd felt this sick! That thought alone only made her head hurt _more. _"Preschool germs are lethal."

"Unfortunately, that is not an exaggeration," Steve said, handing her the thermometer. "Now it's your turn to get your temperature taken."

Lacking the energy to keep up the fight against her family, Natasha complied with a small groan. She stuck the device under her tongue with a petulant expression. Maggie looked on, impatience replacing the exhaustion Natasha had last seen in her features.

After the device beeped, Natasha pulled it out of her mouth, narrowing her eyes at the results. "102.4," she read.

Steve took the thermometer from her then, as if to verify what she'd reported to be true (Natasha had a reputation within the Avengers for underestimating her own health problems when asked about them). He nodded with a firm expression before setting it down on the nightstand. "Alright, then. Maggie, it looks like Mama will need us to take care of her today."

Maggie bobbed her head up and down a few times, her eyes burning with a sudden intensity. Natasha felt a bit intimidated. "What do we do?" Maggie asked Steve.

"First, she needs medicine," Steve reminded, picking up the bottle of cold medicine (for _adults_) and the glass of water he'd set on the nightstand in preparation for Natasha's waking. Natasha couldn't help but release a small sigh at the sight.

"What else?" Maggie inquired, as she watched Steve retrieve two pills from the bottle - something she knew, as a child, she wasn't supposed to do (both Steve and Natasha had warned her against touching certain things, medicine included).

"She needs lots of hugs," Steve said with a smile, handing the medicine and water to Natasha.

After administering the medicine to herself, Natasha returned the water to the nightstand as Steve placed Maggie back in the bed with her. With a large smile, Maggie wrapped her arms around Natasha's torso; Natasha returned the hug with a sneeze.

Steve quickly joined in with his own warm embrace, pressing his lips against Natasha's warm and moist (and, in Natasha's opinion, _gross_) forehead. He pat Maggie on the back before retracting his arms. "After this, Mama needs to get some more rest. Then, we can make food for her."

Natasha wondered what kind of meal she'd wake up to - knowing Steve and Maggie, it could be practically _anything. _Maggie looked conflicted for a moment, as she didn't want to leave Natasha's side, but also understood the importance of sleep.

"Can we wait until Mama's asleep?" she requested, retaining her hold on Natasha.

"It's up to Mama," Steve said, glancing at Natasha.

She shrugged, a small smile pulling at her lips. "Alright. You two can stay."

Sleep came easily to her after that. With Maggie lying beside her, and Steve standing guard over both of them, Natasha finally accepted the sickly feeling inside of her. Maybe preschool germs were just _that_ lethal; it didn't really matter, because, either way, Natasha knew she was in good hands whenever sickness may come knocking on her door.

(Which, of course, it _never _would again, she swore to herself while drifting off; this was just a one-time thing, because Natasha Romanoff _did not _get sick.)

* * *

**A/N: **Classic Natasha, thinking she's invincible, I'd say. It feels good to be back! :)


	78. All I Want (Is To Keep This Secret)

**A/N: **Well, I _could _go on a long speech about how my life has been somewhat falling apart over the last month (aka, in the time since my last update). Some key events include: a week-long emotional breakdown, a big ass APUSH project due next week, my great grandpa's passing after a year-long battle with lung cancer, and my dad getting in a car accident that left my car out of operation for a month (though, my dad was okay!).

Anyway, all that aside, fanfiction has not been able to have much of a place in my life. Things have only recently started looking up for me - and, even now, I already have my next "challenge" to overcome in my sights. So, bear with me!

Thank you for loving this story, something I've created from the depths of my heart - here's a long chapter with some fluff and angst, just like the good old days. :)

also tfw you're torn between naming the chapter after a song or after the theme of the chapter itself

* * *

Maggie _hated _keeping secrets.

It wasn't that she had anything against people's right to privacy; she understood that some things were not meant to be spread around until the time was right, or if ever. She appreciated that people could trust each other with information in such a way, but whenever that responsibility fell into her hands, she felt as if she'd explode.

Because there were just some things that she _had _to tell someone else about.

And the current secret she would be requested not to tell was currently standing in front of her with matching expressions of guilt, like two small children caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

"Um...hey, squirt," Tony greeted uncomfortably, carefully stepping away from Pepper, who was cradling her hand against her chest.

"Hi," Maggie, who had just sauntered into the room less than a minute before, greeted cheerfully. Tony and Pepper were currently the only other people present in the tower that day, while the rest of the Avengers were out and about working.

She'd gone to the main room of the penthouse to ask if anyone wanted to do a puzzle or play a board game with her, but had found Pepper and Tony talking in soft, hushed tones, in what appeared to be a rather serious conversation.

...And, upon realizing what Tony and Pepper had been discussing so discreetly, Maggie had gasped happily and jumped up and down a few times with cheerful exclamations of, "Yay!" It was then that Pepper and Tony noticed her presence, and quickly tried to hide whatever they had been discussing.

"How, um, long were you standing there…?" Tony questioned as Maggie walked up closer to them.

"Only for a little bit," she answered him dismissively, standing on her tippy-toes to grab Pepper's concealed hands. "Wow! I really like your ring, Auntie Pep. It's so pretty!"

Pepper, despite their secret being discovered, couldn't help the joyful laugh that escaped her mouth. "Thank you, Maggie. I think it's pretty, too."

Maggie turned her gaze up to Tony. "Mama said usually people get pretty rings like that when they're gonna get married, 'cept her and Daddy didn't," she said thoughtfully. The word that had been indicative of Tony and Pepper's conversation topic was _wedding_, which, when added to Maggie's observation of Pepper's fancy ring like Natasha had told her people get when they're going to get married, led Maggie to believing this was the fate of her beloved uncle and godmother. She bounced up and down on her feet. "So, so, when are you getting married?!"

She was excited. Very excited.

But Pepper and Tony were uncertain. Very uncertain.

There was still a lot of planning that had to be done: the size of the wedding, the date, the venue, the _dress_, the colors, the flowers, the food, _this_, and _that..._Naturally, until they completed some of the most basic planning (mainly the date, venue, and size), they'd decided to _not _tell everyone else quite yet. Though the Avengers were all good at keeping secrets, once Pepper or Tony started telling others, they had a feeling they wouldn't want to stop; it was such wonderful news that once shared, needed to be shared widely.

But, of course, the _worst _person at keeping secrets within their adoptive family had been the one to figure it out first.

"We don't know yet," Tony answered with a shrug. "We still have a lot of things to plan."

"I wanna help!" Maggie offered immediately, her voice raised with excitement. "I can help! Please?"

Pepper crouched down to her eye level with a warm smile and bright eyes. She looked very happy to be getting married, Maggie silently observed.

"Of course there are ways you can help, Maggie," Pepper said, taking Maggie's hands in hers. "The thing we need your help with right now...is keeping this a secret."

Maggie made a noise of surprise. "A secret? Why?"

"We want to tell everyone on a more special day," Pepper explained, maintaining her very serious eye contact with Maggie. "That way, they can all be surprised."

Tony looked between Pepper and Maggie. "Do you think you can do that, munchkin? Help us keep the wedding a secret?"

With a fierce nod, Maggie quickly reassured them. "I can do it! I can keep the secret." (Okay, maybe she wasn't _the best_ at keeping secrets, but for Pepper and Tony, she would try, _very hard_.) She raised one of her hands from Pepper's grasp, holding out her pinky for Pepper to take with her own. "I pinky swear, on Avenger's honor!"

For an eight year old, Maggie looked pretty determined. Maybe, _just maybe_, she really _could _keep this a secret.

At least, for long enough that Pepper and Tony could tie up some of the loose ends they had been working on in their planning so far.

Pepper took Maggie's pinky in her own, intertwining them. Tony ruffled Maggie's hair a bit. "Thanks, squirt. I knew we could count on you."

Maggie pulled her hands back to herself after a moment, remembering why she'd originally come out to this room. "Oh, yeah! I was gonna ask if you wanna do a puzzle or play a board game with me."

"I think a puzzle sounds fun," Tony suggested. "Go grab your hardest one, and let's see how fast we can do it!"

Bearing the challenge in mind, Maggie quickly ran off toward her room to complete the quest. Pepper stood back up to full height, looking at Tony with an amused expression.

"So, how long do you think we have until everyone knows our little secret? My guess is only about a day."

Tony scoffed a little. "I'll give her the benefit of the doubt. Forty-eight hours, tops. I guess we'll have to streamline some of our planning."

"That's alright," Pepper said, stepping in front of Tony to talk face-to-face. "It'll all work out in the end."

He smiled, leaning closer to her. "I know."

Before they could actually kiss, however, Maggie ran in with a large box of puzzle pieces and a small rant about how she'd never been able to complete it.

* * *

Keeping a secret was about as easy as Maggie expected: _it wasn't._

Once everyone returned home to the tower that day, she'd been able to distract herself enough that she wasn't constantly tempted to burst with the knowledge she'd acquired, but it still remained very imminent on her mind. Within a few hours, she was already reaching the breaking point; she _needed _to tell someone, so she hid away from the others with some crayons and an Avengers coloring book.

Unfortunately, Bruce discovered her not too long afterward.

"Hey, Maggie," he greeted her while she colored at the dining table, waiting for everyone to assemble to decide on dinner that evening, "how's your coloring going?"

"Good," Maggie replied, remaining visually focused on the coloring page beneath the tip of her red crayon. "I'm coloring a picture of Uncle Tony!"

"I'm sure he'll love to see it when you're finished," Bruce commented, taking a seat beside her with a fresh mug of tea. Maggie scrunched up her nose at the smell; it didn't smell like it would taste very good, but Bruce just had weird taste like that.

He looked over her shoulder, evaluating her work. "I like the little, colorful flowers you drew around him. It's all very pretty."

"Thank you!" Maggie said gratefully, looking up at Bruce. "I don't know what flowers Uncle Tony likes, but Aunt Pepper really likes a lot of different flowers, and they need them for-"

She quickly stopped herself with a gasp, dropping her crayon to her coloring page and covering her mouth with her crayon-stained hands.

Bruce raised an eyebrow. "They need flowers, for _what_?" he inquired, genuinely curious.

Eyes wide, Maggie shook her head. "They don't need flowers for anything!" she insisted. "I just...drew them...because...they're...um..._nice_!"

"That's nice," Bruce said, but still looked a little suspicious of Maggie's slip. His eyes twinkled with amusement, as he couldn't help but prod a little further. "Are you keeping a secret, Maggie?"

"N-no!" Maggie answered a bit too strongly, flipping her coloring book closed and gathering her crayons up in fistfuls. "I, um, have to go to the bathroom!"

Her gaze darted all around the room, her voice shook with uncertainty, her grasp around the crayons tightened - really, everything was pointing to Maggie _totally _lying about keeping something secret from Bruce.

He watched her stand from her chair in a hurry, sliding the wooden piece of furniture across the floor with a loud noise. Her things in her arms, Maggie turned to exit the room. "I'll be, uh, back soon!"

And then she was gone, crayons slipping from her hands and falling in a trail marking out her path of escape behind her. Bruce blinked, watching the poor coloring tools roll around on the floor.

How big of a secret could she be keeping to act this squirrelly?

* * *

The following day, Clint sat peacefully in the penthouse, nursing a cup of coffee while watching some TV, when Maggie wandered into the room. She seemed to have just woken up, judging by her sleepy appearance.

"Hey, kid," he said warmly, patting the space beside him on the couch. "You're up early."

Maggie walked up to him quietly, sitting down and curling into his side. He reached around her to grab the blanket from the other side of the couch, draping it over himself and her. She looked ready to go back to sleep.

She yawned, turning her eyes up to his. "Uncle Clint, what happens at weddings?"

"Hm? Weddings?" Clint tilted his head in confusion. "Why are you asking?"

"No reason!" Maggie quickly assured him - _too _quickly to not look suspicious, in Clint's opinion. "I was just curious!"

He didn't believe it. "Who's getting married?"

"No one! No one!"

"I think you're pulling my leg, kid."

"I...I saw it on TV! On _Full House_! Uncle Jesse and Aunt Becky were getting married," Maggie said, nervously holding her hands together. "I wanted to know what it meant."

Clint decided to back off - with how good Maggie was at keeping things secret, he had a feeling it wouldn't be long before she broke. He'd know what was up soon enough. "Well, getting married means two people, who are in love, can stay together forever."

"So, then, what happens at a wedding?"

"A wedding is basically a big party for two people getting married," Clint explained. "That way, the bride and the groom can have all of their family and friends watch them get married, and then celebrate it with lots of food and dancing afterward."

Maggie's eyes lit up. "That sounds so fun! I can't wait for-"

She suddenly stopped with a squeak, shaking her head. Clint raised his eyebrows.

"You can't wait for _what,_ Maggie?"

"Nothing! Nothing!" She tried to wiggle out from under the blanket to run away, but Clint trapped her with his arms. He tickled her sides.

"Are you trying to keep something a secret?" he teased. She protested through her laughter. "Will I have to tickle the answer out of you?"

"No! I'm...not...telling!" she insisted. "I promised!"

"Promised _who_?" Clint inquired, ceasing his attack for a moment.

Before Maggie could respond, Tony walked into the room in his pajamas, yawning and stretching his arms above his head. He walked by the couch where Clint and Maggie were sitting. "Good morning, family."

"Uncle Tony!" Maggie practically shrieked, reaching her hands up to him. "Help me!"

"Coffee, first." Tony dismissed her with a wave of his hand, walking toward the kitchen.

"Stark, do you know of someone getting married soon?" Clint inquired, holding Maggie in his lap. "This one seems to be hiding something."

"Getting married…?" Tony stopped just before he reached the kitchen, mulling over Clint's words for a moment. "A wedding..._oh_."

With a sudden burst of energy, he whirled around and ran to the couch, grabbing Maggie and pulling her from Clint. Taken off guard, Clint released her, allowing Tony to set her down on the ground. She took several steps away from the couch, placing a protective distance between herself and Clint.

"Hey, what was that about?" Clint huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "I was so close to tickling her secret out of her!"

"The 5th Amendment, Barton. Look it up," Tony said, turning to Maggie and pushing her toward the kitchen. "Now, then, I'm gonna go make some breakfast with the munchkin. Don't follow us!"

They were gone in seconds, leaving Clint, confused and curious, on the couch. He scratched his head, debating on whether or not he should follow, when Pepper suddenly entered the room. Her appearance was a sharp contrast from Tony's: she was fully dressed in business attire, her hair pinned up and makeup applied.

"Good morning, Pepper."

"Good morning, Clint," Pepper replied as cheerfully as ever. "How long have you been up?"

"Not very long. I was only in here for a little while before Maggie came in, followed by Tony. Speaking of which, do you know why they're acting so strangely today?"

"They're acting strangely?"

"Yeah. It seems like they're trying to keep something..._secret._"

Clint had to hand it to Pepper - she did a _much _better job at controlling her features when put on the spot, unlike Maggie and Tony before her. Her eyes widened ever so slightly for no more than a moment; by the time Clint blinked, any subtle signs of her concealed surprise and concern at his words were already gone.

"That's...intriguing. Knowing them, it won't be secret for much longer," Pepper said with a cheeky grin. "Anyway, I'm on my way out for work. See you later, Clint."

With that, Pepper walked out of the room toward the elevator.

Clint _really _wasn't sure what to make of all of this.

* * *

"What's Maggie's secret?"

Steve and Natasha both recoiled with surprise at their mutually spoken words. After watching Maggie squirm her way out of a game of Monopoly with Clint and Bruce, Steve and Natasha had shared a look of confusion. They left the room then, going to their bedroom so they could talk privately about what was going on with Maggie.

Then, the same three curious words had tumbled out of their mouths at the same time.

"What? I've been gone on a mission for the past three days," Natasha said, defending herself with a frown. "I don't know what's going on with _anyone_."

"She hasn't been acting up this whole time, though," Steve said, crossing his arms over his chest. "This new squirrelly act has just been happening today, as far as I've seen."

"What important secret could she even be keeping?" Natasha shook her head in disbelief. "It's a miracle she's kept the secret all day."

"We should ask the others if they've noticed anything strange as well," Steve suggested. "Maybe one of them has something to do with it."

"Maybe. Although…" Natasha trailed off thoughtfully, sitting down on their bed. "If we tried hard enough, we could probably get Maggie to give it up."

"Is that a good idea?" Steve asked, looking unsure. "I don't think an eight year old could handle a S.H.I.E.L.D.-level interrogation."

But Natasha was already tapping her chin with her index finger, looking contemplative. "I have an idea. Trust me on this one, Steve."

He sighed. "If you say so, Nat…"

* * *

"Mama? Daddy said you were looking for me."

Maggie walked into the penthouse kitchen with a curious expression, looking up at Natasha expectantly. Natasha simply gestured to the dining table, pulling a chair out for Maggie to sit in.

"Have a seat, Лапушка," she instructed, patting the seat cushion for emphasis. With very little hesitation, Maggie sat down as Natasha wanted.

"Why were you looking for me?" Maggie asked.

"Well," Natasha began, clearing her throat, "it's come to my attention that there is something going on around here that I don't know about. Something..._secretive._"

She walked around the table, stopping at the seat directly across from Maggie's. Maggie blinked.

"According to my sources, you have something to do with this," Natasha continued. "In other words...you are keeping a secret for someone."

Maggie very fiercely shook her head. "Am not! You can't prove it!"

"I don't need to," Natasha said, crossing her arms over her chest. "You can just tell me now, and we'll be done."

"I don't have anything to tell!"

"I beg to differ."

"What does that mean?"

There was a temporary break in the interrogative atmosphere as Maggie looked confused. "It means that I think something different than you," Natasha explained. "So, I think that you're keeping a secret, even though you're saying you aren't."

The intense atmosphere resumed. "I am not!"

"Hm," Natasha made a thoughtful noise, turning to the kitchen counter. "I figured you might put up a fight. Which is why I have something prepared…"

Maggie's vision of what Natasha was doing was blocked by Natasha's body.

"...Voila!" Natasha turned around, holding a bowl of bribery. "I have an ice cream sundae, topped with chocolate and caramel sauces, all on top of a warm brownie."

"Wh-what?!" Maggie pushed herself up against the table with her hands, leaning over it as far as she could to reach Natasha with her hands. "Can I have some? _Please_!"

"If you tell me what you're keeping secret," Natasha bargained, setting the ice cream down on the table, just out of Maggie's reach, "then, yes, you may eat _all _of this ice cream."

"Even though we haven't had dinner yet?"

"Even though we haven't had dinner yet."

Maggie looked _seriously _conflicted now. "I want the ice cream! But...I promised…"

"It's alright, Лапушка, your secret will be safe with me," Natasha tried to persuade her, offering a pleasant smile. "And, after you tell me, this ice cream will be in your belly."

"Um…" Maggie thought hard for a few moments, scratching her head. "What if I want both?"

"That's not an option."

She _groaned. _"Mama…"

"This is the deal, Лапушка. You either have to take it or leave it."

"But I don't _wanna_ leave ice cream!"

"Trust me, I wouldn't want to, either."

"Mama, I _can't _tell you."

"Why not?"

"I _promised_!"

"Promised who?"

"It's a _secret_!"

"How many secrets are you trying to keep, kid?" Natasha, very cruelly, suddenly held a spoon above the ice cream sundae, scooping up a mouthful and consuming it. Maggie gasped loudly at the sight.

"Mama, you're being so _mean_!"

"All's fair in love and-"

But Natasha never managed to finish her sentence, as she noticed a watery tint to Maggie's eyes. She swallowed nervously. _No way...she is _not _going to cry her way out of this, no way, no way…_

Maggie sniffled. "Mama...this isn't fair. You told me to always keep my promises!"

"Well, yes, but-"

"And always be _nice _to people!"

"That one was probably Daddy, not me-"

"But now you want me to _break _my promise _and _you're being so mean!"

Natasha set the spoon down on the table beside the melting sundae. "Maggie…"

"I want ice cream! I want to keep the secret! I promised!"

They'd reached the near-tears stage now, leaving Natasha feeling _pretty _guilty. As Maggie continued to sniffle and wipe at her wet eyes, Natasha felt her resolve quickly melt away. Maybe this _had _been a little too mean for an eight year old…

"Here," she sighed, pushing the ice cream and spoon toward Maggie. "You're right. This was too mean. You should always keep your promises. I'm sorry, Лапушка."

Maggie managed a watery smile as she accepted the peace offering. Natasha stood up from the table and walked around, approaching Maggie and giving her a hug. Maggie leaned into her touch.

"Thank you for the ice cream, Mama."

"Yeah, yeah...don't let anyone know I've gotten soft in the interrogation room, okay?"

"I don't know what that means, but, okay."

Natasha ruffled Maggie's hair with a smile as the latter happily dug into the ice cream. Steve came in moments later, looking concerned.

"Nat, I really don't think this was a good..." He stopped at the sight of Maggie eating, chocolate sauce already smeared on her lips. "You did it?"

Natasha shook her head. Maggie looked up at Steve.

"Mama wanted me to break my promise!" she explained, her features tight with frustration. "And she wouldn't share her ice cream!"

"So I caved," Natasha sighed.

"Ah." Steve actually _smirked _a bit at this revelation. Natasha rolled her eyes. "Well, I'm glad Mama learned her lesson, Maggie."

"Me, too," Maggie said through a mouthful of ice cream. She swallowed, holding her spoon out toward Steve. "Do you want some?"

"No thank you," Steve declined, crouching down beside her and pressing a kiss to her temple. "It was very nice of you to offer, though."

Maggie beamed. "I'm nicer than Mama!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Natasha shrugged. "Just keep your secret."

* * *

Within the few days following Maggie's discovery of their engagement and wedding plans, Tony and Pepper eventually found themselves ready to share their news with the rest of the family. They decided dinnertime would be the best time to reveal the secret; that was when everyone would be gathered together.

On that same day, Maggie especially struggled in keeping the secret. She was just so _excited _\- her godmother and uncle were going to get _married_! And, earlier that week, Pepper had mentioned something about Maggie being the flower girl; how _cool _was that?

"Don't worry, munchkin; we'll tell everyone tonight," Tony assured Maggie while they sat together in the privacy of Pepper's office. He ruffled her hair. "You won't have to worry about keeping it a secret anymore."

"Good," Maggie said with a sigh. "Mama tried to make me tell her with _ice cream_ yesterday! It was _so _mean."

"I heard about that," Tony said sympathetically. "At least you still got to eat the ice cream, _and _keep the secret. Sounds like a win-win."

Maggie nodded happily. "I won-won!"

Pepper walked into her office then, holding two bags. "Sorry about the wait; there was a holdup with the delivery guy. Here's lunch!"

She joined Maggie and Tony at the small table off to the side, setting the bags down in front of them. Tony opened them up and began sorting through the contents, dividing the food between the three of them.

"I was just telling the squirt that we were planning on telling the others tonight," Tony said as Pepper sat down. "She's been a real trooper with keeping our secret."

"It's so hard!" Maggie groaned, placing her hands on her head for emphasis on her struggle. "I'm just so _excited, _I want to tell _everyone_!"

"We do, too, Maggie," Pepper said with a small laugh. "We just needed to wait for the right time, which will be tonight. Thank you for helping us keep the secret, though; we really appreciate it."

"You're welcome!" Maggie smiled as she grabbed a handful of fries, with the full intention of eating them _all _at once - a quick look from Pepper warned her not to, so she limited herself to eating only one fry. "When's the wedding?"

"In a few months, maybe, if we can finish all of the planning before then," Tony said, taking a bite of his burger. "You still interested in being our flower girl?"

"_Yes! _I mean," Maggie tried to hide her excitement, "I will have to check my calendar first. I might have a playdate."

Pepper and Tony shared a laugh at that, which prompted Maggie to descend into a fit of giggles. The lighthearted moment was soon broken with the sound of a phone vibrating.

"Hm? I guess that's me," Tony said, pulling his phone out of his pocket. He read the message he just received, then scowled. "Looks like there's some crisis that needs Avengers."

"A new mission?" Pepper asked. Tony nodded, reading the details.

"But what about dinner?" Maggie protested, frowning. "You were gonna tell everyone the secret!"

"Duty calls," Tony sighed, pocketing his phone and standing up. "I'm sorry, Maggie. Looks like we're gonna have to wait until after this mission."

"How long will you guys be gone?" Pepper inquired, glancing at Maggie.

"Not too long, hopefully. A few days at most, I think," Tony guessed, picking up the rest of his food. "I'm gonna have to take this to go."

Maggie jumped up out of her seat. "I have to go say bye to Mama and Daddy."

"We'll all take our food up," Pepper said, putting everything back into the bags. "We can finish eating after we say goodbye to everyone."

"Okay," Maggie sighed, grabbing Tony's hand and looking down at her feet. Not only would she have to continue keeping the secret, but now she would have _no one _to keep it a secret from, because they'd all be gone on this mission.

"Lighten up, kiddo," Tony said, squeezing Maggie's hand and drawing her eyes up to his. "Once we get back, we can have a big dinner with lots of dessert afterward, then we'll tell everyone!"

"Do you promise?" Maggie asked very seriously.

Tony crouched down in front of her, meeting her at eye-level. "I swear on my Avenger's honor."

Maggie nodded, then wrapped her arms around Tony's neck in a warm hug.

* * *

Neither Maggie nor Pepper enjoyed waiting for the Avengers to return from missions. It was hard to _not _think about them while they were gone - what if they were injured, or sad, or captured, or even _dead_?

Because Maggie was still a child, Pepper tried to protect her from those dark and mature worries. _No news is a good news_ was a common phrase she used; as Maggie was getting older, however, she saw more clearly through Pepper's facade.

A day passed, followed by another, and then another. This was a mission that required the Avengers to be completely offline - meaning, they couldn't call or message or contact Pepper and Maggie _at all. _Maggie hated those kinds of missions more than she hated keeping secrets.

"I don't like it, Auntie Pep," Maggie said on the fourth day while sitting on the couch with Pepper, watching TV. "Shouldn't they be back home by now?"

"We won't know until your Aunt Ria or Uncle Nick tells us," Pepper reminded her. "For now, we just have to wait."

Maggie sighed, leaning her head against Pepper's arm. "At least I don't have to keep the secret right now."

"True," Pepper hummed, stretching the fingers on her left hand so she could look at the engagement ring Tony had given her - because everyone else was gone for the mission, Pepper could freely wear the ring around the penthouse. "Are you still excited?"

"Yes!" Maggie insisted, straightening her posture. "I can't wait to be a flower girl! Do I get to wear a fancy dress?"

"Of course," Pepper said very seriously. "We will all be very dressed up."

Maggie scrunched up her face. "Do I have to wear _makeup_, like you and Mama do?"

Pepper laughed a little, running a hand through Maggie's hair. "No, I think you're still a little young for makeup."

"Can Mama paint my nails?" Maggie asked hopefully, holding up a small hand. "I like it when my nails are painted. 'Cept it's not allowed at school, so I can only do it during breaks."

"Sure she can," Pepper said. Her expression then brightened with an idea. "Hey, maybe that's what we can do while we wait for everyone to come back."

"What?" Maggie looked up at her curiously.

"I could paint your nails, if you'd like."

"Really?! Let's do it, let's do it!"

* * *

Pepper was just applying the finishing touches on Maggie's (now purple) fingernails when JARVIS announced Maria Hill was coming to see them.

"Aunt Ria!" Maggie squealed happily, barely containing her excitement while Pepper tried to keep her hands steady. "Why is Aunt Ria here?"

"I'm not sure," Pepper admitted, swallowing back a sudden surge of anxiety. _This can't be good. _Maria Hill didn't make unnecessary and uninvited house visits like this; something was wrong. She finished Maggie's final finger, and released her hands. "There you go; you're all done!"

"Yay! Ooh, they're so pretty!" Maggie held her fingers up before her eyes, intricately examining each individual nail. "Thank you, Auntie Pep!"

"You are very welcome, Maggie. Remember to be careful with them, though; they're not dry yet," Pepper warned, standing up from her seat. "Now, then, let's go see what your Aunt Ria is here for."

Maggie nodded, also standing up. She carefully held her hands up in front of her, keeping her fingers spread apart. "I won't let anything mess them up!"

They walked away from the dining table, leaving the kitchen and walking toward the elevator. At that same moment, the doors opened, revealing a very stoic Maria Hill.

"Aunt Ria!" Maggie said, running up to her. She held her hands up toward Maria. "I would hug you, but then I might mess up my nails! Aunt Pepper painted them for me!"

"Wow! They're so pretty," Maria admired, leaning down closer to Maggie to see. "Your Aunt Pepper did a very nice job."

"Thanks," Pepper chuckled, walking up behind Maggie. She set a hand on Maggie's shoulder. "Maggie, why don't you go to your room for a bit? I need to talk to your Aunt Ria."

Maggie turned to Pepper, looking up at her. "Is it about the secret?" she whispered.

"Yes, that's part of it," Pepper confirmed with a smile. Maggie smiled excitedly, then nodded and ran off toward the hallway.

"The secret?" Maria echoed once Maggie was out of earshot. "There's a secret?"

Pepper held her own hand out for Maria to see now. "Yes...Maggie accidentally found out mine and Tony's big news."

"Big news..._oh!_" Realization dawned on Maria's face when she saw the ring on Pepper's finger. "Congratulations, Pepper."

"Thanks." An uneasy pause. "...But, if you're here, that means something's happened."

Maria sighed. "You're right. Let's go sit down first."

* * *

"You lost contact with the team?!"

Maria nodded sadly, her disdain for the situation present in her expression. "I don't know what happened. They missed their check-in point."

Pepper sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Maria, I know it's classified…"

"This mission has them tracking some arms dealers. Very high tech arms dealers, that is. We couldn't risk their comm lines being hacked into, which is why they had to cut off all outside communication, like with you and Maggie," Maria explained. "As far as I know, this could be something as trivial as a broken comm link, or something as bad as an attack on the team. I really don't know, Pepper."

"How long will it be until you know what happened?"

"Fury's got Coulson's team working on it now...hopefully, we'll know more soon."

Pepper nodded, looking down at her hands in her lap, where she messed with the ring on her finger. "Life really has a way of timing things, it seems…"

"What do you mean?"

"The day the team was called in, Tony and I planned on telling the rest of our team about our engagement and wedding plans," Pepper explained sadly. "Maggie had found out on accident a few days prior - she walked into the room while Tony and I were talking about it. So it became a secret between the three of us."

"Wow. I'm surprised she kept the secret," Maria chuckled, setting an arm on Pepper's arm. "I promise, I won't rest until we find out what's going on with the team. Because I want to see Tony Stark officially settle down with the woman he loves."

"Thank you, Maria." Pepper smiled at her words. "I want to see it happen, too."

"I'm sure we all do, especially Maggie, considering she had to help keep the secret."

"Yes...wait," Pepper paused, "what should I tell Maggie? About the mission?"

Maria exhaled. "Nothing more than it will take a little longer, I guess...I hate lying to her about it, but she's just too young to know what's really going on."

* * *

"We're getting married."

All three of the other Avengers - Thor being on Asgard and Bruce waiting for the right time to come strike the base and break the team out as the Hulk - looked up in varying levels of surprise at Tony's sudden words. There he was, sitting against the dark wall, stripped of his suit, bruises littered across his arms and face, suddenly talking about marriage.

"You and Pepper?" Natasha, trying to apply pressure to a bloody knife wound on her leg, inquired. Her eyes, which had been darkened with the painful atmosphere of the situation moments before, had now brightened considerably, the light of hope and love filling them; she'd known Tony and Pepper for so many years, and had watched their relationship develop from its earliest stages. To hear they were finally getting married - well, that was enough to keep Natasha from giving up.

Tony nodded, wheezing a little against his own wounds. "Yeah. That's what your kid was keeping secret all week - sorry 'bout it."

But Steve just smiled, the light in his own eyes contrasting with the cut on his lips from an encounter with a very punchy goon earlier. He leaned closer to Tony, patting him (very carefully) on the back. "Congratulations, Tony. I'm glad Maggie was able to keep it secret for as long as she did."

"Pretty damn miraculous," Clint scoffed with a good-natured grin, holding his own bleeding arm. "That explains why she was on edge all week. I could never get it out of her, though."

"I tried interrogating her with ice cream," Natasha admitted. "She almost started crying after a few minutes, so I gave up and just let her have the sundae."

"Ah, look at that; the Widow really does have a heart," Tony teased.

"Whatever, Tony. I'm just really happy for you. And for Pepper. It's about damn time." Natasha rolled her eyes, but smiled nonetheless. "When's the wedding?"

"Probably in a few months or so. We were going to tell you all about it at dinner the day we got called in for this shitty mission," Tony said. "Now look where we've ended up."

"We'll be out of here soon, hopefully," Steve said.

Clint groaned. "Bruce really knows how to be fashionably late when we're in a crisis…"

"We'll just have to be patient," Natasha assured them. "He'll come."

Tony gave a small chuckle. "I'm sure everyone's losing their shit over us missing the last check-in point for this oh-so-brilliant plan you guys came up with."

Normally, Natasha would have made some retort in reply, but opted to simply sigh. "I hope Maggie and Pepper are okay."

"As long as we get out of here, they will be," Steve said. "We all just have to be patient with this."

* * *

"Auntie Pep," Maggie huffed, laying her head down in Pepper's lap, "when will Mama and Daddy be back?"

"As soon as they can," Pepper reassured her, brushing a hand through Maggie's hair. "Remember what Aunt Ria told us? The mission's taking a little longer than they thought it would."

Maggie hadn't taken the news very well. Though she'd tried to smile it out, her lips were wobbling within moments, tears following. Pepper wasn't sure what assurances she could offer Maggie then - because, really, she _didn't _know what had happened to the team. So, she simply held Maggie while she cried, and made more attempts to distract and keep Maggie busy in the days since then.

"I still don't like it," Maggie said, echoing her words from days before. "I want them back."

"I do, too," Pepper sighed. "We just have to be patient, and have faith in them."

Maggie eventually dozed off, as it was close to her bedtime. (Though, Pepper hadn't really been enforcing a bedtime these past few days, since it just wasn't a priority for her with everything else going on.)

A little while later, JARVIS spoke, his volume lower than usual (Tony had programmed him to recognize when people were sleeping). _"Miss Potts, I have a message from Deputy Director Maria Hill." _

Pepper straightened up considerably at the news. "What is it?"

"_It appears the Avengers have been located, and are now on their way back."_

"Any injuries?"

"_Several...but none are life threatening." _

Finally, Pepper allowed herself to breathe a sigh of relief, hugging Maggie's sleeping form a little closer to herself. She thanked everything divine for allowing the team to return home in one piece. "Thank you, JARVIS."

"_They are due to arrive in a few more hours. I would suggest you and Miss Rogers get some rest before then." _

She didn't need to be told twice. Carefully heaving Maggie up into her arms, Pepper stood up, and walked toward the hallway.

Tonight, she could rest peacefully. Tomorrow, she would be reunited with her family.

* * *

"Now, remember, Maggie; your Mama and Daddy might be hurt, so be careful when they come," Pepper reminded Maggie as they waited for the Avengers to exit the quinjet that had just landed outside.

Maggie nodded determinedly, sitting on Pepper's lap. "I'll be careful, Auntie Pep!"

"That's my girl." Pepper smiled, hugging Maggie.

"Are you gonna tell everyone the secret _now_?" Maggie asked.

"Probably." _Though, I have a feeling they may already know. _

"Honey, I'm home!"

At the sound of Tony's voice, Pepper and Maggie both turned to the sight of the five Avengers walking in - some limped, others took tentative steps, but the determination to _live _was evident in their body movements. In their expressions, meanwhile, was relief and gratitude.

"Mama! Daddy!" Maggie all but _shrieked_, jumping out of Pepper's grasp and running to her parents. She remembered Pepper's words and stopped just in front of them, looking up at them expectantly.

Fortunately, Steve was currently the healthiest of the group, as his serum had enabled him to heal the quickest. He picked Maggie up, hugging her to his chest and pressing a kiss against her temple. "Maggie. It's so good to be back."

"We missed you so much, Лапушка," Natasha said, laying a hand on Maggie's back.

Maggie looked between them, worry in her expression. "Are you hurt? Are you okay?"

"Just a little banged up," Steve reassured her. Maggie turned back up to him, concerned, as she saw the scar on his lip. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her head against his chest.

Meanwhile, Pepper had reunited with Tony. She hugged him gently, meeting his lips with a careful kiss. "Tony...you had me worried sick."

"I'm sorry," he apologized, pressing his face into her shoulder. "For what it counts, I was worried sick for myself as well."

"Fortunately, Bruce got us out," Clint said from the back, throwing an arm around Bruce. "Thanks for that."

"You're welcome," Bruce said, turning to Clint. "However, I believe that was your bad arm you just put around my shoulders."

"Hm?" Clint looked down to the bandage covering his previously bloody wound from the mission, simply blinking when he realized there was a new red stain forming on the material. "Oh…"

Bruce carefully lowered his head and pulled himself out of Clint's grasp. "Guess I'll be stitching you up again. Anyone else?"

"Wait just a moment," Tony said, pulling away from Pepper to stop Clint and Bruce's exit. "I believe Pepper and I have some news we'd like to share with everyone first."

Though Tony had told the others already during the mission, they all looked to him and Pepper with the same excitement and anticipation. Natasha patted Maggie's back, prompting her to raise her head from Steve's chest and look to Pepper and Tony.

Pepper recognized the knowing smiles on everyone's faces, and turned her gaze to Maggie. "Perhaps Maggie would like to share the news with everyone."

Maggie perked up at Pepper's words, expression beaming. Steve turned his head to look at her face. "Maggie?"

"Come on, Лапушка, tell us," Natasha said softly. "Then we can have ice cream again."

"I'm dying to know!" Clint added.

"Yeah, what's the secret you've been keeping for Tony and Pepper?" Bruce asked.

"I can tell the secret now?" Maggie asked Tony and Pepper, who both nodded. With that, she asked Steve to put her down, and then walked over to where Tony and Pepper were standing.

Tony and Pepper held hands behind Maggie, who stood up as straightly as possible, with the biggest smile imaginable on her face. She gave a small giggle before shouting the news for everyone in the world to hear.

"Uncle Tony and Aunt Pepper are getting married!"

* * *

**A/N: **I think everyone should know that I'm supposed to have a 13 line Latin poem memorized by tomorrow...and, while I worked on it pretty dutifully earlier, I abandoned it for the writing of this oneshot, lmao...what even are priorities these days

Also, I really can't tell you guys when I'll update next; at this point in time, I don't have an answer for that. All I can say is I gotta hang tight and keep with this whole "life" thing for now. :)


	79. UNDERTALE

**A/N: **Happy April, everyone! Hope all of your lives are going well. We are quickly approaching the 2 year anniversary of this fic-and Maggie's actual canon birthday! (April 18, 2016) EXCITEMENT!

I'm not quite sure how I want to celebrate yet, but I have an idea in the works that involves starting a tumblr for this story and start transitioning into a more fan-prompted progression of the story - let's face it, if I can't handle updating the fic during senior year, during college is just out of the question. So, I think switching to a tumblr in which you all can just send in prompts or questions to the characters of this story (which you don't need your own tumblr account to do! anyone can do it!) and I respond with a shitty comic drawn by me or a little drabble-length written response will be beneficial to both you and me. We can go deeper into that later, though!

For now, I must pay homage to another video game by making a crazy AU that _hopefully _readers who haven't played will be able to understand. This one is based off of the popular indie game _Undertale_ because! I! Am! Trash

In _Undertale_, you play as a kid and adventure through this area under a mountain that's inhabited by monsters. You fight the monsters along the way, but unlike most video games where you defeat everything you encounter, you have the option of sparing the monsters you come across and befriending them! I won't say too much about the plot since spoilers for that game are really detrimental, but I'm going to be borrowing a lot of aspects from the plot in here. Also, this is kiiiind of my take on the upcoming _Civil War_, in which we are going to see Maggie dealing with Nat and Steve being on opposing sides, so there's something for everyone here! ;)

But it got really long really quickly so this is only part 1. If you guys want to see more of this, let me know! And if not, then that works too, because then I won't have to write part 2 lmao

* * *

_Once upon a time, the world was inhabited by humans._

_Among these humans, however, existed different kinds: some, completely mortal and powerless, lived until the time of their natural death, peacefully trying to coexist one another; others, however, weren't very human at all. The latter group was known by many different names: Mutants, Enhanced, Inhumans, Demi-Gods...and, to some mortal humans, very dangerous creatures. _

_Violence was common in the world; while mortal humans hurt one another, there existed cases of powered humans killing mortal humans. Because of the difference in power between the two kinds, the latter crimes were paid much more attention. Despite this, there were heroes among those who wielded special abilities. Teams formed to eradicate the evil in this world, to protect every part of humanity. Those who fought this battle were widely beloved. But, as time went on, the history of mistakes committed by powered people grew too expansive for the mortals. Even those who were mortal, yet fought with special abilities that they had cultivated themselves, such as special weapons or combat skills, became targets for this growing criticism. _

_One day, after a group of rookie heroes led a botched, unofficial mission to combat evil, the mortals snapped; these people needed to be registered, they argued. There needed to be vigilance on all powered people all of the time, as the government should have records of their existences and activities, to protect those who lacked powers and enhancements. This movement made it to the American federal government, who debated for many days. They finally came to the decision of the Superhero Registration Act, which would require all "heroes" to be registered with the government, who would watch over their actions. _

_Such a decision left those in the enhanced community torn. Some members actually agreed with the government's choice, arguing this would maintain peace between the very different people across the globe. Many, however, disagreed, and protested against the government, branding the legislation as unconstitutional and an assault on the privacy of all people. A great war within the powered community broke out because of this. Friends turned on each other, fighting to the death; families were torn apart. The Avengers, the most famous of superhero teams, split right down the middle. _

_Enraged by all of the newfound violence, civilians and government officials alike condemned every person with special abilities, and joined the fight. Catching the Avengers and other powered people of the world off-guard, the mortal humans were able to drive them deep, deep underground, in the hopes that sealing them away would prevent further violence. Many people still do not understand how mortals had been able to overcome such powerful figures as the Avengers; in the end, it didn't matter. _

_It has now been ten years since this event. People believe that the superheroes will remain sealed underground for a long time yet, and avoid the area they believe the government to have driven all of the defeated heroes underground. _

_Defying this social ideology, a lone eleven year old child wandered to this forbidden area. _

* * *

She fell.

Curiosity had killed the cat, right? She remembered the saying going that way. But, it seemed, that wasn't the only thing curiosity would kill; curiosity would also kill the Maggie.

She'd never had anyone to tell her not to go looking around large, bottomless holes on tall mountains; no one had ever cared enough about her to do so. The legend of a place from which no traveler returned was just too intriguing for her to pass up exploring; so, she figured, why not check it out for herself?

Now Maggie realized why no one ever returned; this same hole had swallowed them all up! Just as was happening to her, now, as her body propelled down into the earth in free fall. She closed her eyes and accepted her fate, expecting pain.

But it never came.

Instead, there were flowers. A whole bunch, actually, that she felt beneath her fingertips. Maggie raised her head, admittedly a little dazed, inspecting her new surroundings. Light streamed in very faintly from where she'd fallen through, giving the golden flowers that she lied on top of a bit of a glow.

She slowly pushed herself up into a seated position on top of her legs, carefully rubbing her scraped palms together. Flowers breaking people's plunges down bottomless holes wasn't something Maggie had heard before; how peculiar, she thought.

Maggie glanced around. The cavern walls around her were plain, darkened by the shadows cast by the little sunlight. She stopped when she heard footsteps echoing in front of her.

Then a figure appeared. This stranger wore a neutral expression, her face illuminated by the lantern she carried in her right hand. Her outfit was simple; black and tight, but definitely aged. There were a few patches sewn onto places Maggie assumed were once tears in the leather.

It was her hair that captured Maggie's attention the most, however. It was a bright, fiery red, as the unruly curls gently touched her shoulders. Coupled with her soft, green gaze, Maggie wasn't sure what to make of the newcomer.

"Oh, dear," the stranger said, her expression now one of concern. She quickened her pace as she walked up to Maggie, who braced herself; she was ready to run away if this woman tried to hurt her.

But she did nothing of the sort. The gentle figure simply stopped in front of Maggie, crouching down on her knees before her. She set her lantern down between them, casting light on both of their faces. Maggie blinked, unsure of what to make of this encounter.

"You must have fallen down," she said to Maggie, her voice soft. "Are you hurt, Лапушка?"

Maggie was, admittedly, sore from the fall, and had seen better days, but was nowhere near as damaged as she thought she'd be after a fall from such a height. So she shrugged in reply.

"Well...I'm glad you are alright," the woman said. "My name is Natasha."

"Natasha…" Maggie repeated, blinking up at her. "Where am I?"

"You are in the Ruins, the outermost area of the Afterlife," Natasha explained, offering Maggie a hand. "I am one of the only people who live here."

"The...Ruins?" Maggie echoed, tilting her head in confusion. She stared at the appendage for a moment before grabbing it, allowing Natasha to pull her up into a standing position. "The Afterlife?"

Natasha picked the lantern up from the ground, holding it between them.

"You're from the human world, aren't you?" she inquired, pointing her lantern in the direction opposite of the flowers Maggie had fallen upon. The light revealed the exit from the room, which Natasha gently guided Maggie through by hand. "Haven't you heard the legends about this place?"

"I…" Maggie stammered, unsure of how to answer. Maybe she _should _have paid better attention in history class.

"Don't worry about that now," Natasha quickly said as they entered the next room. "Let's just go back to my house. I can patch you up there."

They walked in silence after that, Maggie loosely holding onto Natasha's hand. It was a bizarre experience - Maggie had never encountered someone so..._maternal_ before.

She wondered if this was what having a mother felt like.

* * *

As they winded through long hallways and puzzle-filled rooms ("We put these here to protect ourselves from intruders," Natasha had explained while deactivating one of the harder puzzles. "The humans were the ones who put us underground, after all, so we needed to be prepared if they tried to hurt us again; this excludes you, of course, because you are just a child."), Maggie observed her surroundings. It was like a small town, the Ruins; there were a few shops here and there, with different people milling about, engaged in lighthearted conversations.

They all glanced over when Natasha walked by with her, curious expressions on their faces. Maggie even heard one of them whisper, "Another child? Does Romanoff really like torturing herself that much? They all just leave."

"And when they leave...rumor has it Rogers gets to 'em," the person beside the first speaker whispered in reply.

The first person shook their head. "I used to believe he would never hurt a child...but this war has changed him."

Before Maggie could inquire what they meant, Natasha led her out of earshot.

Finally, they reached Natasha's house, which sat behind a patch of the same golden flowers Maggie had fallen upon. Natasha had turned her lantern off earlier during their journey because the inhabited part of the Ruins was lit by torches on the wall; she set the lantern down by the front door, opening it and leading Maggie inside.

The atmosphere was very warm. Maggie released Natasha's hand so she could step a few feet away from her, glancing around at the walls. Though the decorations were very plain and lacking in presence, Maggie felt very welcome.

Natasha tapped Maggie on the shoulder, beckoning her to follow. Maggie walked beside Natasha down the hall, entering the first room on the left: a bedroom.

A kid's bedroom, at that. There was a small bed, as well as a box of toys; this room was much more decorative than the others Maggie had seen so far, and she felt very comfortable in the new space. But, judging by the contents of this room, Natasha must have had another child.

"This room hasn't been used in a long time," Natasha stated, dismissing Maggie's thoughts. "It's been awhile since a human fell down here...so, now it's your room!"

Maggie blinked, looking up at Natasha in confusion. "My room?"

Natasha nodded. "As I said earlier, not many people live in the Ruins...Therefore, the task of taking care of any humans who fall down here became my job," she explained. "It happens very rarely, but I must always be ready for someone to come."

"I don't get it," Maggie said, shaking her head. "Why do you live under a mountain?"

A sad shade of green overcame Natasha's eyes for a moment, as she gestured for Maggie to sit down on the bed while she opened a drawer in the dresser, pulling out a first aid kid. She set it down, open, beside Maggie. "How old are you?" Natasha inquired.

"Eleven," Maggie answered proudly, swinging her legs a bit. "I just turned eleven in April!"

A knowing darkness crossed Natasha's expression for a moment, but by the time Maggie blinked, it was gone; Natasha then smiled at Maggie's enthusiasm, crouching down in front of Maggie with a cotton ball and what Maggie recognized as a bottle of rubbing alcohol for cleaning injuries. Natasha dipped the cotton into the bottle, then lightly dabbed it on the scrapes on Maggie's right knee. "Eleven, huh? That makes sense for why you wouldn't know about the Afterlife."

"Is this heaven?" Maggie asked, carefully containing her flinch caused by the alcohol. "Did I die?"

"No, no, you didn't die," Natasha reassured her with a light laugh, now dabbing the rubbing alcohol onto Maggie's left knee. "That's just what people call this place: the Afterlife. Back on the surface, it used to be an area where Inhumans lived, but was abandoned after some bad things happened."

"Inhumans?"

Natasha applied bandages to both of Maggie's knees, shaking her head. "They really don't keep you kids up to date with current events these days, do they?"

Maggie made a noise of protest. "I'm still confused."

"Inhumans are just some people who have special powers," Natasha explained, crushing the wax paper that had once encased the bandages in her fist. "There are different kinds of people who had different powers: Inhumans, Enhanced, Mutants...Our power comes from magic that we're either born with or develop for some reason, and it led to a lot of problems with normal humans."

"Why?" Maggie questioned. "Having powers sounds so cool!"

"People got in fights a lot. There were some cases where bad people with powers hurt normal people, so the normal people decided powered people were too dangerous to live with," Natasha explained, her eyes on the first aid kid and voice significantly lower than before; all the lightheartedness of her tone was gone, and Maggie grew somewhat apprehensive. "Does that make sense?"

Maggie nodded. "So, normal people made the magic people move underground, so no one would hurt each other anymore?"

"Pretty much," Natasha sighed, gently grabbing Maggie's wrist and pulling it toward her, so she could evaluate the scrapes on her arms. "That happened almost ten years ago, so you would have been very little at the time."

"That's stupid," Maggie protested, furrowing her eyebrows in an angered expression. "Normal people are mean, too! They hurt each other all the time!"

"We didn't fight back much when they pushed us underground," Natasha admitted, now cleaning a scrape on Maggie's right elbow. "We thought that by cooperating with them, the humans would all realize that we weren't _all _bad. Despite that, we all ended up living down here."

"I'm sorry," Maggie apologized genuinely, feeling guilty for the actions of her fellow humans. How could someone be so mean, to judge an entire group based on the actions of a few individuals? It just wasn't _fair. _"Humans aren't always very nice to me, either."

Natasha placed a bandage on Maggie's elbow, giving it a light, sympathetic pat. "I'm sorry, Лапушка."

Maggie thought back to her walk through the Ruins earlier. Natasha seemed to be the liveliest person out of those who lived here; the others walked with hushed tones and their heads down. It made Maggie curious. She thought back to the conversation she overheard, looking up at Natasha. "Um...who is Rogers?"

Pausing from her current task of closing up the first aid kid, Natasha quickly met Maggie's eyes. There was a certain intensity there Maggie could not identify. "Where did you hear that name?" she asked, her tone a sudden contrast from the warm affection it had held a moment prior.

"I heard some people say it while we were walking," Maggie said shyly, intimidated by Natasha's sudden change in tone. "Is he bad?"

Natasha didn't answer at first, instead opting to focus her gaze on the first aid kit in her hands. She opened her mouth slightly for a few moments, trying to form the words. "He's...not good."

"The people said he was changed by...a war?" Maggie said. "What war?"

"...It's…" Natasha bit her lip for a moment, every other part of her body completely motionless. "It was just...everyone with powers disagreed over some things, so some of us fought each other."

"Did you fight Rogers?" Maggie questioned.

"I…" Natasha shook her head. "Look, I'd rather not talk about it. The point is, the people who live here in the Ruins are all very good people who would never hurt anyone; I think you'll enjoy living here."

_Living down here…? _Maggie's heart leapt up in her throat, startled by Natasha's words, and she jumped off the bed. She turned to Natasha's still crouched form. "I-I can't stay down here! I don't have special powers!"

"That's okay," Natasha quickly reassured her, standing up. "You don't need powers to live down here; I could even teach you some magic, if you wanted."

But Maggie shook her head. This just...seemed _wrong. _As much as she loved Natasha's maternal personality, she still needed to return to the human world.

"My parents…" Maggie began explaining, then restarted. "I mean, my _real _parents...they're still up there, looking for me! I don't live with them, so I have to live with foster families for now...but they're gonna come back to get me, so I have to wait for them!"

A sadness appeared in Natasha's eyes, as she opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it. She took a moment to recompose herself. "I'm sorry, Лапушка, but...you can't leave."

"Why not?" Maggie asked anxiously.

"You just...you _can't_," Natasha said, shaking her head and leaving the first aid kit on top of the dresser. She turned and stepped a few feet away from Maggie, toward the bedroom door. "Anyway, you should get some sleep. We can finish talking about this in the morning."

"But-"

"_Please_, just rest now," Natasha pleaded, looking back at Maggie with what Maggie thought to be a tearful expression. "We'll talk about this again later, okay?"

With that, Natasha left the room, closing the door behind her. Maggie blinked in both surprise and bewilderment at the situation, shaking her head with confusion. Why was Natasha so opposed to her leaving?

Not knowing what else to do, she turned back to the bed, pulling back the colorfully patterned blanket back. She slid in under the covers, turning on her side and closing her eyes. Perhaps sleeping was the best idea now.

Yet her mind continued whirling with their conversation. Maybe Natasha was lonely, since she said she was one of the only people who lived in the Ruins...but, she said there were other areas of the Afterlife, so that meant there were more people she could be with! Why did Maggie _have_ to stay?

Maggie would be lying if she said she wasn't drawn to the thought - drawn to Natasha herself, in all honesty. Something about her just seemed...fitting for Maggie. She wasn't sure what the feeling was, but she knew it meant _something. _

But that couldn't tether her to this underground prison forever. She _needed _to leave, to return to her world; she couldn't stay, she didn't belong.

Then the thought crossed her mind: _why couldn't Natasha and the others leave?_

* * *

The following day, Maggie did not wake up to sunlight streaming in through her window. There was light, yes, but it came from the lights on the walls that Natasha had in her home.

As the thought of Natasha crossed her mind, Maggie sat up in the bed, and swung her legs over the side. She lowered herself to the ground, listening for some kind of sign that Natasha was awake; when she heard none, she crossed the room and opened her door, peeking her head out to look down the hall.

It was very silent. Maggie walked slowly down the hall, back toward the living room area Natasha had brought her inside of before when they first came home.

Upon reaching the living room, she caught sight of Natasha sitting in a leather recliner, reading a book. Natasha looked very engrossed in her reading, but once Maggie stepped into the room, glanced up at her. "Oh, you're awake!"

She sounded very cheerful, despite it being morning; Maggie herself was not a big fan of mornings, but made an effort to look happy for Natasha. She walked up to her newfound friend with a yawn.

"I made some breakfast, if you're hungry," Natasha said. "It's in the kitchen. Do you want some?"

That sounded very appetizing to Maggie, who had not eaten in at least a day. She nodded eagerly.

Natasha laughed a little. "Alright, I'll go get it and bring it over to the dining table!"

While Natasha set her book down and went to the kitchen, Maggie explored the living room. There was a fireplace, which was currently aflame and warming the room, as well as a large bookcase on the other side of the wall. Many books were lined up on the shelves, some of which Maggie wasn't sure what they meant.

Out of curiosity, she grabbed one that looked like a history book - it was titled as such, a history of the human world. Maggie opened it, flipping carefully through the pages.

_Once upon a time, powered people had lived alongside humans,_ she read. _They had magical abilities. They were constantly hostile toward ordinary humans, hurting and killing them in large numbers every day. _

Maggie swallowed nervously, unsure of what to make of the chilling words of the human textbook.

_Until, one day, they all disappeared. _

"Лапушка?"

Natasha's words startled Maggie, who dropped the book in surprise. Maggie looked over to the table where Natasha now stood, several different plates of food set out on the table.

"What were you…" Natasha craned her neck a bit, catching sight of the cover of the book Maggie had just dropped. "Oh. That book."

Maggie picked it up and slid it back into its place in the shelf, hoping Natasha wouldn't be mad.

She wasn't. "That's an old textbook someone found from the human world; sometimes, human garbage falls down the hole instead of actual humans. That was one of the things that fell," she explained. "It's a pretty biased history book, I'd say."

Maggie walked over to the dining table, taking a seat. "It said magic people were bad."

"It lied," Natasha sighed, sitting beside Maggie. She gestured to all of the food on the table. "Anyway, help yourself to whatever you would like! I made a lot, so you can eat as much as you please."

Nodding happily, Maggie scanned over the food, trying to decide on what to eat first.

* * *

After their lighthearted breakfast, Natasha explained more about how the Afterlife worked; how everyone combined their powers to aid one another, and lived in peaceful unity. Maggie, having forgotten her confusion as to why no one ever left, enjoyed learning about this forgotten corner of the world.

But, Maggie still desired to leave. Once Natasha had settled back in her reading chair after cleaning up from breakfast, Maggie dared to approach her about the subject once more.

"Hm?" Natasha looked up when Maggie stood in front of her seated form, a nervous expression on her face. "What is it, Лапушка?"

"When...when can I, um, go back home?" Maggie asked very quietly, looking down at her feet. "I…I need to go back home."

"Лапушка..." Natasha spoke uneasily. "I told you, _this _is your home now. It's for your own safety."

"But...why? I don't understand," Maggie said, looking up at Natasha's sad eyes. "Why can't I go back? And why don't you all leave, and go back to the human world?"

Natasha didn't say anything for a moment. "...I need to go take care of something, but I'll be right back. Stay here."

Before Maggie could reply, Natasha pushed herself up and out of her chair, walking around Maggie and out of the room. She was gone before Maggie could even think to follow.

Natasha walked all the way down the hall, to the part of the house Maggie had not yet seen. At the end of the hallway was a descending staircase; where it led, Maggie was unsure. So, she hurried after Natasha and followed her down the hall.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Maggie stopped as Natasha stood a few feet in front of her. Her back was to Maggie, as she looked straight ahead.

"This hallway leads to the one-way exit from the Ruins to the rest of the Afterlife," Natasha said, her voice distant. Her shoulders tensed, as the tension in her tone grew. "I'm going to destroy it, so this war can be over once and for all."

Maggie was too shocked by Natasha's words to reply. So, once someone left the Ruins, they could never return? That explained why Natasha may be lonely; she wouldn't be friends with anyone on the other side of this door she wanted to dispose of. But that didn't mean she could destroy the passage for everyone else living in the Ruins!

"Please, Лапушка, just be good and go back upstairs," Natasha said, continuing down the dark, ominous hall.

But Maggie followed her further.

Natasha stopped once more. "Every time a human child, led by his or her own curiosity, has fallen down here, they've met the same fate," she said darkly, her head tilted slightly downward. "I've seen it happen again and again."

Maggie took a step closer, trying to comfort Natasha; she just sounded so sad, Maggie started to feel guilty for wanting to leave.

"They come. They leave. They die." Natasha shook her head sadly. "You are so young, just like all of them...If you leave here, and go into the rest of the Afterlife, you will die, too."

"How?" Maggie asked, stepping closer once more. "You said that magic people aren't bad!"

"Not all of them," Natasha said, still refusing to turn back to Maggie. "But, the war remains...and crossing over to the other side is not allowed."

Her posture stiffened, as she turned her gaze up from the ground to the wall ahead of her. "Don't you see? If you leave here, they..._Steve Rogers_...will kill you."

_Steve Rogers? _Maggie opened her mouth to ask if that was the Rogers character she'd overheard people talking about, but Natasha walked away before she could properly formulate the words.

Before Natasha could turn the final corner leading to the door, Maggie ran up behind her once more.

Natasha halted her steps. "I am only trying to protect you, Лапушка. I have seen this scene unfold too many times to not do this. Now, please, go back to your room."

Maggie watched sadly as Natasha pressed onward. She didn't move for a moment, briefly considering Natasha's words - maybe she should just stay here and listen to Natasha, and accept this peaceful life she was offering to her.

But, a voice within Maggie told her that would be wrong; that was _not _what she was meant to do. She would accomplish something in the Afterlife, and could return home...she just knew it.

So, she followed Natasha again.

Natasha had stopped before a large, black door, sparsely lit by the dim torches on either side of it. Maggie paused a few feet behind her, waiting for Natasha's next round of pleas and threats.

Instead of that, however, Natasha scoffed. "So, you _really_ want to leave that badly?"

Her voice had adopted a venomous tone that intimidated Maggie, but she stayed determined.

"I have to," Maggie insisted softly.

"...Hmph." Natasha scoffed again, raising her clenched fists from her sides and holding them in front of her chest. "You are just like everyone else who comes down here...Fine. If you really want to leave...Prove it to me."

Natasha finally turned around to face Maggie, her expression tight and eyes dark. Maggie swallowed nervously.

"Prove to me that you are strong enough to survive."

Maggie was confused what that meant, until she felt the room flicker a few times. Following that was a tugging feeling inside of her chest, which she gasped at.

Between her and Natasha stood a small, red, heart-shaped ball of light. Maggie looked at in curiously, poking it with her finger; strangely enough, she felt the sensation of someone poking _her _with their finger. Weird.

"That heart is your soul," Natasha explained, holding her fists out in front of her in a fighting stance. Maggie noticed that Natasha, too, had a red, heart-shaped light floating in front of her chest. "Down here in the Afterlife, we fight with our souls, rather than our physical bodies. If your soul takes too many hits, it will shatter, and you will die."

Natasha's final words chilled Maggie, which led to her not being prepared for Natasha's first attack. Throwing her arms out toward Maggie, the strange-looking bracelets on Natasha's arms lit up, sending bolts of electricity out toward Maggie.

Maggie yelped in surprise when one of the jolts hit her so-called soul, giving her the sensation of someone dragging their sock-covered feet across the carpet and then shocking her with a touch of their fingers.

But, _ow_, that actually _hurt. _Maggie stepped back quickly, getting out of the way of the other jolts, and looking up at Natasha with a pained expression.

"Don't just stand there," Natasha said coldly, her eyes icy. "Fight back or run away!"

Maggie didn't want to take either of those actions. For one thing, she didn't even _know _how to fight - no one had taught her how, and there was no way she could get any hits in with Natasha using her ranged electric attacks. And running away?

Well, that would just defeat the purpose of pushing Natasha this far in the first place.

"I don't want to fight you," Maggie said calmly in a break between Natasha's attacks.

Natasha didn't say anything to that; she shot another jolt of electricity at Maggie and her soul, which Maggie managed to jump out of the way for.

"Natasha, please!"

Maggie flinched as an electric charge hit her body. She looked at her damaged soul, concerned. Would Natasha really kill her?

"Fight back!" Natasha yelled when Maggie hesitated once more. The edge to her expression had softened considerably, Maggie noticed, but she still appeared ready to fight.

So Maggie shook her head, wrapping her arms around her midsection. "Don't wanna."

"...Go away!" Natasha cried out, sending out another attack, which Maggie didn't even try to dodge.

The blow knocked Maggie off of her feet and onto her bottom, where she landed with an _oof! _Her body ached from Natasha's attacks; she didn't like it. Tears gathered in her eyes, but she tried to hastily wipe them away; crying would not prove her strength to Natasha!

"Please…" Maggie pleaded, looking up at Natasha with watery eyes. "We don't have to fight…"

"You'll just end up like all of the others!" Natasha insisted, her voice shaking. "This...This is to protect you!"

She waved her wrist at Maggie once more, shooting from the bracelets on her wrist; Maggie closed her eyes and braced herself for the pain.

But it never came.

Opening her eyes, Maggie saw the electricity strike all over the ground around her, each jolt missing her. She looked back up at Natasha curiously. Natasha was acting aloof, and her eyes were turned to the side, as if she could no longer meet Maggie's gaze.

It was then Maggie realized the attack had missed on _purpose. _

There had to be something Maggie could do to end the battle; but what?

_Maybe talking will get us somewhere, _Maggie thought to herself. She opened her mouth to say something, but she couldn't think of any good conversation topics.

The pain on Natasha's face was evident by this point. She looked so conflicted, having expected Maggie to fight back _somehow_. Once again, Maggie found herself thinking of Natasha as a mother. A mother who knew that granting her child freedom may ultimately lead to their demise.

Life was just too tragic. Had the circumstances been different, Natasha was the kind of mother Maggie had always dreamed of having, had always yearned for. She _wished _Natasha was her mother.

So her mouth acted upon that thought.

"Mama."

Natasha, who had been ready to launch another attack (which, no doubt, would purposefully miss, just like the last one), froze. Her eyes widened slightly, and some of the tension that was in her shoulders actually left.

"Did you...just call me...Mama?"

Maggie nodded.

"...You remind me of a child I once knew. If calling me that would make you happy..." Natasha straightened her posture, relaxing her arms at her sides and shaking her head sadly. "I know you want to leave, but…"

Her voice trailed off.

"I have to leave," Maggie said softly.

"But...we can have a good life here," Natasha said, focusing her gaze once more on Maggie. "I know the Ruins are small, and we don't have the same privileges as your life on the surface…"

"There are people outside that need me," Maggie argued, even though she wasn't so sure of that fact. Somewhere, though, she felt that _someone _outside of the Ruins needed her.

"You don't have to leave…" Natasha bowed her head. "Please, Лапушка...go upstairs."

Maggie stood up, but stepped closer to Natasha, rather than turning back toward the stairs. She stopped just in front of Natasha, placing a hand on her arm.

"Ha, ha...isn't it just _pathetic_?" Natasha laughed bitterly. "I can't even save _one _child from meeting the same fate every other one does...It's _pathetic_."

Maggie shook her head, disagreeing. "It's not your fault. I'll be okay, I promise."

Natasha was silent for a few moments, then raised her head, looking at Maggie. She wiped a few stray tears away from her cheeks.

"I understand you want to go back home; you wouldn't be happy here. I don't like it, but, for you...my worries, my fears, my doubts…" She took a deep breath to compose herself before continuing.

"For you, Лапушка, I will put them aside."

Suddenly, a sensation opposite to what Maggie had experienced before, when her soul had left her body to become the gauge for how much damage she could take in battle, struck Maggie, as the light of her soul faded, presumably returning to its place within Maggie. She placed a hand over her chest curiously.

"If you truly wish to leave," Natasha said, stepping away from Maggie, "I will not stop you."

Maggie smiled. "Thank you-"

"However," Natasha interrupted, "once you leave, I ask that you, please...Never try to come back."

_Wh-what? _Maggie felt her stomach drop at Natasha's words. She grabbed Natasha's arm, looking up at her in shock.

"It's how it must be," Natasha said, using the hand Maggie hadn't grabbed onto to lightly ruffle Maggie's hair. "This place is not meant for you. You must return home."

"B-but, Mama…" Maggie found herself crying, clinging to the adoptive familial address for comfort, "I don't understand…"

"It's for the best, Лапушка," Natasha said, brushing Maggie's tears away from her cheeks. "It will all work out in the end."

Maggie didn't like this one bit. One moment, Natasha was forcing her to stay with her powerful magic, the next, she was trying to completely kick Maggie out. _Why? _

"Someday, you may understand why I am doing this," Natasha continued, looking at the door to exit the Ruins. "But...there are others out there who need you, like you said. Some of which may be waiting just beyond this door; it would be selfish of me to keep you to myself."

None of this made sense to Maggie. Who were these people Natasha was talking about? Why did they need her so badly?

"We will meet again someday, I promise," Natasha said, crouching down to Maggie's height and hugging her. "Goodbye for now."

Maggie returned the hug, resting her head against Natasha's shoulder. "Bye…"

After a few moments, Natasha released Maggie and returned to her full height, walking around Maggie and back down the hall toward the stairs. Maggie watched her leave, more tears gathering in her eyes.

Before she was completely out of sight, Natasha turned back one last time. She offered Maggie a sad, but proud, smile.

"Be good, Maggie. I love you very much."

She then turned back around and continued walking back toward the stairs, leaving Maggie behind with wet eyes.

But Maggie wiped at her eyes with her sleeve, sniffling a little as she did so. She then took a deep breath to compose herself, turning back to face the large door with a determined expression. She reached for the handle, and pulled it open, finding it to be surprisingly light; with one last glance back toward the Ruins, she stepped through the threshold.

The door slammed shut behind her, and she stepped forward into a snowy forest.

Something was bothering her, though.

Maggie had never told Natasha her name.

* * *

_* (__Seeing such a cute, tidy house in the RUINS gives you determination.)_

_* (HP fully restored.) _

_Maggie LV 1 1:09_

_Ruins - Home_

_FILE SAVED._

* * *

**A/N:** I'm sorry if this was really confusing to the normal people reading this lmao,,, I've been wanting to do this AU chapter(s) for awhile and seeing as it was the only thing I had completed in my collection of oneshots on my computer, this is the update I have to offer! For anyone who _may _have played _Undertale_ and is reading this, did you spot all of the little references I made? ;) (Well, aside from making a big chunk of Nat's dialogue the things that Toriel says...)

Also! Let me know what you guys think of the tumblr idea. I already have the blog set up (there are just no posts yet)! The URL is **pikapegasus**. (For those not accustomed to using tumblr, you simply put the URL + (d0t)tumblr(d0t)com after it in the address bar on your browser!)


	80. Maggie's Lullaby

**A/N: **HAPPY 2 YEAR ANNIVERSARY, FAM! I can't believe I'm _still _writing this after two whole fucking years! THAT'S INSANE!

Thank you, everyone, for sticking around this long! I decided to put the current Undertale AU arc on hold to give you guys this chapter, which is a celebration of both today, April 16th, and Maggie's birthday, April 18th. I'm going to be spending the night at my top choice college tomorrow and flying back home on Monday, so I won't have a lot of time to write something else to celebrate Maggie's birthday - her _actual _birthday, April 18, 2016!

THANK YOU EVERYONE I HOPE YOU HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY AND LIFE.

* * *

"Will she ever do anything besides sleep?"

Natasha gave a light chuckle, drowsily looking up at Tony as he held the newborn. Though his question channeled an impatient sentiment, it was asked softly and lightly; one glance over at Tony revealed his endearment, his eyes focused on Maggie and hands securely holding her.

"She was born just a few hours ago," Steve reminded, his tone amused, from where he sat on the foot of the bed. "She won't be doing much for a while."

Tony didn't reply, continuing to stare down at the new life, the physical manifestation of his friends' love and trust in one another, in his arms. Natasha smiled, any previous doubts she'd held in Tony's ability to offer familial love to her child gone; as for actually _caring _for her child, when she and Steve were absent, well…

She watched Tony for a few more moments. He could be taught how to take care of a baby.

"I never thought this could happen," Tony admitted, his voice just above a murmur. "Not just for you two, but for _any _of us, really...I never thought people like us could have this."

"The Avengers accomplish impossible tasks quite often," Steve pointed out, glancing back at Natasha. "We can do more than we think."

"It won't be easy," Natasha said, exhaustion weighing down her voice, "but it's never easy for anyone. We'll figure this out as we go along."

"Look!" Tony suddenly said, his smile widening and eyes brightening. "She blinked!"

Natasha watched Steve stand up to join Tony, glancing over the latter's shoulder to watch Maggie. Shifting in her bed, Natasha yawned; though she had taken a nap since the birth, she was _still _fatigued. Being a mother was tiring already.

"Nat." Steve approached the bed, looking down at her. "Why don't you get some more sleep? I'll watch over Maggie while you're resting."

Tony poked his head out from behind Steve's large form. "So will I!"

Steve amended his previous statement. "Tony and I will watch over Maggie."

"I'm fine, guys, just a little tired," Natasha tried to reassure them, her eyes feeling a little heavier. "Really…"

"The sooner you get your energy back, the sooner we can be discharged," Steve said.

Despite her previous protests, Natasha had already begun to drift off. "Well, when you put it that way…"

* * *

She dreamed of a memory.

The mission had gone south. _Very _south, Natasha cheekily said to herself. She shifted her seating position, drawing her knees up and resting her chin upon them, swallowing down a wave of nausea.

Apparently, being pregnant on a mission could really fuck things up; after one tussle with a HYDRA agent, she found herself dizzy and disoriented, trying to keep her last meal down. On top of that, she'd been separated from Steve and the other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, leaving her vulnerable to capture and (as she believed) inevitable death.

She'd already devised a plan in her mind for escape, however; she counted the guards outside, mapped out the route to take. But before she could do anything, she had to wait for this damn wave of nausea to pass; otherwise, she'd just end up back in this holding cell at the bottom of the HYDRA base. Or dead.

She wasn't sure which fate was worse, honestly.

Of all the physical ailments and obstacles she'd endured in life, pregnancy proved to be the most..._interesting_ one. The idea that this condition lasted nine months, only to end with the birth of a _child_, leading to a lifelong commitment as a parent, _slightly _intimidated Natasha.

Okay, maybe not slightly. Maybe _majorly. _

It'd already been two months since she and Steve found out about this whole pregnancy debacle, which now put them somewhere in the transition period from the first trimester to the second. Time was going by quickly, and Natasha realized that her words were finally catching up with her; as far as she knew, the fetus within her was still there and growing, meaning it had survived two months of S.H.I.E.L.D. missions.

Interesting.

_You're crazy, _she silently spoke to the current inhabitant of her uterus. _Why are you holding on so hard to stick around? _

That would be the first question she'd ask the kid, if she could talk to him or her right now. What compelled them to stay, only to be born into a tumultuous life of being raised by two Avengers, who could die or leave at any point in their life?

(Though, Natasha remembered, fetuses weren't quite capable of knowing and understanding all that, nor did they have much of a choice in their birth or death).

She tried to picture herself, in seven months, holding a newborn child in her arms. Though the hospital walls and bed were white, and the newborn looked up to her with bright, blue eyes, Natasha felt too dark for the image.

Her hands, often cracked and bloodied, had only brought death and destruction in her life so far. No matter how many times she may wash them, the red remained, dried stains covering her fair skin and sticking under her nails. Her earliest memories of a child often included red, as she remembered trying to pick blood off her nails under her desk during classes (which was the fake memory, the blood or the classes?).

Happiness was not meant for her. The _redemption _of being in the Avengers and "fighting for the greater good" was not meant for her, either; she questioned her place on the team often.

Lastly, her relationship with Steve.

Love led to manipulation and tragedy. She'd seen it so many times in her life, _instigated _the inevitable tragic ends so many times in her life. And, yet, Steve had stood by her side for years now, looking to her more and more for intimacy and companionship; to her surprise, she'd found herself doing the same.

And now she was pregnant with his child.

Of course, _he _would want this life; the domesticity, the family, the opportunity to be a parent. It had Steve written _all _over it. Back in his day (and, technically, her day, considering her age, but _whatever_), this was the end goal, the dream. Soldiers fought their ways through World War II with the motivation that joy waited for them at home, in the form of loving spouses and families. Children would look to them for affection and guidance.

No one had ever looked to Natasha for that, and rightfully so.

A guard walked by outside, glancing at her as he passed. Natasha stared at him, hard, through the metal bars containing her within the dark room. She looked to the chain attached to her wrist, preventing her from straying away from the wall opposite the front of the cell. These people underestimated her abilities, she thought, considering she'd already pulled a bobby pin (of _all _things she could use against the HYDRA agents, really) out of her hair and unlocked the cuff around her wrist.

Pinning her hair back today had been an impulsive decision. Steve thought she looked nice, too. So that was nice.

Despite her freedom, the nausea remained. Her head pounded. She bit her lip, tilting her head back to hit the wall she sat against. This had never happened before to her on a mission in these past two months; why was it happening _now? _

_Kid_, she silently begged her body, _give it a rest. We'll get out of here._

(Since when had she started talking to this _thing_, even using the plural first person to refer to herself and them? What the fuck?)

Steve's alarm at her decision to continue working in the field while pregnant filled her mind again. She didn't think she would be a good mother then, and she still didn't believe herself to be the optimal parent now, either.

(Because what pregnant woman continues to go on physically intense missions, being shot at and thrown around? _Come on, Natasha, get your head out of your ass._)

She suddenly started at the idea of this current predicament leading to a miscarriage. That would just be...tragic. Another tragedy brought about by her own hands, a voice within her insisted. She shook her head. She couldn't do this to Steve.

_Maybe I want this, too_, she thought to herself. Did she? Well, she hadn't gotten rid of the baby or anything like that yet. Was that for Steve's sake, or her own? Maybe…

The wave of nausea stopped. Her head stabilized. Her body felt _whole _again.

She stood up, bobby pin still in hand, and crossed to the front bars of the holding cell; it was time to move on and face the future.

* * *

When the memory faded, Natasha woke up in her hospital bed, now to the sight of Clint holding Maggie and sitting at the foot of the bed. Steve sat in a plastic chair off to the side, quietly dozing; it was then that Natasha noticed the exhaustion in his expression, the light bags under his eyes, that she assumed her face contained as well.

"Good morning," Clint greeted her, drawing her eyes away from Steve to meet his. He looked refreshed from the state Natasha had first seen him, as he had rushed to the hospital after a mission once he'd heard news of Maggie's arrival; while Tony was here, Clint must have gone home to take a shower and change, Natasha figured. She smiled back at him.

"I'm glad you could make it," she told him, because honestly, of all the people invited to the hospital to visit newborn Maggie, Clint was one of the most important, if not _the_ most important. Without him, none of this would truly be possible. Because of his mercy, Natasha was able to take control of her life and steer it in the direction that led to this moment.

And, of course, there would be many more moments like these afterward.

Clint looked slightly taken aback. "You think I would miss _this_? No way."

Natasha sat up a little more. "None of this would be possible without you," she said softly, her voice steadier than it had been all day since they'd welcomed Maggie into the world.

"You give me too much credit."

"You're too humble."

They reached an impasse, though the atmosphere was lighthearted and teasing, which was common with them, after many years of friendship. This time, the silence was broken by Maggie, who gave a small cry.

"Why are you upset? Don't be upset," Clint said, lightly rocking Maggie, then looking to Natasha for help. "Why is she upset?"

"She's a _baby_, Clint," Natasha reminded, opening her arms and gesturing for Clint to approach. "Bring her here; she's probably hungry."

Eager to rectify Maggie's woes, Clint stood up and carried her to Natasha, carefully depositing the newborn in Natasha's arms. He sighed. "I don't know how you do it, Tasha."

_Trust me, I don't know what I'm doing, either_, Natasha thought, pulling Maggie against her chest. Maggie calmed immediately at the contact, the warmth of their close proximity soothing her.

"Maybe she just wanted to be close to you," Clint guessed.

"Maybe," Natasha said, tucking a stray curl that fell into her face behind her ear. She smiled.

"Something tells me the feeling is mutual." Clint stood up, walking toward the door. "I'll leave you to it now."

He left then, the door quietly closing behind him. Maggie breathed softly against Natasha's chest, her eyes closed and face relaxed. Natasha figured she had fallen asleep.

Steve woke then, raising his groggy gaze to the bed. He stood up with a stretch, crossing the distance between the chair and the bed. "Hey."

Natasha looked up from Maggie to him, her eyes light. "Did you have a nice nap?"

"I could be asking you the same thing," Steve said, sitting down on the side of the bed. "How's she doing?"

They both looked to Maggie, peacefully sleeping in Natasha's arms. "Good. I think."

She sounded slightly hesitant. Steve laid a hand on her arm. "You're doing great so far, Natasha. We can do this."

"That's optimistic," Natasha quipped. "I don't really know what I'm doing, to be honest."

"I think that's the point," Steve said. "We figure things out as they come. And we're already good at doing that."

"I guess that's true," Natasha said, gently poking Maggie's cheek with a finger. She took a deep breath. "We can do this."

Steve nodded. "We can do this."

Maggie made a small noise in her sleep. Natasha quickly extracted her finger.

"I wonder what she'll be like when she's older," Steve said, not for the first time that day. He liked to dwell on that unpredictable future with Natasha.

She shrugged. "Somewhat like you, somewhat like me, something." _Hopefully nothing like me._

"She's so..._vulnerable_," Steve said. "The world is completely new to her."

"She hasn't seen how much evil there is," Natasha sighed.

"Or how much good," Steve pointed out.

Natasha bit the inside of her cheek. "Steve...I'm not so sure about this anymore."

"You were _never _that sure in the first place," Steve pointed out. "Life will be harder, sure. But between you and me, and with the help of all our friends...I just have this feeling that everything is going to be okay in the end. There will be problems here and there, of course, but if it's not okay..."

"Then it's not the end," Natasha finished for him. "You say that a lot."

"Because it's true," Steve insisted with a confident smile. "Maggie will be a bright girl. She'll be happy, but also be sad; she'll win and she'll lose. That's how life works for all of us."

"I wish we could avoid the hurt and the loss," Natasha said, looking down at Maggie.

"We can't let that distract from the positive things. Plus, she'd never learn how to deal with hardship if she never encounters it." Steve gave a sad smile. "I wish we could protect her forever, too, but we can't. What we _can _do is always be there to support her."

"We can _try _and _hope_," Natasha reminded. "Avengers work is unpredictable. Everything is just _trying_."

Steve paused at that. "Well...no matter what happens...she's ours, Nat. Maggie is _ours_."

Steve's words cleared Natasha's mind of all of her worries for a moment, as she looked between Steve, her partner, and Maggie, her daughter. He was right; no matter what happened, no matter how much things may _hurt_, Maggie would be theirs.

Natasha gave a small groan. "I hate it when you manage to say all the right things."

* * *

**A/N:** I hope you all enjoyed...hit up my tumblr page - Pikapegasus - if you haven't already! I plan on eventually transitioning to tumblr for my main writing platform, as writing these 1000+ word long updates is getting more and more difficult as life becomes busier. Thank you again for all your love and support!


	81. Among The Wildflowers (Part 1)

**A/N: **As a tribute to me graduating high school and to an interesting arc of my favorite anime, I present to you a two-chapter arc dealing with an existential crisis and meta theory for this fic at the same time! ...I really hope it's not too confusing... (I'll explain it in the A/N at the end of this chapter if you want a straightforward explanation.)

Thanks for supporting me for this long! :) CAN'T BELIEVE MY FANFIC FROM SOPHOMORE YEAR HAS LIVED ON LONG ENOUGH TO SEE ME GRADUATE HIGH SCHOOL...TIME FLIES BY HELLA FAST

* * *

"So, Maggie, how does it feel to be a high school graduate?"

At Wanda's question, Maggie gave a twirl, nearly hitting a person walking by them on the path. The greens of Central Park blurred as she spun, and she heard Wanda giggle. "It feels _liberating._" Maggie stopped, looking straight ahead for a moment. "And a little terrifying."

It was true - as if being eighteen years old wasn't enough, Maggie was now also a _high school graduate. _This meant a _lot _of responsibility, and finally starting the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and hopefully-potential-Avengers-material career she'd dreamed of having her whole life. She clasped her hands behind her back and sighed. "I miss being a kid."

Wanda laid a sympathetic hand on her shoulder. "You'll get used to it soon enough, since you can't go back in time. Just be you; you're a fine young lady already."

"Thanks, Wanda," Maggie said, releasing the tension from her arms so her hands could return to their natural places at her sides. "I remember walking through here when I was a kid. It's weird to come back as an adult."

"Wait until you become a _parent_; then it'll probably be _much _weirder," Wanda mused. At Maggie's disbelieving and disinterested look, Wanda amended her statement. "_If _you become a parent."

"We'll see," Maggie murmured vaguely, shaking her head. Being a parent sounded fun and all, but very troublesome at the same time, especially given her: 1) lack of significant other to parent with, 2) likely possibility of passing her odd serum genetic stuff down, which would lead to a new 'superior' race of humans in future generations if her kids had kids, who had kids, who had kids, etc., and 3) readiness to throw herself into S.H.I.E.L.D. agent work without having to worry about children. Sure, her parents pulled it off just fine, but, then again, they're _Captain America _and _Black Widow_. They were _born _to do challenging things. "For now, I have enough to worry about with, like, voting and stuff."

"Ah, yes, politics." Wanda nodded. "Not usually my favorite thing."

"Mine neither."

"Guys!" Pietro suddenly appeared at Maggie's side, having rushed up to them from where they had left him ten minutes prior (he was just _drooling _over a hot dog stand, but neither Wanda nor Maggie were interested, so they just walked away; he would always be able to catch up, anyway). "You really missed out on the hot dogs back there. So good."

"Don't use your powers in public," Wanda scolded, reaching around Maggie to hit his arm. "Idiot."

Maggie laughed at Pietro's defensive expression. "I guess you're right, Wanda; being an adult doesn't mean I have to be that serious."

"Hey, I take offense to that." Pietro frowned. Wanda rolled her eyes.

The twins continued to bicker, and Maggie silently enjoyed their company. They hadn't been that involved in her life for a while, as the whole Ultron event had made Steve and Natasha a little weary of the enemies-turned-friends' presences around their daughter. It all faded over time, though, and Maggie gradually got to know them better.

"Hey, look at those kids," Pietro said as they reached the end of the path on the sidewalk, pointing across the street. A group of five kids stood in a circle, passing a ball back and forth. "We should go play with them!"

"That's creepy," Maggie and Wanda both said, smirking a bit when they realized they'd said the same thing. Wanda crossed her arms over her chest. "Pietro, we're strangers to them; if we just go up and play with them, they'll think it's okay to let _anyone _play with them."

"Don't be so dramatic, Wanda," Pietro said, continuing their bickering. "We're Avengers! They'd _love _to play with us!"

"I think it will still teach them the wrong thing," Wanda insisted.

Maggie tuned their arguing out, watching the group continue to play. They were nearing the side of the road, which concerned her. If they weren't careful, they may get hit by a car; they were on the outer edges of the park, so cars sped by occasionally.

As if her worries needed to come true, a little boy, his pale skin flushed from their physical activity, threw the ball too far for the others to catch. It hit the sidewalk, and rolled out into the street. Immediately, a little girl with black hair turned around to follow it, running out onto the pavement without looking for oncoming traffic.

"Guys, look!" Maggie said, grabbing both Wanda and Pietro's attentions as the girl stumbled into the middle of the street, as a car quickly approached.

"Oh, no!" Wanda gasped. The car wasn't slowing down, the driver obviously not paying attention, nor was the girl; without thinking, Maggie ran out into the street, hoping to intervene. "Maggie, wait!"

Arms out in front of her and throat burning as she yelled out a warning, Maggie rushed to the child. Pietro quickly followed, trying to push them both out of the way. Wanda called out both of their names before lifting her hands toward them, expelling magic from her fingertips.

Maggie wasn't sure what happened; it all happened so fast. She saw Pietro grabbing the little girl and trying to grab her, but also saw the front bumper of the car inching closer and closer to her at a rapid speed.

"_Maggie!_"

* * *

Maggie jolted awake, breath hitched and head pounding. With eyes snapped shut, she coughed, trying to catch her breath, and numbly recognized a hand on her back, running up and down her spine in an attempt to soothe her.

"Easy now, easy," came a voice, whom Maggie presumed to own the hand. "You're okay, sweetie, just breathe."

She wasn't sure who this was that was trying to comfort her, but Maggie didn't think too much about that; she was too focused on how..._strange_ she felt. Her breath had been stolen by anxiety and panic attacks before many times, but that breathless sensation was much different than this one. What that meant, she wasn't sure.

"Open your eyes for me, hon," the woman continued. "You need to drink some water."

It took a moment, but Maggie managed to open her eyes a little. She squinted at the white wall across from her, not even bothering to try looking up; she knew a bright light would assault her eyes if she did. The hand left her back and she heard footsteps walk around the bed she was lying on.

An unfamiliar face greeted her, and Maggie swallowed down her immediate panic. Judging by the current state of her lungs, now was not a good time to let herself go to the anxiety. "There we go, darling, that's it. Can you sit up for me?"

The assistive touch of the woman was back, as her hands helped Maggie push herself up. Eyes adjusting to the light, Maggie recognized she was, indeed, in a bed, but the room was as strange to her as this person. Everything was _unfamiliar. _"Alright, here, drink this up."

Maggie obediently took the glass of water into her hands and sipped, feeling the burning sensation in her throat die down a little. She sighed in relief after finishing the water and returning the cup to her companion.

The woman, blonde and blue-eyed, smiled sweetly at Maggie. "There, do you feel better now?"

Maggie managed a nod.

"Good. Now, then, do you remember what happened?"

Maggie shook her head.

"Well, Mrs. Reese said you passed out in the middle of class, after everyone came back from lunch. She thinks you were dehydrated, especially with how hot it was outside during recess."

_Mrs. Reese...who? What? Recess?! _Maggie blinked, staring hard into the face of her caretaker. _Where the hell am I?! _

"Given your condition, we've decided you should stay inside during breaks, until the weather cools down," the woman continued, standing up straight. "Your body is very sensitive, Ms. Rogers; you're in fifth grade now, so you need to be more conscientious of what you can and can't do. Do you know what that means?"

_WHAT?! _Maggie nearly passed out again, judging by the way her heart seemed to skip a beat. She was in _fifth grade_?! There was no way…

"Um, I think you're making a mistake," she said, but then gasped at the sound of her voice. It definitely did _not _sound eighteen...she actually sounded _ten_! "I just graduated from high school. And I've never had this 'Mrs. Reese' person as a teacher…"

Because of the setting and the lack of color in the room, Maggie judged it to be a nurse's office, making this woman the school nurse. Though, she wasn't sure what on Earth school she was at in the first place… "Ms. Rogers, are you pulling my leg?"

"No, Ma'am," she said, always polite in a panic. (It was the Steve in her.) "I'm just as confused as you."

The nurse sighed, walking toward the doorway and apparently dismissing Maggie's confusion. "We've called your mother to come pick you up early. When you get home, get some more sleep; you might have gotten a concussion when you fell out of your chair. Try to get some more rest now before your mother comes."

She left, closing the door softly behind her. Maggie waited another moment before swinging her legs down over the side of the bed and carefully lowering herself to the floor. The height of the bed made her feel incredibly short, and as she caught sight of her reflection in the glass doors of the medicine cabinet on the wall, she realized she was, indeed, ten again.

But she didn't look exactly the same as she remembered appearing when she was ten years old. Right now, she had bangs, and everything about her - her face, her limbs, her body - was just..._smaller. _And skinnier. Sure, she'd always been on the short side, but not this _petite. _

Something really must be wrong, then, health-wise. The nurse had scolded her for not taking better care of herself at school, which meant she must have had poor health in general. Was the serum not working in this place, wherever she was?

_It must be a dream_, Maggie thought. She childishly pinched her arm until she yelped in pain. _Nope, not a dream_, she amended with horror. Where the hell _was she_? It was like she was in a whole different world.

For further investigation, Maggie walked around the little room, looking at the different medical supplies and medicines. It was all..._different. _Nothing looked the same. She reached one corner of the room, and looked up at the wall where a calendar was. It was September, which explained the heat that had apparently made her pass out. But it was the year that made her heart stop: 1963.

Back in her, well, _actual life_, in which she was eighteen years old, it was 2034. _Basically a seventy year difference_, Maggie silently realized. _I've been transported to the past...but still long before I was born! What the hell is going on here?! _

She struggled to find what she last remembered experiencing. There was Wanda...and Pietro was there, too. It took a few more moments, but she finally remembered the flash of Pietro beside her, trying to help her save the little girl from the wrath of the oncoming car, which then led to Maggie taking the blow in her place.

_I...died? _Maggie's eyes widened with the realization, and she backed away from the taunting calendar until she bumped into a cabinet. "Ow, ow, ow…" She held her elbow, which seemed a bit more sensitive to such a little collision than she could ever remember her body being. _Is this the afterlife? A world where I am a child again, but without my parents' serums? _

Footsteps outside sent panic down Maggie's spine, and she hurried back to the bed, and scrambled back up on top of it. With a wheezing cough from the rushed effort and a heated sensation in her cheeks - seriously, what the hell happened to her super soldier stamina? - Maggie managed to return to her original position on the bed the same moment the door opened.

The nurse from before entered first, but then following her was a familiar face. A _very _familiar face.

"Mama!" Maggie cried aloud, feeling an instinctive sense of relief. She sent her praises and gratitude to whoever had decided to take pity on her in this strange world as Natasha hurried to her side.

"Oh, Лапушка, thank goodness you're alright!" Natasha said, immediately wrapping her arms around Maggie's tiny form. "I was so worried when the school called me!"

But Maggie stopped at her voice. It was...different. It sounded the same, yes, but her words were..._accented. _A Russian accent, Maggie realized, and she stiffened slightly in Natasha's embrace. _Mama was forced to perfect an American accent in the Red Room, yet she's not using it here...is she acting undercover as an immigrant, or something? _

"You can take her home now, Mrs. Rogers," the nurse said, and Maggie picked up a trace of venom in her voice. It was strange, like the woman didn't like Natasha...Maggie instantly tightened her hold on Natasha's neck, glaring daggers in the direction of the nurse. _Even here, people see Mama as just a heartless murderer, rather than a victim of the Red Room_, Maggie silently observed. _Regardless of the world, I will continue to fight them. _"Make sure she takes it easy for the rest of the day."

"Yes, thank you," Natasha said, loosening her hold on Maggie. "Come on, Лапушка, you know I can't carry you anymore. Let's go home."

_Did Mama stop working out or something? _Maggie raised an eyebrow, but complied. Never had Natasha admitted to being unable to lift Maggie - both out of pride and because she was just that strong. Taking Natasha's hand, Maggie carefully slid off the bed, and stood beside Natasha.

"Say thank you to Nurse Anne," Natasha instructed when Maggie said nothing.

"Thank you, Nurse Anne," Maggie said, her voice flat with exhaustion and slight animosity toward someone who saw Natasha as evil.

Anne just nodded at them, and held the door open for them as they walked out.

* * *

Maggie took inventory of her appearance as she walked through the streets of wherever-the-fuck-she-was with Natasha. She was wearing a blouse and jumper, telltale signs of a uniform. She'd also caught sight of a wooden crucifix - a cross with Jesus Christ nailed to it - hanging on the wall of Nurse Anne's office on her way out, meaning she must've been in a Catholic school.

"How are you feeling, Лапушка?" Natasha asked as they walked down the street, hand in hand. If one thing was at least for sure between these two worlds Maggie experienced, it was that her relationship with Natasha was always strong.

"Better now," Maggie answered honestly. "I'm just tired."

"You've had a rough day; that would make sense," Natasha said, giving Maggie's hand a little squeeze.

As they walked by a man, Maggie heard him snicker and mutter, "Commie," under his breath. Though she turned back to look at him in confusion, Natasha ignored the comment, and continued walking along.

_Commie...doesn't that mean communist? Was he talking about Mama? _Maggie thought to herself, looking up at the clear sky.

"Daddy said he might come home early from work today," Natasha said, her expression light. A breeze swept through them then, carrying her long red hair up briefly behind her. That was another thing Maggie had immediately noticed: Natasha's hair was _long. _It was the length it used to be when she was much younger, long before she joined S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers. Maggie wondered if that was a clue in where the hell she was on her parents' timeline.

But the mention of Steve made Maggie's mind spin more. If Steve was still around, that meant he hadn't put the plane down in the water in the War; he wasn't frozen for seventy years. But if that happened, why wouldn't he have gotten together with Peggy Carter, his first love he had to leave behind to save the world? Had they dated and ended up not working out? Better yet, did that mean Natasha, who should still be a Red Room and KGB agent at this time, was working undercover in America, acting as Captain America's wife?

No, that didn't make sense, Maggie amended. If she was Captain America's wife, no one would treat her poorly; they would all treat her with respect and admiration, since she was an extension of Steve Rogers. But, that only brought yet _another _issue to Maggie's mind - she had inherited neither of her parents' serums, nor a combination of the two. In fact, it almost seemed like she'd inherited Steve's pre-serum body rather than his current one.

"Maggie? Are you listening?" Natasha tugged on her hand, startling Maggie out of her deep thinking. Maggie realized they had stopped walking, and were standing in front of an apartment building. She looked up at Natasha sheepishly.

"I guess I zoned out a bit," Maggie said apologetically. "You said Daddy was coming home early?"

"Yes." Natasha nodded. She led Maggie inside of the building, and they walked toward the stairwell. Maggie swallowed nervously, unsure of how many stairs she could take in her weakened form. "I told him about what happened at school, and he said he wanted to make sure you were okay."

_Daddy's work...in this time period, S.H.I.E.L.D. is still brand new. It was founded by Peggy Carter and Howard Stark after World War II_, Maggie recalled as she began walking up the steps with Natasha. _Is he an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., then? _

"I hope Daddy didn't have an important mission today," Maggie ventured aloud, briefly stopping at the top of a flight to catch her breath. "I wouldn't want him to miss saving people just to come see me."

Natasha laughed a little as she joined Maggie at the top of the stairs. "He has the same mission every day, Лапушка: drawing cartoons."

Maggie remained stationary while Natasha walked by her, onto the next flight of stairs. She blinked in confusion. _Daddy is an artist here...but he's still Captain America…? _

"But, Mama," Maggie protested, hurrying to catch up with Natasha, "what about Captain America?"

Natasha stopped at Maggie's words, looking a little confused. "Captain America…? Oh! You mean the character Daddy drew comics of during the War. I don't think Daddy still draws him very much, but if you ask nicely, he might draw a picture just for you."

Maggie shook her head, rushing up a few steps so she could cut Natasha off. She looked up at her, eyes full of confusion. "Not the comic book character! I mean the _real _Captain America, who fought in World War II."

But Natasha's eyes grew soft. She placed a hand on Maggie's head, rubbing the top gently. "Maggie, Captain America doesn't exist, remember? He was just a fictional character to make people feel better during the War."

"No," Maggie whispered, horrified, because _this was just wrong. _Steve _wasn't _Captain America, whatever that meant...and if he was drawing comics during the War, that meant he wasn't fighting in it. Steve's health problems had prevented him from enlisting, Maggie knew, but it was the super soldier experiment that had gotten him around that roadblock. If that hadn't happened in this world…

Steve never met Peggy Carter nor received the super soldier serum.

That explained why he was with Natasha now, at least; if he'd never met Peggy, then there wouldn't have been that first love. And if he never received the serum, Maggie wouldn't inherit it genetically, either.

"Maggie? What's wrong?" Natasha asked, concerned by the way Maggie's eyes seemed to be staring at nothing. "Do you feel bad again?"

Maggie snapped herself out of it, and whirled around to continue going up the stairs. "It's nothing, Mama. Race you to the top!"

Of course, it would be a losing race for Maggie, since she had no idea where their apartment was, nor could withstand traveling up the stairs at a quick pace, but it was a deflection, at least.

If only there was a way for her to return to her old world from this weird one.

* * *

When they arrived at their apartment, Maggie caught sight of some mail on the table, which at least provided her some context for where the hell they lived: Brooklyn, New York. It was where Steve had grown up.

But Natasha immediately shooed her off to bed upon arrival, meaning Maggie couldn't investigate much. When she got to her room, Natasha instructed her to change into pajamas and lie down before closing the door. Maggie took advantage of the brief solitude to snoop around.

Her bedroom was pretty plain, save for the bed and dresser. There was a worn out stuffed animal on her bed, which she immediately ran to, expecting it to be Stella the husky, given to her by Clint when she was still an infant.

"Stella," she breathed in relief as she got to the bed, but stopped when she saw it wasn't whom she had been expecting. It was an orange cat instead, equally as beat up as Maggie remembered Stella being, but definitely _not _Stella.

Turning to her nightstand, Maggie saw a framed picture of herself with her parents, and more people she didn't know. Upon seeing Steve in the picture, Maggie cursed under her breath; he was as skinny as a stick, and about as tall as Natasha (which was very short). Maggie, younger than the present ten year old self she was, sat between them, smiling sweetly at the camera. Behind them were two older looking people, who Maggie didn't recognize.

The man had dark red hair and equally dark eyes, but the woman's hair was practically as light as Elsa's from _Frozen_ \- a character from a movie that didn't exist yet, Maggie reminded herself - and her eyes were green, like Natasha's. The picture was poor quality, but Maggie gripped it with trembling and knowing hands.

_Mama's parents,_ she decided, looking at the couple once more. _My grandparents. But that's impossible! Mama's parents died in the fire that burned her house down, which led to her being in the Red Room. How could this be…_

There was a knock at her door, and Maggie gasped, nearly dropping the picture. Natasha called through the wood, "Maggie, have you changed yet?"

"N-No!" she returned nervously, carefully returning the framed picture to its place. "I'll be done in a minute!"

She rushed to her dresser, pulling drawers open at random. Once she found a set of pajamas, she practically ripped her school uniform off, replacing the clothing with her sleepwear. It was during this process that she noticed a piece of jewelry around her neck.

It wasn't Clint's arrow necklace, and that frightened her. Instead, it was a heart-shaped locket, whose origin she wasn't sure of. But she didn't have time to worry over that; she needed to start acting less suspiciously with Natasha around.

She made it to her bed just in time, as Natasha entered with a glass of water at that moment. Tucking her feet under her bottom and placing her hands in her lap, Maggie waited patiently for Natasha to walk over.

"You need to sleep a bit, Лапушка. Daddy won't be home for a while," she said, handing Maggie the water.

Maggie nodded, taking the water and drinking from it. When she finished, she set it on the nightstand, beside the picture. Deciding she needed more answers, she pointed to the mysterious moment caught in the frame. "Mama, what's this picture from again?"

"Hm?" Natasha sat down on the foot of the bed, leaning closer to examine the picture. "Oh, that's from your seventh birthday, remember? Grandma and Grandpa got that new camera and took this picture on it just for you."

_Just as I thought_, Maggie noted, eyes narrowing as she looked at the picture. _Those _are _Mama's parents. But how…? _"Oh, you're right; I remember now. I keep forgetting stuff today."

"That's okay, just rest now," Natasha said, gesturing for Maggie to lie down. Maggie obeyed, laying her head against the pillow with a tired sigh. "You've had a long day."

_I can't sleep yet; I need to learn more! _"Mama...can you tell me a story?" Maggie requested, looking up at Natasha with bright, blue eyes. "It'll help me sleep quicker."

Natasha laughed a little. "Aren't you a little old for a story?"

Maggie shook her head, making Natasha laugh more.

"Alright, alright, fine, you can hear a story," Natasha said, poking Maggie's tummy; she giggled at the ticklish contact. "Is there one in specific you want to hear?"

Maggie hummed in thought. _I think this will provide me the most answers… _"How you and Daddy met!"

"Good choice," Natasha commented, patting Maggie's leg. "Well, it all started back before the War. I grew up in the Soviet Union, remember? That's where I learned how to dance."

_Dance? _Only _dance? _"Where did you learn? What was the name of the place?" Maggie inquired a little too desperately, but needing the answer.

"The Bolshoi Theatre," Natasha answered happily. "That was the reason I got to move here with my family: to dance professionally. Though, as you know, I just teach dance classes now."

_It can't be… _"The Bolshoi Theatre? I thought it was the Red Room," Maggie said casually, heart thudding in her chest.

Natasha's gaze hardened momentarily, and Maggie braced herself for some sort of violent reaction, some sort of passionate denial, or maybe even a breakdown of apologies for murdering innocent people (she'd heard of and/or witnessed such behavior from Natasha back home when it came to this sensitive subject). Whatever it was, Maggie tried to prepare herself for it.

But the gaze was nothing more than Natasha being a little confused. "I've never heard of the Red Room; you must have misheard me when I told you before."

Natasha wasn't lying.

Maggie sat up, alarmed. _What the _fuck _is this world?! Why are Mama and Daddy not who they're supposed to be? _"But…"

"Maggie, can I finish my story?" Natasha asked patiently, and Maggie gave in. She nodded and lied back down.

_I can't believe it. Daddy's an artist, Mama's a dancer… _Maggie's eyes widened with realization. _They're living their dreams...their dream jobs! It's like, in this world, the things that caused them so much pain in their lives just don't exist… _

Natasha continued on to describe how she moved here to dance on Broadway, just before the War broke out. Her parents came as well, as Russia - _the Soviet Union_, Maggie painfully corrected herself - was dangerous. Then, one night, on her way home from dance practice, Natasha bumped into Steve, _literally_, and the attraction was immediately mutual. Just two days later they were going out to dinner.

One thing was strangely the same in this world: Maggie's birth was something of a miracle. For years, Natasha and Steve struggled to conceive, and had finally given up until Natasha discovered she was pregnant eleven years ago. And the rest was history.

After Natasha wished Maggie sweet dreams and left, Maggie _definitely _couldn't sleep. She slowly sat up in bed, and decided to investigate her room further. It was so plain, there wasn't much, but she did find a little bookshelf on the side which she decided to investigate.

There wasn't much information-wise, however. The shelf contained mostly children's books, and things Maggie must have read for school in the past - however, she did find a book on World War II in there, and decided that would give her the most information.

She pulled the hardcover out, causing a cloud of dust to formulate around her. Coughing, she laid the book out on her lap and flipped it open to the table of contents.

"The Allied Powers, Imperial Japan, Nazi Germany…" Maggie read aloud, trying to find the most informative section. "Maybe HYDRA is in the Germany section."

She flipped to the Nazi Germany pages, and skimmed through them. Finally, there was a page on HYDRA and the Red Skull, who "died during a struggle with Peggy Carter on the plane, full of bombs, headed to New York City," she read, and stopped at the person who had taken the place of Steve: _Peggy Carter. _

In this world, Peggy Carter was the one to put the plane in the Arctic...and, of course, she wasn't a super soldier, meaning she _actually _died.

Flipping to the index, Maggie looked for Peggy's name, and found the number of another page she was on, in the Allied Powers section. Maggie read, "Peggy Carter, from England, helped train American draftees. She was close friends with Howard Stark, who was rumored to be working on an all-new, powerful weapon for America, but..._died unexpectedly_ in an accident in his lab."

Maggie stiffened, her hands trembling as she lifted the book closer to her eyes, confirming that what she had read was indeed true. "No, that can't be right…"

It _couldn't _be right. "Fuck," Maggie muttered (which sounded a little funny from her ten year old mouth), biting her thumb in nervous thought. _If Howard Stark is dead, that means Uncle Tony won't be born...Uncle Tony will never exist here_! One of the key characters in Maggie's life, who'd helped keep her extended family together through everything..._he can never be here. _

Three of the Avengers, conceptually, would never exist. Neither Steve Rogers nor Natasha Romanoff had taken those directions in life, and Tony Stark would simply _not _exist. Asgard was nothing more than a _thought _for humans at this moment in history, the 1960s, which left Thor as a completely unknown variable; who knew what would become of Bruce and Clint, whenever the hell they would live in this world, without S.H.I.E.L.D…

At the thought, Maggie flipped back to the index, looking for S.H.I.E.L.D., or even the whole _Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement Logistics Division _(was that even right? Hell if she knew.). Finding nothing, she settled for the SSR, which was the basis for S.H.I.E.L.D., from what Maggie understood.

She read through the page of the SSR, frowning when she reached the end. "The SSR was disbanded after World War II, as part of an agreement made by the Allied countries to move on from the horrors of the War." No Howard Stark, no Peggy Carter, no SSR...these all meant, obviously, there would never be any S.H.I.E.L.D.

"I don't understand." Maggie closed the book forcefully, frustrated by her findings. "_What _am I supposed to do here?"

Was it purgatory? Hell? _No_, a voice inside Maggie thought, _it must be Heaven, because neither Mama nor Daddy had to suffer to get where they are now. _

Abandoning the book on the floor, Maggie stood up, and walked over to her dresser. There were a few more pictures there: drawings for her from Steve, pictures of her with her parents over the years, drawings she'd done for school...there was also a jewelry box on the edge. It was made of wood, painted a deep auburn color, and Maggie grabbed it out of curiosity.

She undid the clasp, and opened it. A music box-styled hymn began to play, which Maggie recognized as a Russian lullaby Natasha used to sing to her, very long ago. It immediately soothed her, and Maggie couldn't help the small smile. Inside the box was a little glass mirror, attached to the side she'd flipped open, and a little ballerina spinning with the music. She sat down on the floor with it, watching the little crystal dancer twirl.

Suddenly, someone opened her door, making Maggie jump. Her grip on the musical jewelry box tightened, and she looked up nervously, expecting Natasha to be there and scold her for not following directions. But instead, it was Steve.

And Steve...Steve was _small. _

But the size of the smile on his face easily made up for his tiny form.

"Maggie!" He crossed the distance between them in the blink of an eye, crouching down in front of Maggie and pulling her into his arms. She was surprised at his quick and warm affection, as without the serum, she thought he'd be _much _more fragile than the Steve she knew.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, still holding the small wooden box that had now stopped playing music. "Hi, Daddy."

"I heard about what happened at school today," he said, running a hand through her hair. Even though he was small, he was _definitely _still Steve. "Are you feeling better now?"

"A little," she said, as, physically, she felt about the same, but emotionally was a different story. The things she'd figured out about this world greatly disturbed her; outside of Howard Stark and Peggy Carter's lives, everyone's seemed to be on the path to _perfection. _No pain, no suffering...it was _not _the world that Maggie was born into.

But seeing and hugging Steve, regardless of his size, would always make her feel better, so she was being honest.

"Well, you _should _be in bed," Steve said, standing up with a groan. For once, Maggie actually _believed _Steve's groaning to be an unexaggerated expression of effort when lifting her; _he was so small. _"Come on, you."

He carried her over to the bed and deposited her on top of the covers. Seeing the box in her hands, he smiled happily. "You were looking at your mom's old jewelry box?"

_So this belonged to Mama_. Maggie nodded. "It plays such a pretty song."

Steve laughed, ruffling Maggie's hair with his hand. "It's even prettier when your mom sings it to you."

"I heard that." Natasha's voice suddenly joined them, as she stood in the doorway. "Maggie, you were supposed to be sleeping."

Seeing both of her parents watching her for an explanation, Maggie closed the box with a small _thud_. "I, um, wanted to wait for Daddy to get home…"

"Ah, it's okay, Mags; I'm here now," Steve said softly, pressing a kiss to her temple.

"I told you he was coming home early," Natasha said, walking up to them. She stopped beside Steve, and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"I managed to finish my cartoon for this week's paper early," Steve reported happily. "So I might be able to come home early for the rest of the week; how does that sound?"

Maggie's expression deflated a little. _I miss my parents…_

"What's wrong, Maggie? Are you feeling sick again?" Natasha asked, looking concerned. The way they looked at her so..._normally_, like her real parents in the real world, was both freaking her out and comforting her at the same time. It was very confusing.

"I just...I think I want to sleep now," Maggie said, giving a little smile. "I think I'm finally sleepy."

"Good," Natasha said, placing a kiss to her forehead. "Rest well, Лапушка."

Steve gave her another hug. "Sweet dreams, princess."

Maggie nearly laughed at the term of endearment; Steve had never called her _princess _before in the other world. Instead, she just nodded and lied back down in her bed with a forced yawn.

They left her then, closing the door gently behind them. Maggie looked over at the clock on the wall, which told her it was still only the afternoon. Time felt much, _much _slower in this world, and she sighed.

Seeing the old jewelry box on her nightstand beside her, she reached out a hand and grabbed it, pulling it closer to her. She turned it upside down to twist the little knob so it would start playing music again.

As the simple serenade started, Maggie closed her eyes and took a calming breath. It wouldn't do any good to get worked up now - she had no idea what she was up against or what even her current life was. For now, perhaps Natasha and Steve's insistence to rest was the best course of action.

She lied back in her bed, pulling the covers up to her chin. If she thought hard enough, she could hear Natasha's voice singing the lyrics to her, long ago. It really was relaxing…

* * *

Maggie started to dream. In her dream, she heard a voice.

She knew that voice.

"_Maggie,"_ it called.

"Wanda?" she called back, looking around herself. She was in darkness, her entire area black, until a faintly lit figure faded into view: _Wanda. _

"_Maggie?" _Wanda's voice asked.

"Wa-Wanda! Oh,_ thank God_," Maggie exclaimed, relieved to see a truly familiar face. She tried to reach out for the figure, but she found herself unable to move.

"_Maggie, you're here!" _Wanda sighed, relieved. She looked at Maggie then, her eyes making silent calculations. _"And...you're a child again." _

"Wanda...what's going on? Where the hell am I?" Maggie asked, desperation in her voice. "I'm a kid again, but the year is 1963, and everything is fucked up…"

"_I know, Maggie, I know; you're in another world," _Wanda replied, looking apologetic.

"Another world?" Maggie echoed. She thought back to her final memories before waking up in Nurse Anne's office. "Back there...in 'our' world...that car hit me, and…"

"_I tried to stop it," _Wanda insisted, suddenly sounding distressed. She grasped her wrist nervously, her arms held in a such a way that she appeared closed off. _"Pietro managed to get the little girl out of the way, and I sent out some magic to protect you, but you were still hit, and...and…" _

Maggie's eyes widened, but she was shocked to find there were no tears welling up. "Did I die?" _So much for being an Avenger..._

Wanda hesitated in her answer, her fingers tightening around her wrist. _"In a way, yes...more accurately, at the same time your body was hit by the car, you were also hit by my magic. The reaction yielded...unpredictable results. Physically, you died, but mentally, I was able to save you." _

"Well what the hell does that mean?" Maggie suddenly snapped, frustrated by Wanda's vague answer. She was just so _confused_, _nothing _made sense, and she wanted to return home. Her _real _home. "Am I dead?"

"_Because of my magic, we've been able to keep your body alive here while your mind...your spirit...has been away," _Wanda said, releasing her tight grip on her arm and allowing the two limbs to fall back naturally to her sides.

"So you just have to bring my spirit back home, and I'll be fine?" Maggie asked hopefully.

"_Not quite. The world you were sent to...well, it's a long story, but returning to this world will probably require some heavy lifting on your end," _Wanda answered cryptically, her expression distant.

"Tell me what to do, and I'll do it," Maggie said, desperation in her voice.

"_I'm not sure yet, Maggie. I'm doing everything I can to figure out the easiest way for you to come home."_

Maggie thought back on Wanda's words for a moment. "This world I'm in...what exactly _is _it? Neither Daddy nor Mama have done what eventually leads to them becoming Avengers, yet they _still _met and fell in love. And Howard Stark is dead, so Uncle Tony won't exist at _all_…"

"_That's partially my fault," _Wanda admitted. _"This world was...well, it was created by me, long ago." _

"Wait, _what_? Your powers let you create a fucking _world_?!"

"_Maggie, do you know what a parallel universe is?" _

"A parallel universe? Like, when you have a situation, and it turns out one way, there's the idea that in some other 'parallel' world, it actually turned out the other way?"

"_Precisely. That is my power, on top of telekinetic manipulation of physical things." _

Maggie shook her head. "I still don't really understand."

"_It was around the time Tony Stark created the Ultron Program, and Pietro and I first encountered all of the Avengers. I sent each of them visions of distorted realities, comprised of their memories - you know this, as you experienced the vision I gave your mother a few years ago. At the time of Ultron, my anger was so great and my powers so new, my feelings became one with theirs, which formed actual realities existing next to our own." _

That was a lot to take in. Maggie had to comprehend what exactly that meant for a moment before continuing the conversation. "So, this warped reality I'm in...whose nightmare vision was it?"

"_...Tony Stark," _Wanda answered after a moment.

Maggie blinked, not understanding why Tony would fear a world where he was nonexistent above all else. "I don't get it. He was afraid of what would happen if he was never born?"

"_That's not exactly how it works." _Wanda shook her head. _"Tony Stark feared the recurring desire that rose up in the time of Ultron once more: to not exist. He puts up a front of confidence, but, on the inside, regrets everything he's done, even just being born. Such strong feelings came as a result of Ultron, his personal project, going out on such a rampage, that he was scared. This world was born as a result." _

"That makes...a little more sense," Maggie said, mostly understanding now. "So, what? These worlds you made are the afterlife for us, or something?"

"_I am not God, Maggie; I am a witch. I can only use my powers to prolong your death by sending you to another world rather than placing you there by judging your sins," _Wanda answered.

Maggie sighed, feeling the same vertigo from earlier that day as she tried to understand Wanda's words. "Wanda, I'm still _very _confused."

"_This wasn't supposed to happen," _Wanda sighed, casting her eyes downward. _"These alternate realities are only supposed to be experienced by me." _

"That sounds like a lot to carry by yourself," Maggie said quietly, looking to Wanda with a frown.

"_Powers like mine come with a price," _Wanda dismissed. Suddenly, her faded figure began to disappear, growing more transparent.

"Wait! Wanda! Don't go, yet!" Maggie called out, trying to take a step toward Wanda, but was still frozen to her spot.

"_I am leaving you for now," _Wanda said calmly, _"but I will be back soon. I promise, I will get you out of here, Maggie. Just, please, be patient for now. I will come to you with any more information I can find." _

She faded away completely then, just as Maggie was able to break the invisible restrictions holding her back from reaching Wanda.

"Wanda!"

* * *

"Maggie, it's time for dinner."

Maggie's eyes snapped open at Natasha's voice, her heart pounding with the remaining energy from her dream encounter with Wanda. _Was that real? Or was I just dreaming? _

She realized Natasha was standing over her bed, patiently watching her wake up. Natasha smiled, laying a hand on Maggie's forehead. "Hey there, Лапушка. Are you feeling better?"

Slowly and carefully, Maggie pushed herself up into a seated position, surprised to find herself feeling a _lot _better. The exhaustion that had weighed her body down before seemed to be gone. She looked up at Natasha. "Yeah, actually…"

"Excellent." Natasha smiled, pulling her hand back. "Daddy is setting the table right now. Why don't you go wash up while we finish preparing everything?"

Maggie nodded, swinging her legs over the side of her bed and standing up. "Okay, Mama."

They walked out of her room then, Natasha walking straight back toward the dining room while Maggie looked down the hallway to her right. She padded along the wooden floor and stopped at the first open door. Sticking her head in, she realized it was a bathroom.

She first relieved herself, then proceeded to wash her hands, all the while observing the small room around her. Similar to her bedroom, and the walls of the hallway, it was relatively plain, which didn't surprise Maggie; neither of her parents held jobs that Maggie would expect to bring in a high income, especially considering they lived in _Brooklyn_, of all places.

After that, Maggie walked back out into the hallway, glancing down in the direction that continued from the bathroom. It ended in a single door, which piqued Maggie's curiosity. She turned off the light of the bathroom, then walked quietly toward the closed door at the end of the hall.

_This must be Mama and Daddy's room_, she thought, wrapping her fingers around the knob and pushing the door open. She stepped in slowly, one foot at a time, checking for either of her parents; she then remembered Natasha mentioning that they were busy getting dinner ready in the kitchen, so Maggie figured she'd have a few minutes to herself for exploring.

The room contained only a large bed, a dresser, and a vanity. Maggie stepped before the vanity, looking at her reflection in the mirror. She looked slightly healthier than when she'd initially seen herself in the glass cabinet door in the nurse's office at school, probably due to the nap she took, but her face and upper body still looked incredibly _thin. _

Natasha had stuck some pictures into the mirror as well, as Maggie stood on her tiptoes to see them better. There were pictures of Natasha doing ballet, as well as pictures of her and Steve together, in which they looked somewhat younger.

Maggie also caught sight of a note sticking out under one of the couple's pictures, written in what appeared to be Steve's handwriting. It was a simple love letter, but Maggie gasped softly when she realized it was addressed to a _Natalia Romanova. _

_Mama is not Natasha in this world, _Maggie realized. _She's still Natalia. If she never trained in the Red Room, then there was never any reason for her to change her name. _

From what Maggie had heard growing up, Natasha - _Natalia_, at the time of her first coming to S.H.I.E.L.D. - had shown visible dislike and distrust of herself because of the things she'd done. Similarly, she needed to hide herself from the KGB and Red Room, so Fury and Phil had suggested she chose a new name. She shed her outer skin of _Natalia Romanova_ and embraced _Natasha Romanoff_, as she'd come to view her name Natalia as synonymous to the crimes she committed.

If she'd never committed those crimes, nor had to hide from the KGB and the Red Room, it made sense that the Natasha of this "other" world would still go by the name Natalia. On top of that, because she lived a domestic life without Avenger work, Natalia probably took Steve's last name when they were married.

Maggie's head spun a bit at the new information, and she decided she'd seen enough of their bedroom. She tiptoed back out, closing the door behind her, and quickly made her way down the hall toward the living room and kitchen.

Upon entering the room, she was greeted by the smell of food and the sounds of a happy conversation between her parents. Natasha smiled to Steve as she placed forks beside each plate; Steve, meanwhile, set a napkin at each place, returning the same joyful demeanor.

_Their relationship is still the same_, Maggie thought to herself, stopping just to watch them interact for a few moments. _It's a different world, and yet…_

"Ah, there you are, Maggie-o," Steve said, noticing Maggie hovering by the door. "Come get some dinner."

"You must be very hungry by now; you slept a long time!" Natasha said happily.

"Yeah…" Maggie said, forcing a small smile onto her face and walking up to the table. "Thank you."

* * *

Within the next few days, Maggie came to understand the routine of her family. Go to bed, get up the next morning, eat breakfast, walk to school with Natasha while Steve rode the train to work...it was pretty simple.

School wasn't very exciting. The other kids didn't seem to be very interested in her, so Maggie spent most of the school day daydreaming. She used the knowledge she could remember from fifth grade whenever she was called upon, but didn't engage much in the classroom otherwise. During recess and lunch, she sat by herself and watched the other children play. As the post-lunch classes wrapped up, Maggie found herself packing up her backpack and greeting Natasha in front of her classroom to walk back home together.

She learned how to act more naturally as time passed. Despite the different circumstances, her parents weren't much different; they loved her unconditionally, and put her above all else. For them, Maggie just had to evade mentioning any of their other family members from the other world, and tell them how her day was.

By her fourth day in that world, the rules of it became natural and expected. Steve was not Captain America. Natasha was not Black Widow. There was no S.H.I.E.L.D., no Avengers, no missions or life-threatening work moments; similarly, the extended family she'd grown up loving and looking to for help was nonexistent, but the constant and dependable presence of both of her parents made up for the caretaker hole Tony and the others had left.

Maggie wasn't sure how much her mental age of eighteen had begun to descend to her physical age of ten, but she quickly found herself adjusting to the new place. Even though many key figures in her life were absent, Steve and Natasha were _always _present, _every _day. They never came home with bullet wounds or black eyes or bruised ribs; every day Maggie bid them farewell before school in the morning, she didn't have to spend the whole day _worrying _about whether or not they'd come home in the evening.

And, on top of all of that...they were happy. Despite his poor health, Steve was thriving in his career as a cartoonist for the local paper. Similarly, Natasha taught dance classes four times a week, as dance was still an innocent art field for her (_and_, for Natasha's evening classes, Maggie got to tag along and watch the older ballerinas dance _beautifully_, using Natasha's creative choreography).

A week quickly passed, and Maggie found herself protesting this world less than before. During the weekend, she'd got to spend _all _of her time with both Natasha and Steve, which included games and picnic lunches and ice cream and going to the park. No bad guys, no world threats, no _heroic responsibilities. _

Maggie never realized how much attention she'd craved from her parents at such a young age; a thirst in her was being quenched every single day, and "dying" in the other world didn't sound like such a bad thing anymore.

If this world weren't already labeled as a derivative of Tony's nightmarish fears, Maggie would claim it as her family's perfect paradise.

* * *

**A/N:** So I kinda strayed from MCU-canon (not sure about comics-canon) here with how Wanda's powers work because _Age of Ultron _was a mess...I'll try to sum up what's going on down here, though!

I guess I should start by saying that I write every AU chapter of this fic with the assumption that it is truly an alternate universe that exists alongside the main one. Like how the comics have different universes with Earth-616 being the main, I like to think of the few chapters here that really deviate from the main canon - such as the chapters in which Maggie is being raised by Clint, Steve, or Natasha - are other scenarios that have happened, but aren't the main one in which the story takes place in. Call this a giant meta theory if you want, but multiverses just really interest me

Basically, Maggie's in a life-threatening situation, so Wanda, like, zaps her to another world to keep her alive, in a way. Maggie's physical body is in a comatose state while her "spirit" is in this other world, taking the physical form of a 10 year old version of herself. Like Wanda explains, this "alternate reality" is based off of Tony's self-destructive tendencies and fear of himself (which needs to be explored a lot better in the MCU, imo, but stupid Joss Whedon has a butt for a brain...), so Tony is never born, and other main characters "benefit" from it. So far, we see that Steve is never frozen and Natasha is never trained in the Red Room; instead, they lead happy, safe, and domestic lives that still include their relationship and Maggie.

I can't go much further into it without spoiling part 2, but I hope this makes more sense! My inspiration from this was really random so it doesn't make total sense, but I thought this would be an interesting concept to explore: a perfect life vs. an imperfect life. This is more of a major theme in the next chapter and will be addressed head-on!

Anyway, I'm glad to be back in the writing scene now! Hopefully I can write more frequently this summer before I go off to college~ See you all next chapter! Thank you for continuing to support my story! :)


	82. Somewhere You Feel Free (Part 2)

**A/N: **And here we have mind-fuckery part 2... Also, these two chapters were named after the song "Wildflowers" by Tom Petty, which is kind of a pun. It'll make more sense at the end of the chapter! The full lyrics I borrowed the chapter titles from are, "You belong among the wildflowers / You belong somewhere you feel free." :)

Hope you guys are enjoying this little divergence from our usual, lighthearted fun! (Well, lighthearted fun _most _of the time). Things will get wrapped up in this chapter, as we really take a look at which world is the superior of the two. Thanks for reading and continuing to support me! Have a nice day!

* * *

A week quickly passed, and Maggie found herself protesting this world less than before. During the weekend, she'd got to spend _all _of her time with both Natasha and Steve, which included games and picnic lunches and ice cream and going to the park. No bad guys, no world threats, no _heroic responsibilities. _

Maggie never realized how much attention she'd craved from her parents at such a young age; a thirst in her was being quenched every single day, and "dying" in the other world didn't sound like such a bad thing anymore.

If this world weren't already labeled as a derivative of Tony's nightmarish fears, Maggie would claim it as her family's perfect paradise.

* * *

Maggie was able to forget about the other world until Wanda finally returned to her dreams, ten days after she entered this new world.

"It's been a week," Maggie said to Wanda when she appeared that night, donning the same transparent form.

"_I'm sorry," _Wanda quickly apologized, already looking upset. _"It's taken me that long just to find out more about this world you're in." _

"And...how to leave?" Maggie asked quietly. Lately, she hadn't felt the same urgency about returning home; everything was so peaceful where she was now, unlike her tumultuous life living with Avengers before...

"_Yes, that's part of it." _Wanda nodded. _"Firstly, I thought I'd tell you more about the lives of your family in this world." _

"I already know Uncle Tony won't exist," Maggie said, recalling Howard Stark's early death. "And neither Mama nor Daddy are Avengers."

_"Allow me to explain…"_

Maggie blinked, then found herself looking at an image of Clint Barton.

"_As you know, in our world, Clint grew up in an abusive household, but that's different in your world. Due to a very distant chain reaction of events caused by the existence of Howard Stark and his technology, the reasons that drove Clint's father to behave in such a way will not exist...simply put, his marriage with Clint's mother is peaceful, and their sons, Clint and Barney, grow up excelling in school and all that they do." _

Maggie watched a vision of a two blond boys walking home from school together, books in their arms and bright smiles on their faces. When they reached their home, they were greeted by an equally joyful woman, who Maggie quickly realized was their mother. Behind her was their father, who gave a big toothy grin as he hugged both boys simultaneously, any sign of malice or intoxication absent from his face.

"_Clint does eventually develop an interest in archery during summer camp later in his childhood, but he never joins the circus nor becomes a criminal. As I'm sure you remember, there is also no S.H.I.E.L.D., which means he would not be recruited by Phil Coulson. He instead pursues his interest in music; you've heard his singing before, haven't you? In your world, it is his primary skill." _

The images of Clint from his childhood throughout his adulthood faded away after a few moments. Maggie looked back to Wanda. "Uncle Clint got a good deal."

"_He's not the only one," _Wanda continued, calling up images of Bruce Banner next. _"For Dr. Banner, his father never loses his job due to an accidental explosion, which allows him the chance to seek help for his alcohol abuse and anger management issues. By the time our Bruce is born, both of his parents care for him, and his father never murders his mother." _

Maggie's vision filled with the child Bruce Banner happily solving problems and showing off his high intellect to his parents, who praised him every time he solved something correctly. Rather than growing up to be withdrawn about his intelligence, Bruce confidently displayed it, drawing a smile to Maggie's face.

"_He excels at everything academic, and is encouraged by his parents to pursue any and every scientific field of study of his choice. The gamma radiation incident never happens, and Bruce never developed anger issues because of his father's violent behavior. In simple terms, this is the best scenario he could have envisioned for himself." _

"It's nice to see Uncle Brucie so calm and happy," Maggie said with a soft smile on her face.

"_I agree,"_ Wanda said, dismissing the visions of Bruce with a wispy wave of her hand. _"Of course, there is also Thor." _

Maggie raised her eyebrows as she saw visions of the _child _Thor, which predated any time her family would have been alive.

"_If fate were to be described as a lottery, he, too, would have won in this world," _Wanda explained. _"Loki never falls to the temptation to act upon his jealousy. He instead alerts his family of his dangerous feelings early on, who help him manage it. He never tries to destroy Thor or take his father's throne." _

Maggie felt overwhelmed watching the images of Thor and Loki embrace one another in pure, brotherly love. She shook her head. "I don't understand, Wanda. This world...this world is practically _perfect._"

"_That's the point," _Wanda said, dismissing the visions of Thor. _"This world _is_ perfect; because no one in it has, for lack of a better term, committed the same sins they have in our world, they are never faced with the tragedies that led them to their current lives." _

"Except for Uncle Tony, who isn't even given the chance to sin," Maggie reminded, crinkling her nose. "Wanda...the more you show me of this world, and the more time I spend in it, the more…"

"_The more you like it?" _Wanda finished for her. Maggie nodded. _"Of course. As you said, it's perfect. Aside from Tony, nobody is a loser; everyone wins and lives happily ever after. I suppose you could say Tony's absence was the price paid to achieve this scenario." _

"From that, we go back to the main problem…" Maggie said with a sigh. "How do I leave?"

"_Yes...we must discuss that," _Wanda said. Her eyes grew heavy. _"But, there is still one last thing you must experience before I can tell you what to do to leave." _

"Wh-what?" Maggie questioned, looking at Wanda curiously. "Wanda-"

"_You will understand soon enough." _

* * *

Maggie woke up then, inhaling sharply as she recognized the off white ceiling filling her vision.

She turned onto her side, glancing at the clock on her wall. It was just after seven in the morning, which meant no one had come to wake her up for school. Maggie smiled as she recognized it was Saturday.

Moments later, her bedroom door opened, and Steve greeted her with a bright smile - brighter than usual. Maggie sat up, looking to him curiously. What had him in such a good mood?

"Hey, Mags, you up?" he asked, walking over to her bed. She nodded, leaning back against her headboard as Steve sat down beside her.

"I just woke up," she said. "What are we doing today?"

"Well…" Steve paused, as if trying to find the words to convey whatever had made him appear so happy to her. "How about you get ready first? Mama and I have something important to talk to you about, so we'll be waiting in the living room."

This was..._peculiar_. Maggie managed to nod, despite her uncertainty and confusion. Steve pressed a kiss to her hair before standing up and walking out of her room, leaving her to change out of her pajamas.

Her mind raced with ideas of what Steve and Natasha would want to talk about while she changed into a casual sundress. Was this what Wanda had meant, when she said there was still something Maggie needed to experience before returning to the real world?

Had something happened to Maggie's grandparents? She met them once thus far in her time in this world, as they visited for dinner one night. As Maggie had expected, they were _wonderful_. She never knew what having grandparents felt like - the closest she came to this would probably be her relationship with Phil Coulson and Melinda May - but now, she understood why people cherished it so much. They looked to her with just as much love and adoration in their eyes as Natasha and Steve, and even gave her some candy from the nearby shop.

("Because the job of your grandfather and I is to _spoil_ you," Maggie's grandmother had insisted when Maggie looked surprised. Her grandfather nodded along, while Natasha shook her head in exasperation behind her.)

But, reflecting on Steve's expression when he entered Maggie's room, if something bad had actually happened, he would have looked much sadder. Perhaps her grandparents would be moving in? Or maybe they were going on a family trip?

After moving from her bedroom to the bathroom and brushing her teeth, Maggie rushed into the living room, eager to hear what important thing Natasha and Steve needed to discuss with her. The suspense of it was just _killing_ her. She stopped when she noticed a stack of papers - all of which looked pretty official, like legal documents - sitting on the coffee table. The older part of her mind automatically identified the paperwork as S.H.I.E.L.D. files, but Maggie quickly reminded herself that was impossible. She wondered what these papers actually were.

"Slow down there, Maggie-o," Steve laughed when she hurried in. He pointed to the couch, which he and Natasha stood in front of. "Why don't you take a seat?"

Maggie walked to the couch (seeing as Natasha and Steve were observing her closely) and sat down, looking up at her parents expectantly. They glanced at each other, exchanging smiles, before focusing on her.

"What's the important thing you wanna talk about?" Maggie asked innocently.

"Do you remember a few weeks ago when we visited that orphanage? Where all the girls who don't have parents lived?" Steve asked.

Maggie froze, eyes widening in shock. Because she had only been in this world for almost two weeks now, she did not experience visiting an orphanage with her parents. Why had they done that?

Of course, the answer was obvious, but its deep meaning caught Maggie off-guard.

"We were looking for someone to be your little sister," Natasha added, as if trying to jog Maggie's memory. "And you really liked that one little girl, the baby with the dark skin and brown eyes and brown hair."

Realizing she hadn't answered, Maggie quickly nodded, the corners of her lips nervously twitching into a smile. "Y-yeah, of course I remember! I...I wanted to take her home!" she said blindly, hoping her words were accurate.

"Well, we finally got the paperwork all settled…" Natasha gestured to the papers sitting on the table. "So...you're going to be a big sister!" She happily clapped her hands together. Steve's grin widened.

_Unbelievable,_ Maggie thought, watching her parents in shock. _Even _my_ happiness, _my_ dreams...this world is perfect for _me_ as well, not just my parents or the other Avengers. This must be why Wanda didn't want me to leave yet…_

After she didn't respond for a few moments, her parents' expressions changed.

"Maggie?" Natasha asked, taking a step closer to her. "Are you okay?"

_As you said, it's perfect,_ Wanda's words rang in Maggie's ears. _Aside from Tony, nobody is a loser; everyone wins and lives happily ever after._

Maggie was going to be an older sister. _She was going to be an older sister._ A hope once buried so deeply that Maggie had allowed it to die out, like a flower placed in a dark room. She never expected to see it revived, _especially_ like this.

"Mags?" Steve asked.

She was happy.

She was _so, so happy._

So she jumped to her feet and launched herself at her parents, catching both of them in her arms. Tears suddenly fell from her eyes, the joy of the moment consuming her. She was going to be a big sister!

"This...I always wanted this...I always wanted a baby sister!" Maggie cried, looking back and forth between her parents. "This is a dream come true..._thank you_."

Steve and Natasha both smiled, relieved, at that. Maggie tightened her hold on them, just soaking in the moment and enjoying it. This Steve and this Natasha were giving her something that the _other_ Steve and Natasha never could...

...which Maggie quickly regretted thinking as guilt struck her chest. She looked down at her feet, watching one of her tears hit the carpet floor. Since when had she started _comparing_ her two different sets of parents?

"I'm so glad you're excited, Maggie," Steve said, ruffling her hair with his hand. "We're just as excited as you are. You're going to be a great big sister."

"We are incredibly lucky," Natasha thought out loud. "We first received Maggie, and now we are receiving another beautiful girl, though in a different way...God is _great_."

Maggie couldn't help but smirk a bit at Natasha's religious comment, thinking of how much Steve had rubbed off on her in their time together. Yet, that didn't distract from the worry weighing down on her heart; did she even want to go back to the other world now?

Honestly...Maggie wasn't sure.

* * *

_"Maggie."_

This time, when Maggie opened her eyes in the same, dark dreamscape she'd grown used to, she saw Wanda already waiting for her.

"There you are, Wanda," Maggie said, sighing as she recognized her eighteen year old self's voice flowing from her mouth, despite the fact that she'd retained her ten year old appearance. "I've been wondering what happened."

Wanda blinked, looking down at her feet. _"Maggie...it's time to make a decision."_

"A decision?" Maggie echoed.

Wanda nodded. _"Just as I said last time, there was one last thing for you to experience in that world, and that was the announcement of your parents' plan to adopt a child. You are getting the younger sister you always dreamed of having."_

Maggie bit her lip. "Wanda, you said you know everything that happens in this world…"

_"She doesn't have much of an official name at the orphanage, as she is the youngest girl there. She is about a year old and your parents will name her Jamie, after your late godfather, Bucky Barnes, who died in the War,"_ Wanda said softly, smiling a bit.

"So, that means this world is my perfect world, too," Maggie said. "It's one of my longtime dreams come true."

_"Yes, if you want it to be."_

"What?"

_"Maggie...let us review what we've come to learn about this world,"_ Wanda said, waving a hand above her head and displaying images of each of the Avengers (except for Tony), living their dreams happily._ "This world is perfect, and everyone receives what they want. Even you, in the form of a baby sister."_

Maggie nodded. "Nobody does any of the bad stuff that leads to tragedy, like Uncle Clint and Uncle Brucie's families abusing them."

_"Yes. Though they will live years from now, in the present day, they will be happy, just as you are with your parents, and soon with your younger sister,"_ Wanda said. _"However, you are not from this world; you were not born into it, rather, you perished into it, in a way. You are not supposed to exist here."_

"So I have to go back home," Maggie finished.

_"Technically, yes,"_ Wanda said, narrowing her eyes. _"However...you can also choose to stay."_

"I-wait, _what_?"

_"In the original world, your body is in a comatose state. Every day, you grow weaker...yet, in the world you are in now, your presence grows stronger at the same rate your health in the old world declines."_

Maggie shook her head in confusion. "Wait, pause...you're saying that I'm slowly dying, back home? The longer I stay here?"

_"That appears to be the case. So, in reality, if you so choose to…"_

Wanda's voice trailed off as realization dawned upon Maggie. "...I can stay and grow up in this world."

_"Precisely. You can have this perfect world, in which everyone is happy,"_ Wanda said, closing her eyes. _"Yet, you cannot exist in both worlds simultaneously forever."_

Maggie thought for a moment. "You said my body is dying back at home...so, would it be that if I choose to stay in this world, where everything is perfect, I can never go back home to the original world, where it'll just be like I died? From the car accident?"

That sounded like a bit much. Despite how perfect this world was...dying would _crush_ the Steve and Natasha she'd grown up with at her real home, as well as the rest of her extended family in the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. To them, Maggie wouldn't just be living on in some "parallel universe"; Maggie would have tragically died young, trying to save a child by taking her place when a car came barreling down the street.

Maggie gasped with the sudden weight of the decision, her body shaking with anxiety. She struggled to catch her breath. "I...Could I really...do that...to my own parents…? Willingly put them through that pain…?"

_"You must make that decision yourself,"_ Wanda said coolly, her demeanor calm, despite the depth of the topic.

"But, wait," Maggie spoke up, looking up to Wanda once more, "if I don't want to stay here, how can I come home?"

_"It is just as difficult as choosing to stay there,"_ Wanda said, clenching her first by her side. _"You must destroy the perfection of this world."_

The images of the other Avengers living happily above Wanda's head faded, leaving only the vision of Steve, Natasha, and Maggie.

"What do you mean by…?"

_"This world is paradise because no one has sinned; so you must break that reputation by sinning yourself."_

Maggie swallowed nervously. "Wanda…"

Wanda glanced up at the imagery of the Rogers family she'd summoned herself. _"You see...your parents will finish the last of the paperwork necessary to bring Jamie home tomorrow, so your father can bring the papers to the orphanage on Monday."_

Maggie nodded, but felt a sense of dread at what Wanda would need her to do.

_"But, should something happen to this vital paperwork, which includes Jamie's file and the documents of approval of the safety of your home for another child...if it were to be destroyed..."_ Wanda's fists tightened, and the image above her grew distorted. The happy expressions on Maggie's parents' faces quickly transformed to those of despair and grief, and Maggie flinched with the realization.

"If I destroy all of the paperwork and stuff for adopting Jamie, they won't be able to adopt her," Maggie finished for Wanda, her voice shaking.

_"That is so...It is your one and only chance to ruin this world, to betray the trusts of your parents and destroy your own happy ending,"_ Wanda said slowly, the miasma containing the now distraught expressions of Steve and Natasha fading away.

"That's...that's _insane_!" Maggie cried out, tears welling up and her voice rising in volume. "You...you're telling me to _sabotage_ my own parents' happiness!"

_"I warned you, this decision would not be an easy one,"_ Wanda said sadly. _"That is your only chance to return home to our world. Once you allow your parents to turn in those adoption papers, the fate of your family is sealed. You cannot return to our world after that."_

Maggie threw her hands up to her head, digging her fingers into her scalp. "No...This...This is _too much!_ You're asking me to destroy my parents either way!" she yelled.

_"I'm so sorry,"_ Wanda apologized, sounding choked up herself. _"This is why these alternate realities should only be seen and experienced by me. No one else deserves to be exposed to this pain…"_

The crossroads of Maggie's decision were visible to her now. She was being forced to choose between her parents in her home world and her parents in this world. Either way, she would betray one of them, and damage their lives forever.

_"So...to be clear, the way to return home from the world you're in now is to disrupt the adoption process. Destroy the paperwork. Cut it up. Burn it,"_ Wanda said softly. _"Ruin your family's chance at achieving further happiness."_

"Wanda…" Maggie cried, sobbing into her hands. "This...I can't..._I can't do this,_ I…"

_"Both choices are a simultaneous win and loss,"_ Wanda said regretfully. _"There is nothing else that can be done."_

Silence fell between them, filled only with Maggie's loud cries as she struggled to decide what to do. Either way, she would hurt the ones she loved most…

_"Maggie,"_ Wanda suddenly said after a few moments, _"our time here is running out. This will be the last time I see you unless you return home. Choose carefully."_

"No, Wanda, _please_, don't go…!"

_"Will you choose this world, in which everyone lives happily and without tragedy...?"_ Wanda reflected as she faded away. _"Or, perhaps, will you choose the original world, the rarest, most successful reality of those that I have witnessed…?"_

She was gone then, leaving Maggie with the fate of two worlds resting on her shoulders.

* * *

Maggie woke with a start, gasping as she stared up at the off-white ceiling filling her vision.

She coughed, feeling as if her lungs couldn't receive enough oxygen. Her vision blurred with tears from this struggle, and she recognized what felt like an oxygen mask covering face. It fogged up as she coughed.

"...Maggie?"

That was a voice she recognized...Wanda?

"Maggie! You're awake!"

Wait, that was…

She blinked, and in that millisecond, arms had wrapped around her torso and a familiar scent filled her nose. Red hair fell into her eyes, causing Maggie to shut them.

"I was so worried, I...I thought you were…"

Finally, Maggie smiled, feeling the tears from moments before returning in larger magnitude.

"I'll go get Bruce," another voice Maggie recognized as familiar said, followed by the sound of rushed footsteps.

"M...Mama," Maggie finally managed to address the person hugging her, but struggled to recognize her own voice because of how hoarse it was.

"I'm here, I've been here this whole time," Natasha reassured her, placing a kiss against Maggie's forehead before releasing her. As she pulled back, Maggie was able to fully view her face, smiling as she recognized Natasha - not _Natalia Rogers_, but her _Natasha Romanoff_ \- and feeling tears roll down her cheeks. "You're okay, you're _safe_. We're on the medical floor of the tower."

"Mama, it's...it's _you_," Maggie said with a sniffle and a cough, suddenly feeling weak again.

"Shh, hold on," Natasha shushed her, her accent _completely American_, as she carefully helped Maggie raise her head and removed the oxygen mask. She then helped Maggie drink from a glass of water, which gave Maggie immediate relief; the water moistened her throat, dried out from lack of use. "Just drink this, you haven't used your voice in a while."

That's right...she had been gone.

"How long…?" Maggie tried to inquire.

"Just over two weeks. You _really _scared us, Лапушка..."

Maggie noticed tears in Natasha's eyes, and felt herself tear up even more. She mustered up the strength to reach her right hand up to Natasha, which Natasha grasped quickly and tightly. Before Maggie could say anything further, the door swung open, revealing an equally emotional Steve and very surprised Bruce.

Steve rushed over to the bed, carefully embracing Maggie's head and shoulders against his chest. He placed a kiss to her head. "Oh, Maggie…"

"Daddy…" Maggie murmured, sniffling as she looked up between her parents. If she were here, with her original parents, then that meant she... "I'm...so sorry…"

"Let me check your vitals," Bruce cut in, walking over to them. Steve released her.

Maggie was numb as Bruce examined her, looking between the worried expressions of her parents. Why were they looking at her that way? Had they not realize what she had done to them?

How she had _destroyed _their happiness?

"It's a miracle," Bruce finally diagnosed, shaking his head in disbelief. "I can't believe it. You were getting worse every day...things didn't look too good…"

"Maggie's a fighter," Natasha said with a smile, her fingers curling around Steve's as they stood together beside Maggie's bed. "Just like her parents."

Bruce smiled and nodded. "I'll give you three some time to talk. But eventually, Maggie's gotta eat something. And I'm sure there will be plenty of people who want to visit her."

Both Steve and Natasha nodded while Maggie just silently watched the three of them interact, her memories blurring together and confusion evident in her expression. After Bruce left, Steve and Natasha pulled chairs up to the different sides of Maggie's bed, sitting down with her in between them. They looked so _happy. _

Maggie felt herself crumble once more, her bottom lip quivering as tears blurred her vision. "Why...are you looking at me like that?"

Steve laid a hand over one of hers. "You were asleep, Maggie...for over two weeks. Like Bruce said, we thought...we thought…"

But Maggie shook her head. "I don't...I don't deserve…"

"You were pretty reckless, jumping out in front of harm's way to save that little girl," Natasha said. "But it was you being selfless. You're a hero, Maggie...and we're just glad you're back."

"I...I ruined...I let you suffer..."

Maggie's words made no sense to Steve and Natasha, which a part of her knew deep down, but, for now, Maggie struggled to make sense of the two different worlds - had they really been different? If she was sitting here, in the world she had originated from, that meant she'd ruined Natasha and Steve's opportunity to adopt a second child. She _made them suffer_. What kind of _daughter _was she? She clenched her fists, holding them against the white bed sheets. _Selfish, selfish, selfish..._

"Лапушка, you didn't do anything wrong," Natasha cut in, leaning in closer to her. "You've been asleep these past two weeks; you were pretty much immobilized."

"Did you have a bad dream…?" Steve questioned, concern in his expression.

A...dream…?

Suddenly, everything clicked into place. The differences, the strange world...the perfection of everyone's lives, which Maggie had to "ruin" to return to this world.

That...had been quite the dream indeed. _Nothing more than a dream, right?_

"I...I think it was a dream," Maggie finally managed after a deep breath. (She made a mental note to confront Wanda later.) "Yeah..._just a dream..._Um...what year is it?"

"2034," both Steve and Natasha supplied instantly.

"Oh...thank _God_…" Maggie sighed, relaxing against the pillow behind her back.

"Maggie...what year did you think it was?" Natasha asked after a moment.

"It's going to sound silly, but...I thought it was 1963," Maggie answered, looking between her parents. "I...I had a very strange dream."

"Can you tell us what happened in it?" Steve asked curiously, his tone suggesting Maggie could say no.

But, she thought, perhaps sharing the details of her "dream" would help her distinguish the differences between reality and her experience.

So she began summarizing how she woke up in 1963, as the child of dance teacher Natalia Rogers and cartoonist and non-super soldier Steve Rogers. They lived in Brooklyn, and because there were no Avengers or S.H.I.E.L.D. - as both Peggy Carter and Howard Stark were dead - life was simple, peaceful, and easy. It was just the three of them, but Maggie ended up _liking _it that way.

Maggie purposefully left out the parts with Wanda visiting her dreams (if the whole thing was a dream, then she'd had a true _Inception _experience, she thought), instead explaining that she saw, in the future, Thor, Clint, and Bruce would all lead perfect lives as well, in which they wouldn't suffer from the things that had plagued them throughout their lives before Maggie had come to known them in the real world.

"Basically, it was the perfect world," Maggie finished with a sigh. "No one did anything bad or had to suffer from a tragedy...Mama never trained in the Red Room, and Daddy was never frozen for seventy years...everyone was _happy_."

"How did it end?" Natasha inquired.

"Well...I had to choose whether or not I wanted to come back home, to this world," Maggie said ominously, her tone suddenly more serious. "It turned out that you guys were going to adopt another kid, so I would get a little sibling - a little sister - like I'd always wanted…"

(She left out the part where she willingly destroyed that dream.)

"I had to choose between either continuing to live there and see the perfect world through, or come back here, where I'd originally come from," Maggie finished.

Both Steve and Natasha wore thoughtful expressions for a few moments.

"That sounds like a near-death experience," Steve finally said, drawing both Natasha and Maggie's eyes to him. "I had a similar experience while I was in the ice. Maggie...there's no doubt in my mind that if you had chosen to stay in that other world, you wouldn't have woken back up in this one."

"Good choice in the end," Natasha sighed, relieved.

Maggie frowned. "Was it, though? You were both so happy in the other world, because the tragedies that nearly destroyed both of your lives didn't occur. Even though Uncle Tony wasn't there, Uncle Clint, Uncle Brucie, and Uncle Thor were going to live the completely happy lives. And I'm sure everyone else in our family would have experienced the same joy."

"Sounds like you're still unsure about this whole thing," Steve observed. Maggie nodded.

"But you made the right choice," Natasha insisted, "because you're back here now."

"It was still a lot to give up, though," Steve said, seeming to understand where Maggie was coming from. "In the end, you had to give up something you really wanted as well."

Maggie looked down at her hands in her lap. "I do love you guys, I really do, _so much_...but I always wished for someone else to share that with, y'know? Like a younger sister or brother."

She remembered _really _wanting it when she was younger, but then letting go of it for a while. And given how busy and exhausting Natasha and Steve's lives were, due to their responsibilities between avenging and just caring for Maggie, Maggie felt guilty trying to pressure them into taking on more responsibility in the form of another child. So she stopped asking.

Natasha looked away guiltily at Maggie's words. "Well…"

"Maybe this will make more sense," Steve said, turning to the table at the end of her hospital bed. Following Steve's movements, Maggie noticed several flower vases sitting there, which she figured were "get well soon" gifts from the rest of her family.

Steve picked a white daisy from one vase (Maggie _knew _those were from Skye, _damn her puns_) and a yellow rose from another. He sat back down in his chair beside Maggie, holding both up to her. Natasha also watched closely, intrigued.

"We have two flowers here," Steve said, first raising the rose, "this one grew up in a greenhouse," then raising the daisy, "this one grew up in the wild. Can you tell me which one is better?"

Maggie made a noise of confusion, pursing her lips. "In what way? Appearance? Smell?"

"Or, do you mean by if it's better to grow up in the protection of a greenhouse or in the unpredictable wild?" Natasha questioned.

Steve looked to Natasha and nodded. "Maggie's questions don't have much to do with where these flowers were raised. But that's just it; growing up in either the wild or in domesticity are neither good nor bad things, they just _are_."

"Daddy, I don't really get it," Maggie said, eyebrows furrowed.

"Look at it this way. On one hand, it's good that the rose grew up in a greenhouse, because it never had to stand against a storm or predators, since it was protected from outside variables the whole time," Steve said, laying the rose in Maggie's lap. "Meanwhile, the daisy had to grow up in the field and stand firm through every storm and every predator, fighting each day to just _survive._"

"So, you're saying, the 'perfect' world Maggie went to is like the rose from the greenhouse, while the wild daisy is like the real world, where everyone had to struggle to get to the point they're at today," Natasha summarized.

Steve laid the daisy in Maggie's lap over the rose. "Both of those ways are good ways to grow up, but one is safer while one is more rewarding. The daisy is beautiful and in your hands today because it stood strong through every obstacle it was forced to go through, while the rose only knew what a perfectly protected life was like."

"They're each good for different reasons," Maggie thought aloud, picking up a flower in each hand. "So they're both good choices…"

"And because they're flowers, you can have both of them," Steve said with a smile. "But you can't live in two different realities at the same time. Does that make sense?"

"Either way would have been a fine choice," Maggie said, focusing on the daisy, "but...this was my choice."

"Maggie, something you should remember..." Natasha finally said with a small laugh, bringing Maggie's attention to her. "Choosing between two different worlds...that's something beyond your power."

Steve laughed as well. "That's also true. If anything, that comes closest to Wanda's powers. But, Maggie, you do not have such power, so you are not meant to assume such heavy responsibility."

Maggie's eyes widened as she looked back at the two flowers. Wanda had mentioned something similar to her, back in the other world...she'd mentioned how she never wanted anyone else to see the vast spectrum of parallel realities that she had, because of her powers.

It made sense now. Maggie was caught in the wrong place at the wrong time; she was _never _supposed to weigh different worlds like she was trying to now. And, because she _couldn't _live in both realities at the same time, it really didn't matter. As far as Maggie, a human being, could be concerned, the weird "perfect" world would have simply died with her decision to leave it - it would have ceased to exist because she chose something else, gave preference to a different reality that she believed to be _the _reality. For people with dimension-bending powers like Wanda, there was no one "_the _reality", it was just one of several. But for Maggie, the eighteen year old human girl, her universe consisted of only one world: the one in which she resided.

So, at the end of the day, what mattered most was the present moment, in _this _life...with her parents and everyone else she'd grown up loving. If she stopped to grieve over the failure of another reality - one of many failed realities, since Wanda mentioned that there were other worlds in which something else went wrong - she wouldn't be able to live to the fullest extent in her current life.

"Also, Maggie...it's really sweet of you to want to erase our pasts," Natasha suddenly said, capturing Maggie's attention. "But...without my past, my suffering, my mistakes...this future, my present-day life, wouldn't have been possible."

Steve nodded. "If I hadn't been frozen for decades, I never would have met Mama or the Avengers, and you would have never been born."

"Clint and I would have never stopped each other from going down similar paths of self-destruction," Natasha said. "Through that, I made so many more friends at S.H.I.E.L.D. and was able to apply my skills _correctly. _It's nice that somewhere, somehow, I got to live my dream out as a dancer and still have you both in my life...but, given my current abilities and potential to save lives, I think I'm doing what I'm supposed to do right here, right now."

"Everything happens for a reason," Steve said with a smile. "That's the moral of today's story."

Yes...Steve was right. This world was one that persisted through the worst storms in the field, yet still came out on the other side looking strong and beautiful. The fact that it had braved the worst threats added to its beauty.

But enough of that…

Maggie smirked. "That's one moral; the other is that you should let the Avengers with actual _super speed_ or _magic _handle saving people from oncoming cars, right?"

Both Steve and Natasha looked slightly caught off-guard by Maggie's sudden, lighthearted comment, but they quickly regained their composure enough to share a laugh at Maggie's words.

"Yes...no more avenging for you! It's time for a break," Natasha decided, poking Maggie in the side. "A break _forever._"

"But I'm gonna be a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent soon!" Maggie laughed, swatting Natasha's hand away. "I'm gonna save people every day!"

"While being careful," Steve reminded.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever…"

* * *

After reconnecting with friends and family who'd been worried _sick_ over her condition for the past two weeks, Natasha and Steve shooed everyone out to allow Maggie some time to rest some more (as Bruce had recommended). She'd seen Wanda briefly, but with several other people in the room, so she didn't inquire about her weird near-death experience (though, Wanda had avoided some eye contact with her while she was near Maggie).

Sleep came quickly to her, despite how much of it she had done since the accident. She slept peacefully and soundly, her mind drifting into nothingness (a comforting contrast from her trans-world experience), until she was later woken up by voices just outside her room.

Her enhanced abilities from the super soldier serum had developed alongside her over the years, the sharpened hearing being one of the advantages that came last, just recently. Bruce had mentioned to her briefly after she woke up the first time that her senses would be a little off since she was asleep for a long time, but distant voices suddenly made themselves clear to her ears and pulled her out of her slumber.

It was dark both outside the window and inside the room when Maggie opened her eyes. She quickly recognized Natasha's voice, as she heard her quietly say, "Wanda, what exactly happened?"

As Maggie expected, Wanda was the other voice she detected, as Wanda replied with the same soft volume. "I don't know...All I know was my powers were able to save her."

"Thank you," Natasha said, gratitude filling her voice momentarily. "However...her 'dream.' What the hell was that?"

Judging by the way Natasha said it, she didn't seem to believe that Maggie's "near-death experience" had just been a simple dream that represented her will to live. And Maggie found herself agreeing; if anything, Wanda's vivid presence in the dream proved the experience to be _real_ to Maggie. She believed there truly _were_ worlds out there parallel to her own that Wanda could access with her powers, and that ultimately saved her.

Though, it also destroyed Maggie's parents in the other world, as she abandoned them and destroyed their papers to adopt Jamie. Maggie raised a hand over her head, staring at her fingers and rubbing them together to feel for any debris or ash from the burnt paperwork. She squeezed her eyes shut when a flicker of orange briefly consumed her vision.

"It was a dream, caused by my powers, yes," Wanda quickly reassured Natasha. "It was nothing but a dream."

"Steve thinks it was a near-death experience."

"Perhaps," Wanda said, her voice casual. "Who knows what would have happened had Maggie chosen not to return?"

_You know what would have happened,_ she silently told Wanda as she opened her eyes. _You were the one that told me everything about this "alternate world", anyway._

Maggie figured Wanda was trying to spare Natasha from having to carry this multi-world burden with them. As long as the visions and the dreams Wanda's powers gave people glimpses to remained nothing but visions and dreams to them, there would be no problems.

But now Maggie had been exposed. She knew that Wanda carried a heavier load than anyone would expect, maybe more than even Pietro would expect.

"Did you see her dream?" Natasha asked lowly.

"...Yes and no," Wanda replied. "I saw a few glimpses of it whenever I sat by Maggie's bedside. I could not fully submerge myself, however, without getting trapped in her mind until she woke up."

That made sense, now that Maggie thought of her weird dream encounters with Wanda in which she could not make physical contact with her. Hell, Maggie couldn't even _move_ in those dreams. If Wanda fully submerged herself, she would probably have to sin as well to leave.

Natasha sighed. "I'm sorry to confront you like this...I just wanted…"

"You wanted to know what Maggie was talking about when she explained her dream to you and Steve," Wanda finished for her. "It's understandable. From what I saw, it was a very pleasant dream. Everyone was happy."

"She was torn on whether or not she should come back here," Natasha said.

"I think any of us would...it's not often that you get a high roll in the dice of life; I think all of us here are very familiar with the low rolls," Wanda said.

That was a good analogy for it, Maggie thought. If life was a constant gamble, she'd argue that many of her family members had lost it all multiple times throughout their lives; with just one roll, each of them managed to lose their chips and suffer the consequences. Whether or not they deserved to struggle was one thing, but that was a variable independent of what actually transpired in their lives.

And yet, as Steve and Natasha pointed out earlier...their worst experiences were the most character building, and because they suffered, they achieved the current lives they led now, with each other to depend on and help recover from all of the low rolls of the dice. Their bad days enabled them to have good days.

The door to her room suddenly opened, and Maggie quickly closed her eyes, trying to feign sleep. As long as the room remained dark, nobody would notice (otherwise, Natasha would bust her the moment she walked into the room because she was _just_ that good).

"Are you going to stay up with her?" Maggie heard Wanda ask Natasha.

"Of course. Steve went to go get some food to bring back, so he can stay up with me," Natasha replied. "Just like every night."

Maggie resisted opening her eyes in surprise; her parents...they stayed up, all night, just to watch her sleep, _every single night_ she had been out?

Her guilt from almost choosing the other world over this one temporarily consumed her once more. Sure, her other parents had never wronged her, but she couldn't allow the hard work and unconditional love of her real parents go to waste by willfully leaving them as she almost had.

Natasha's phone vibrated then. Maggie assumed she took a few moments to check it before she spoke to Wanda again. "Steve wants me to come help him bring some more stuff in for Maggie tomorrow, when she gets up. Can you stay with her for a few minutes? We'll be right back."

"Yes, of course," Wanda said.

Maggie listened to Natasha's footsteps grow distant, followed by the sound of the door closing. She opened her eyes.

"You're awake," Wanda said simply, but unsurprisingly.

"The sound of your guys' voices woke me up," Maggie answered, turning her head to meet Wanda's eyes. She sighed.

"Sorry about that," Wanda apologized, the faint light of the city below revealing her small, sheepish smile. "We sometimes forget you inherited your father's hearing abilities."

"I forget sometimes, too," Maggie shrugged.

Then she grew serious. This was her chance to confront Wanda about the other world and her powers that had granted Maggie access to it.

"Wanda, the world I was in then...it was…"

"A dream," Wanda answered quickly, echoing her own words to Natasha moments prior, but with a sharper edge to her voice this time. Maggie knew that Wanda knew that Maggie knew it was _real _(Maggie had to shake her head a bit to clear the confusion just from that statement), and was probably just trying to protect her, too. "Just a vision. Like the ones I gave your parents when I first met them."

But Maggie frowned, knowing better. Wanda was the type of person to go out of her way to limit the reach of her suffering to just herself, but now that Maggie had been exposed to the depths of her power, she was not going to let that happen. "Wanda, you're lying."

Wanda turned away, biting her lip.

Maggie raised her hands so she could study them, remembering the feeling of flames licking her skin. "So, I...I really _hurt _Mama and Daddy, because I chose to come back...I did that to my own _parents_..."

She inhaled shakily, but Wanda walked closer to her and sat down on her bed, laying a hand on Maggie's forehead. Wanda shook her head.

"That's not the world that actually _matters_," Wanda said, retracting her hand. "_This _is _the _world. Don't get confused by alternate, paralleling realities."

"Are there many others?" Maggie questioned. "More than just that one and this one?"

"There are always many others...it's like the Schrodinger's Cat Theory, which you may know already," Wanda said, turning her eyes back to meet Maggie's, the light just barely hitting them. "The cat is in the box, but is it dead or alive? For each possibility, there is an existing reality. Perhaps it is alive, but has orange fur. Or maybe it's dead and has orange fur. It could also be alive and have black fur."

Maggie shook her head. "Wanda, I _seriously_ don't understand how your powers work sometimes. Besides levitating stuff and giving people visions, at least."

"You're lucky," Wanda said dryly, looking out the window. "I only give enemies brief _glimpses _of the depths of this expansive universe. Going back to the cats, if normal people can only see the box from the outside, they only know that there is supposedly a cat inside because somebody told them. My powers enable me to see inside each different box and know, with certainty, what is inside. I feel every moment of other realities alongside this present one...it's like having a television set with surround sound on the highest volume, and you can't turn it off. "

"Um...if you ever want to talk about it, you can talk to me," Maggie said softly. "I guess out of everyone I have the most experience with this whole 'multiple worlds' thing, now…"

Wanda smiled, looking back to Maggie. "You are one of the most important variables in each reality. Whether you live or die...whether both, one, or neither of your parents live, or which Avengers survive...many of these moments revolve around you."

"Is that why I was able to travel to a different reality?" Maggie questioned.

"Maybe," Wanda said, standing up with a stretch. "But, for now, this is the world you have fought to protect."

"At the expense of another world," Maggie reminded.

Wanda shook her head, looking toward the door. "Like your father said earlier: the greenhouse and the wild field. Given the circumstances and characters at play...you chose the one with more value."

She turned back to Maggie then. "You should get back to sleep now, before your parents come and ask you why you're awake this late."

Maggie yawned, feeling the familiar lull of exhaustion tugging her eyes closed. "I suppose you're right..."

"Goodnight, small one," Wanda said, leaning down and pressing a gentle kiss to Maggie's forehead. "I wish you the sweetest of dreams. Cherish this world in which tragedy transformed the lives of many into a very, very beautiful family."

Maggie nodded, and closed her eyes. "G'night…"

* * *

**A/N:** Let me start this off by addressing Jamie's existence - for those of you who follow my fanfic tumblr, **pikapegasus**, you probably saw our discussion about Maggie being an older sister! A few of us exchanged some ideas about it and I just really fell in love with the whole thing. Initially, the idea was that Natasha would get pregnant again, but then I just thought of adoption and believed that to be a bit more realistic. I personally envisioned Jamie as some mix of Asian/Pacific Islander ethnicities, but I left it kinda open so you guys can picture her however you want!

That being said, now to the meat of this chapter...a perfect world or an imperfect one? If you had the choice to live a life without the hardships you've faced in the past, would you accept it? Like Steve said to Maggie, neither choice is wrong. What makes them good and bad are reasons unique from each other. Just in this past year, I've found myself constantly wishing for some sort of flawless scenario for many of my friends who have suffered, but it really wouldn't be the same as the present moment that we've all struggled to attain.

Thanks for reading! Have a lovely day!


	83. Suddenly

_Alternate Universe._

* * *

The world was a scary place.

Tony ran a hand over his face, momentarily covering his eyes and releasing a pained sigh. He loosely held onto a glass of scotch in his other hand, carelessly tipping the glass as he leaned against the marble counter. A scream threatened to erupt from his throat as his anger and regret and sorrow all pulled him at once.

The news report on the television only added to his distress.

"_There have been no updates in the sudden and unexpected death of Pepper Potts, CEO of Stark Industries," _the black-haired, tan reporter said nonchalantly, clearly unaffected by her death. Tony scowled. _"Many are speculating it was a heart attack, given the stress of-"_

Tony silenced the TV with a wave of his hand, prompting JARVIS to shut it off.

A part of him desired to shatter his glass against the wall (which, only a week after Pepper's death, he'd done countless times since), but a strange feeling of exhaustion washed over him. He opened his eyes with another sigh, standing up straight and walking around the counter to the sink, where he deposited his half-empty glass.

He could almost hear Pepper making a comment about his negative attitude, teasingly chirping something about the glass being _half-full_ and how Iron Man should be more _optimistic_. Tony's grip on the counter intensified at the sudden thoughts, his eyes stinging with anger.

Pepper had died of a "heart attack" - at least, that's what the media thought, and what the coroner _tried _to convince Tony of. But he knew better.

In the years since HYDRA's emergence from S.H.I.E.L.D., there had been many "sudden and unexpected" deaths. For one thing, Steve and Natasha seemed to have dropped off the face of the Earth when S.H.I.E.L.D. fell - Tony had no idea what became of them. Following them, Clint suddenly died in a "tragic car accident" in California, Bruce also disappeared (probably fleeing the growing threat of HYDRA and corruption in the government, if his disappearance was of his own will), and Thor never returned from Asgard.

Tony had been suspicious all along. Except for Thor's seemingly exclusive dedication to Asgard, he'd seen none of his teammates in _years_, nor had he contacted them, and they all just…_poofed. _Maybe Clint really _did_ die in a car accident, but Tony wouldn't be surprised if the accident had been _intentionally _caused by another party.

Pepper would usually try to reassure Tony by proving his anxieties impossible, but as each Avenger disappeared, she began to grow suspicious, too. Tony suspected he would be next - it made sense, since the other five were out of the way - so he and Pepper increased security tenfold. He'd nearly convinced Pepper to go into hiding with him.

And she seemed more open to the idea recently…until he received a phone call stating that she suddenly collapsed at an S.I. meeting and died before being taken to the hospital. They told him it had been a heart attack or aneurysm or _something _neither of them could see coming, but Tony was doubtful.

He suspected she was assassinated_._

If HYDRA was in S.H.I.E.L.D. and the federal government, who was to say they weren't in his company? Despite his and Pepper's best efforts, there was no guarantee that they were completely safe, even in their own company. All it would take was isolating and cornering Pepper, or slipping something into her drink or food, or _anything_, because she was just…_normal._

She wasn't a super soldier or demi-god or a man in metal armor; she was _innocent._

Clearly, whoever killed her, did so to get to Tony. And _of course _it would get to him, because this was _Pepper. His _Pepper_._ His most trusted companion and the love of his life.

When his anxiety would take over, she was there. When his efforts to protect the vulnerable people of this world seemed useless, she was there. Whenever Tony simply needed someone to be with him, _she was there._

But now…now he was alone.

And he had to _avenge _her.

"_Sir, there is a transmission coming from an encrypted line."_

JARVIS' voice cut through Tony's thick thoughts. He pulled out his cell phone, watching the screen come to life.

"Where's it coming from?" he questioned JARVIS, wondering who would try to contact him this way. Perhaps one of the people who helped kill Pepper and the other Avengers, coming after him now, trying to scare him with threats? A part of him accepted the fate, ready to forget this dark world and move onto the next (should there be one).

"_It appears to be coming from a small hotel in Stalingrad, Russia-"_

"_Stark."_

The familiar, deep voice cut JARVIS off, as the caller sliced through Tony's security. Of course. He snorted. Given the person contacting him, _of course_ he would override his security protocol.

"Fury," Tony returned half-heartedly. Perhaps, nine years ago, he'd toy with Fury a bit, exchanging snarky remarks with him, then catching Pepper up on the whole, ridiculous conversation later. He bit his lip at the sudden reminder of her. "Aren't you supposed to be _dead_?"

He couldn't help the bitterness in his voice. Why did _Fury _get to suddenly resurrect? What about Pepper or the others?

"_Nicholas Fury is dead, as of 2014,"_ Fury said, as monotone as ever. _"I'm not contacting you as the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. There is no more S.H.I.E.L.D."_

"Tell me something new." Though, Tony had to admit, he was curious as to what Fury would want from him now - he'd hardly done any missions as Iron Man in _years_, as Pepper had stressed over the toll it was taking on his health, combined with the mental stress he suffered from working with the Avengers until S.H.I.E.L.D. went to hell.

"_Firstly, I'm sorry about Ms. Potts," _Fury said, his voice surprisingly…_soft._ Tony crinkled his nose at the strange display of sympathy. _"She didn't deserve this."_

"It's my fault," Tony blurted out, his feelings suddenly twisting his tongue in a way he hadn't intended. "It wasn't natural, no matter what anyone says."

"_I suspect the same," _Fury admitted. _"Do you have any leads?"_

"My guess is just HYDRA in general."

"_Ah. Which brings me to the real reason I've contacted you…"_

Tony swallowed against the lump in his throat. "Yes?"

"_As I said, I'm not your boss anymore. I'm calling you as a _friend_," _Fury said. Tony raised an eyebrow. Since when had he and Fury been _friends_? _"It's dire."_

"Well, then, get on with it."

"_Captain Rogers and Agent Romanoff have been off the grid since 2014, when they fought __HYDRA__ at the Triskelion," _Fury began. _"__HYDRA__'s been on their tail since that day, hence why Rogers and Romanoff went into hiding together."_

Wait, was he saying…they were still _alive?_

"Fury…"

"_Unfortunately, Captain Rogers was killed by __HYDRA__ agents about four years ago," _Fury said before Tony could ask. Tony clenched his fists. _"Agent Romanoff, on the other hand…"_

Tony's breath caught in his throat, and he slammed his hand down on the counter. "_Nick_, you be straight with me, is Natasha _alive_?"

"_Yes, but she's in danger. She's been captured by __HYDRA__, here in Stalingrad. I have a few, select, former agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. here working the case, but we need you…_Natasha _needs you, Stark."_

The physical world around Tony seemed to stop, the ticking of the clock in the room ceasing as the moment dragged out. Tony exhaled loudly, blinking quickly as tears suddenly filled his eyes. He _wasn't_ alone, _Natasha_ was…!

When he thought of Natasha, he thought of her dry humor and wit, the subtle twinkle of _mischief_ always in her eyes (even when she'd been undercover as Natalie Rushman), and her tough demeanor. Though she didn't broadcast it, she cared about others both widely and deeply, as she put up with a _lot _of shit while with the Avengers. She'd connected with each member of the team in her own, unique ways, making herself a dependable friend and ally in and out of battle. Tony smiled fondly at his memories of bantering with her in Russian (which, he would argue, helped him and Pepper perfect their own Russian skills), their spats usually lasting until Natasha threatened him or Tony fled after she'd use her freaky assassin _glare _on him.

Pepper had grown closer to her in the time since Natasha's undercover mission with them. She often took Natasha out to lunch to catch up on Avengers gossip (Tony would groan every time they wandered off together). When Natasha never came home (because Pepper _insisted_ the tower be Natasha's home, just as it was hers and Tony's) after the fight at the Triskelion in 2014, Pepper was _devastated._ Tony couldn't help but feel the same.

"Send me the coordinates. I'll be there," Tony growled into the phone, pushing himself away from the counter and walking toward the elevator. He just needed to gather a few things, make sure his suit was still in order, and get the quinjet ready.

"_Thank you, Stark. See you soon."_

* * *

Tony disguised himself as he walked through the busy streets of Stalingrad, taking a page from Steve's book and wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses to cover most of his face. He felt ridiculous in the outfit (which would probably add to his cover, as Tony Stark always dressed _sharply_), but hurried to the hotel Fury gave him the coordinates for.

He nodded a silent greeting to the lady working the front desk, brushing up on some basic Russian in his head. Because of Natasha's absence, he'd had no one to speak to in Russian and lost some of it; now that he was in Russia, he should _probably _fix that.

Once he reached the room labeled the number Fury told him, Tony knocked softly on the door, mumbling some bullshit in Russian about going out to the bar later for drinks. Fury answered with an unamused expression, his own eyes disguised with sunglasses.

"Glad you could make it," he greeted Tony coolly, letting him in and locking the door behind him. Tony took his sunglasses off, glancing around the room. It was sparsely decorated, with the only sign of someone living there being a dark duffle bag sitting on the floor.

"I love what you've done with the place," Tony remarked sarcastically, turning to face Fury. "Now, then, what's the plan?"

"Coulson's team-"

Right. _Coulson _was alive as well; Tony remembered how shocked (and a little betrayed) both he and Pepper felt at the news. Last Tony had heard, he was working with his own team of agents for S.H.I.E.L.D. They must have continued working under the radar after S.H.I.E.L.D. fell.

"-is on their way. We think we've found the HYDRA base in an abandoned warehouse just outside of the city."

Tony nodded. "Gotta hand it to Romanoff for being able to hide this long…she was with Cap this whole time? Well, at least until he, y'know…"

Fury exhaled, gesturing toward the wooden desk and chair in his room. "There's a lot you need to be debriefed on. You might want to sit down for this."

A part of Tony resisted at Fury's suggestion, his curiosity piquing at Fury's words. What did he mean? What else could there be to it? Tony obliged after a few moments, pulling the chair out and turning it toward Fury, sitting down in it. He looked up at Fury.

"Before D.C…did you notice anything between Rogers and Romanoff?"

Tony blinked. "If you're asking if they were sleeping together, I'm not sure about that. But there was an _attraction_ there. They also grew really close from the missions they completed together for S.H.I.E.L.D."

Pepper had been the one to point it out to Tony, but he'd unconsciously noticed it before then as well. Natasha and Steve seemed to act…_in sync_ with one another, both on and off the battlefield. They had a healthy companionship, easily one of the closest pairs on the team, perhaps save for Clint and Natasha. But, he quickly learned after the Battle of New York, they weren't in a relationship.

Steve and Natasha, though…_that_ he could see happening.

Judging by Fury's small frown, that seemed to be what happened. "It seems being on the run together only strengthened that attraction. They were partners in all meanings of the word."

Tony made a face. "So, they had sex."

"Funny you should say that," Fury said, leaning back against his queen-sized bed. He relaxed his hands on the edge of the mattress on either side of him. "Just over five years ago, I was supposed to rendezvous with them; they didn't tell me why, but said it was urgent. Unfortunately, due to HYDRA activity that night, I couldn't make it. But then I received this picture in the mail…"

He reached into his pocket, pulling out an envelope. It was addressed to a place Tony didn't recognize, but it didn't have a return address. Fury pulled a small picture out and handed it to Tony.

Tony's eyes flicked from Fury's extended hand and his shaded eyes. What could this picture mean…? He accepted it with trembling fingers, a part of his mind already completing its calculations and screaming the explanation to Tony.

It…was a picture of a baby. Her eyes were opened narrowly, just bright blue slits on her pinkish, pale face. She had a layer of red fuzz on her head, her hands resting against her chest as her nose crinkled at the camera. A pink blanket covered most of her body, which Tony assumed to be an indication of the gender.

Then, he noticed it.

There was a shield embroidered into the bottom right hand corner of the blanket, the red, white, and blue design standing out boldly from the otherwise light pink fabric.

Tony swallowed thickly, his mouth failing him for a few moments.

"The baby…"

"It's theirs," Fury said softly. "_She's_ theirs."

"This…this complicates things," he said weakly, his eyes glued to the small picture.

Fury nodded. "I now believe they wanted me to rendezvous with them that night to take her. They were still on the run, and, knowing them, they would never want a child to have to go through that with them."

"But you didn't make it," Tony finished the story himself, unable to stop the tear that escaped his eye. He wiped it away with his sleeve, gently rubbing his thumb over the head of the baby.

"Turn the picture over."

Tony obeyed silently, quickly finding the scrawl he recognized to be Steve's handwriting on the bottom left hand corner. It was messier than anything Tony had seen Steve write before, but, given the circumstances, it made sense.

He only wrote one word, one name.

"_Maggie…_" Tony read aloud, laying his thumb over the years-old writing. He wiped at his eyes again, flipping the picture over so he could stare at the newborn, _Maggie_, once more. "Did HYDRA…?"

He didn't want to finish the sentence, fearing the truth in his own words. If Steve was dead, that meant HYDRA had attacked him - Natasha, and _Maggie_, would no doubt be with him when such an attack occurred. Tony wasn't sure how Steve died, but the chances of Maggie surviving a HYDRA attack as a defenseless infant weren't strong.

But, _thank God_, Fury shook his head. "That's the reason Natasha is still alive. She is more loyal than she'd ever admit to either of us - she wouldn't have left Steve behind without good reason."

Tony mulled it over in his mind for a moment, bringing the picture closer to himself and sighing. "Maggie was the good reason."

"Exactly. Which is why this mission is urgent," Fury said, redirecting the conversation to the main problem at hand. "If Natasha has been captured, there's no doubt Maggie is with her, and it won't take HYDRA long to figure out who her father is."

Tony clenched his free hand angrily, the same anger from Pepper's death bubbling up within him once more. "We need to get them out. _Fast_."

Fury's phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out, reading the message in a few, quick seconds. "Looks like it's time to go."

Tony stood up, holding the picture against his chest. Not only would he be avenging Steve today, but he _needed _to save Natasha and Maggie. Both for Steve's sake and his; Tony could _protect_ them. He was also curious about Maggie, who would be five years old now - what was she like? She was, no doubt, as strong as both her mother and her father, and probably had a witty sense of humor (Tony recalled witnessing Steve and Natasha exchange dry remarks on more than one occasion). But she was also five, and deserved love and protection. Natasha, of course, would work her _ass _off to provide that, because she was just that kind of person. Tony wanted to help.

"Keep that picture," Fury said when Tony held it out to return it to him. "Right now, you need it more than me."

* * *

"I say we go in and just _destroy _them. No mercy."

Tony nodded his agreement at Coulson's younger agent's, Daisy "Skye" Johnson, words. Though she'd introduced herself as such, it appeared that everyone just called her Daisy, so Tony figured he'd just follow them.

Daisy frowned in conjunction with her words, but Coulson shook his head. "We need to focus on getting Natasha, and, if necessary, Maggie out, first. That's the objective of this mission, above all else."

"I might snap a few bones with my quakes, no promises," Daisy warned, her expression contrasting with the _might _in her words, suggesting she would _absolutely _snap a few bones with her earthquake powers. Tony liked her already.

"FitzSimmons can run comms," another agent, whom Tony had been introduced to as Melinda May, decided. She exuded a _no nonsense _attitude that reminded Tony of Natasha; he felt the urge to mess with her, which he figured stemmed from his friendship with Natasha. "Since they already have the layout of the base."

FitzSimmons was two separate people, surprisingly. Fitz was the guy and Simmons was the girl, though both of them were scientists who babbled about their admiration for Tony and his work when they were introduced to him. He couldn't help the prideful smirk that filled his face at their words.

"We have reason to believe HYDRA is interested in using Maggie's blood to replicate Captain Rogers' super soldier serum," Simmons said, looking at everyone sadly. "Because of this, we aren't sure what condition she will be in, if HYDRA has been…"

Her voice trailed off in quiet defeat. Fitz picked up where she left off. "Human experimentation is nothing new to HYDRA So, be careful when you approach Maggie. She'll be weak."

"Agent Romanoff, on the other hand, is just a side project," Fury interjected. "If they have Maggie, they have the super soldier serum, so there is no reason to keep Agent Romanoff around."

"The super soldier serum makes this tricky," Coulson said. "We can't let HYDRA have a _drop _of Maggie's blood. They've already had Tasha and Maggie for three days, so there's no telling what state they'll be in, or how much of the super soldier serum they've managed to figure out."

Tony swallowed nervously. He could only hope against hope that both Natasha and Maggie were still _alive_; he silently called upon Steve, and Pepper, and the other Avengers, asking them to somehow protect Natasha and Maggie.

"We better get moving, then," Tony said. Coulson and his team nodded.

"Bring them home, agents," Fury said, though his voice lacked its usual commanding tone. He just sounded _tired_. Tony figured that was his way of expressing his worry.

Tony nodded, looking out to his own quinjet parked beside the quinjet they stood in now, that Coulson's team arrived on.

"I'll go get my suit, then I'll meet you out there."

* * *

Tony walked quietly through the dark base with Coulson and Fury flanking him on either side. Daisy and May entered the base through the opposite side. They would, hopefully, meet up at the middle, one group having found and rescued Natasha and/or Maggie, but Tony had a feeling such an ideal scenario wouldn't work out.

The light of the arc reactor powering his suit guided Tony forward. The walls and floors were varying shades of gray, emphasizing how…_dull _this whole place was. He was no stranger to being held hostage in scary places, and while Natasha may have been well-versed in such an art, Tony had a feeling five year old Maggie wouldn't be as _comfortable_ with this.

They'd taken out the guards outside who stood in front of the door, but had yet to encounter any more inside. Tony made a _tsk _sound.

"Where are they?" he whispered. "Shouldn't they be protecting their stuff?"

"They might be trying to keep this op on the down low," Coulson guessed quietly. "The daughter of Captain America is a pretty big deal, unfortunately…"

"_Sir, I detect three hostiles approaching you from the right at the next intersection."_

"Thanks, J." Tony looked to Coulson and Fury, who both nodded at JARVIS' words.

As predicted, three HYDRA agents rounded the corner and ran toward them, guns blazing. They yelled to each other in Russian, and one of them pulled out a small radio to alert everyone else of the intruders.

"I don't think so!" Tony quickly blasted his hand, destroying the radio. The HYDRA agent grunted in pain.

Coulson and Fury quickly jumped into action, ducking behind large crates lining the walls when the other two agents began shooting at them. Tony, growing impatient with the whole thing, flew at them, blasting them and knocking them back.

"Stark! Go on ahead!" Fury yelled when Tony landed. "We'll take care of the agents; go get Romanoff!"

Tony didn't need to hear that twice. He leapt into the air of the tight space, carefully flying through the long, ominous corridor. "JARVIS, find Romanoff for me. And look for a five year old girl, too."

* * *

JARVIS located Natasha first; FitzSimmons guided Tony down a darker hallway over the comms. He looked to his right and noticed metal bars, forming individual cells along the wall. Tony inhaled nervously, walking carefully through the hall.

What shape would she be in? If she were in _any _shape at all…

"_I detect her heartbeat, so she is alive," _JARVIS stated, reminding Tony.

Tony nodded numbly at JARVIS' words. Though she was alive, Tony had a feeling she wasn't completely unscathed from this. As Fury had pointed out earlier, HYDRA needed Maggie more than they needed Natasha; it wouldn't be a huge loss to just discard her.

But her heart was still beating, which was already better than the worst case scenario. Tony tried to reassure himself. Many people were counting on him to find her: Fury and Coulson, of course, but their team, their _family_…the rest of the Avengers, whose whereabouts were unknown or nonexistent, and Pepper, who prided herself in calling Natasha her _friend_, would all be counting on Tony to aid Natasha because they could not.

And Maggie…Tony was sure Steve was a great father, for the time he was _able _to be a father. He needed to avenge that loss, the bright light in Maggie's life that was brutally snuffed out by HYDRA, for the whole, small family's sake. He promised himself he would.

A noise suddenly pulled him from his thoughts.

JARVIS didn't alert him of any hostiles, so Tony quickened his pace, following the source of the sound. It _had _to be her. It just _had _to be.

Tony walked quickly to one of the final cells (all of the others were strangely empty…), stopping when he caught sight of a small hand wrapped around one of the metal bars. The fingers trembled slightly, their nails uneven from what Tony knew to be the uneasy habit of nail biting; he'd witnessed her exhibiting it once.

So he recognized that hand.

"_Natasha_," Tony exhaled, turning to face her cell. His eyes widened slightly at the sight.

Natasha had managed to grasp the bars with her hand, but, other than that, she looked…well, she hardly looked _alive._ Her breathing was labored, her expression one of pain. Now that Tony looked closely at her hand on the bars, her knuckles were bruised, as was the rest of her body. She'd fought someone recently.

"Natasha," Tony repeated, crouching down beside her collapsed body.

She carefully opened her eyes, looking up at Tony through narrowed, green slits. "T-Tony…?"

"Yes, it's me," Tony quickly said. He leaned back slightly, using the repuslor beam from his right hand to slice through the bars. Natasha released the metal as it clattered against the ground and Tony pulled her out, helping her sit up against the wall opposite the cell.

"Oh, thank God…" Natasha said weakly, coughing and leaning her head back against the concrete wall. "They didn't get you yet."

"They got everyone else," Tony murmured, deactivating his helmet to reveal his face. He placed a metal hand over Natasha's flesh one. "I'm so sorry, Tasha, I didn't know where you were, or that you were still alive…"

"S'okay," Natasha mumbled, offering Tony a small smile. "You're here now."

Tony quickly looked her over for injuries. It just appeared that she had been in a fight, which was not a new sight to him, but Natasha's breathing and fatigue seemed to suggest otherwise. "JARVIS, scan for injuries."

Natasha coughed again, taking Tony's hand in both of hers. "No, Tony, you have to go get her…you have to go get _Maggie._"

"I will, once I make sure you're safe," Tony reassured her. "JARVIS, alert the others that I found Natasha, and give them her location."

"_Yes, sir. Agent Romanoff seems to be suffering from several lacerations, as well as malnutrition. I believe one of her injuries is infected. Also, there seems to be an unknown drug in her system…"_

"_Tony_," Natasha gasped, grasping his hand with more ferocity, "_please_, they gave it to Maggie, too, they're testing some new biological weapon, something that can make even _enhanced people _fatally ill…Tony, _please…_"

She started crying.

Tony had never seen Natasha cry before. He'd never imagine she'd look so young and pitiful as tears leaked from her eyes, small sobs shaking her body with soft sounds of distress escaping her mouth. He nodded vigorously, feeling his own emotions in his eyes.

"Yes, Nat, I'll go get her, _I promise_, I'll protect her, just hang on here."

"She should be in the lab, I think," Natasha said through tears, sniffling with each inhale. "Tony, I can never repay you, _thank you_."

Tony stood up, shaking his head. "No, none of this debt shit anymore, alright? Fuck your ledger, I don't care. You're my _friend_, Natasha. And I've been gone for too long. _Let me help you._"

"_Agent Coulson is on his way now. He is about to enter this hall." _

"Thanks, JARVIS," Tony said, reactivating his helmet and letting it cover his head once more. "I'll be back, Natasha. I _promise._"

Natasha nodded, her teary eyes moving slowly. The exhaustion from whatever was in her system seemed to be setting in. Tony cursed under his breath.

"Coulson will be here soon, alright? Stay awake until then, that's an order."

"You're not…the boss of me," Natasha slurred with a smirk, hear head sliding slightly to the side against the wall behind her. "Just…go get my daughter."

"Roger that."

* * *

FitzSimmons identified the lab for Tony, directing him from Natasha's location. He walked quickly once more, the image of Natasha's weakened state in his mind - if HYDRA's little science experiment could defeat the fiery, fighting spirit of Natasha, what would it do to a little girl like Maggie?

He tried to remind himself Maggie was also Steve's daughter - she _had _the super soldier serum running through her veins, as well as Steve's stubborn and persistent nature in her DNA. Surely, that counted for something?

"_The doors in front of you should lead to the lab," _Simmons chirped in his ear. _"Judging by Natasha's words, Maggie should be in a similar, sickly state as her…"_

"Once I get her, I'm leaving," Tony said. He promised Natasha he'd save Maggie; he wasn't taking any chances.

This whole thing reminded of him of Schrodinger's Cat; just behind the lab doors, Maggie was somewhere inside. But, like the cat inside the box, was she alive or…? Tony decided to stop there; he had no way of knowing until he looked inside. He tried opening the doors, but found them locked. Sighing, he forced them open with his suit, throwing the doors open with a grunt.

"Maggie?" Tony called. He then stepped inside, but quickly identified her by sound. A small cough reached his ears from the opposite side of the room. He hurried over, his metal feet _clanging _with each step. "Maggie, are you in here?"

A small, soft voice answered him, weighed down by the same exhaustion Natasha had exhibited.

But, unlike Natasha (or, perhaps, _very like _Natasha), this voice replied in nervous Russian.

She spoke too quietly for Tony to completely understand what she was saying. He finally stopped when he reached a lab table pushed up against the wall, next to a tall wooden bookshelf. (He didn't want to know what kinds of shit HYDRA documented and kept records of in this lab.)

Seeing her, Tony was instantly able to recognize her as Maggie. Though the only picture of her he had to go off of was a baby picture, the similarities to her parents was evident. Her face and hair mirrored those of Natasha, though Maggie's hair was much, much longer (touching _at least _past her mid-back area) and, upon closer inspection, her face had the slightest hint of freckles that Tony figured came from Steve's Irish descent.

Despite her coughing, Maggie looked…_peaceful._ She was sitting up on the table, leaning her head against the tall bookshelf beside her. She wore a light green sundress, though Tony spotted several stains on the edges (probably because she hadn't changed clothes since before she was captured). Her cheeks were flushed - probably a fever from whatever drug HYDRA had put in her - and she shivered ever so slightly, despite it being the middle of July. If hearts could physically melt, Tony would admit his probably did at the sight.

Maggie murmured something in Russian once more and Tony realized she was sleeping. Though the position looked anything _but _comfortable, Maggie seemed content. Tony lowered his helmet once again.

"I've got Maggie," he murmured into the comms. "She's sleeping, but she looks feverish and is shivering."

"_Get her back here as quickly as you can," _Simmons ordered. _"Fury and Coulson are bringing Agent Romanoff back as we speak. I need to see both of them immediately."_

Tony nodded, though Simmons wouldn't be able to see. She reminded him of Bruce, with her extensive knowledge of the human body and how to treat it. His heart ached momentarily for Bruce; he wished he could introduce him to Simmons.

Maggie's breathing changed, pulling Tony from his thoughts. He watched as her eyes fluttered open, her left hand rising to wipe the sleep from her eyes. Even like this, Maggie looked unbothered and content.

"Hey, Maggie," Tony greeted softly, stepping closer to her. "I'm Tony. I'm friends with your mom and I'm here to rescue you."

Maggie blinked, her expression remaining unchanged. Tony blinked back, waiting for her to say something, or react, or just emote in general.

"_Where is my Mama?" _Maggie quickly babbled in Russian, her words nearly flying over Tony before he could catch and understand them.

Then he realized: Maggie only spoke Russian. Natasha specifically raised her as such (plus, it made sense, since they lived in _Russia_), probably to help maintain their cover in hiding from HYDRA.

Tony quickly switched his brain into Russian, trying to recall every tidbit of the language he'd exchanged with Natasha in the past. "Alright, let's see, I'm a bit rusty…_Your mother is outside. I am her friend. I have come to rescue you._"

He nearly patted himself on the back for those multi-lingual skills.

Maggie blinked again, but, this time, her rosy cheeks stretched with a warm smile that reached her eyes. She nodded in understanding. "_No more bad guys?_"

Tony nodded, moving to pick her up. "_No more bad guys. I will protect you._"

She threaded her arms around his neck as he grabbed her. He held her close to his chest (not too close, however - his Iron Man suit wasn't exactly known for being _soft_), smiling to himself. The mission had been successful.

"I've got Maggie; we're heading out now," Tony reported to his comms as he walked out of the lab. Maggie curiously poked the arc reactor on the chest plate.

"_Are you made of metal?_" she inquired, her vibrant blue eyes looking up to him for answers.

"_Um…sort of?_" Tony answered, trying to remember more Russian vocab. "_It's a…costume._"

He couldn't remember the fucking word for _suit_. Goddammit. He grumbled and uttered one of the curses Natasha had taught him under his breath.

Maggie laughed at him. "_You're funny._"

"_Thanks._"

Her touch lingered over the light in Tony's chest as she drew swirls and circles with her index finger. She studied the details of the area surrounding the light attentively, her mouth twisting to the side in thought. "_If you're Mama's friend, are you my friend?_"

Tony nearly stopped walking then, surprised by her innocent warmth, but remembered that he needed to _hurry_. He found himself smiling at Maggie's words.

"_Yes, I am your friend._"

* * *

"Maggie!"

Though she looked more sickly and weak than when Tony had first found her, Natasha's demeanor brightened considerably when he entered the quinjet with Maggie in his arms. Daisy and May brought up the rear behind him, after having destroyed most of the lab (though taking a few of HYDRA's experimental chemicals and journals back with them) once Tony had extracted Maggie; May nodded a quick greeting in Natasha's general direction before stalking off to the pilot's seat. (Thankfully, Tony had programmed his quinjets to have a strong autopilot feature years ago, so he could control it from inside Coulson's quinjet.) Within moments, they were up in the air.

Fury and Coulson stood beside the cot Simmons managed to wrangle Natasha onto. By the looks of it, Simmons was _still _struggling with Natasha, as she placed a careful hand over Natasha's arm to stop her from sitting up.

"_Please_, Agent Romanoff, I need to finish," she fussed, her eyes darker than Tony had seen so far. He wondered if she'd made any progress in curing Natasha of HYDRA's fatal-ailment-drug-thing Natasha had mentioned. Natasha conceded and Simmons turned to Fitz, listing Natasha's injuries and ailments to him. He nodded along to her words.

Natasha kept her face turned toward Tony and Maggie's approaching forms, her eyes watering as her lips quivered in a smile. Maggie smiled as well, shyly ducking her head under the eyes of everyone and reaching a hand out toward Natasha. Tony carried her over and, seeing as there was only one bed on the quinjet, he placed Maggie down beside her mother.

_Her mother_. The words still felt foreign to Tony. He'd never thought Natasha to be the type to take on motherhood - though, now that he thought about it, going off of her behavior in regards to Maggie today, she seemed to be doing well. Underneath her tough, hard-ass outer shell, there was a seemingly endless supply of humor and warmth. Watching Maggie lie back beside Natasha, who'd pushed herself aside to make room for Maggie's smaller body, Tony decided Natasha was a pretty good mother.

Natasha wrapped her arms around Maggie, pulling her against her breast. Maggie leaned into the touch, grasping Natasha's arm with her tiny, pudgy fingers while wearing a wider smile.

"I missed you so much, sweetheart," Natasha murmured in Russian into Maggie's disheveled hair. "I'm so sorry, I couldn't protect you, I…I _failed _you."

Maggie cast her eyes upward, trying to look at Natasha. She made a noise of disagreement. "Mama did her best," Maggie said in her (apparently) native tongue. Her fingers brushed over a now stitched-up gash on Natasha's arm, pulling her eyes downward. She frowned. "I didn't protect Mama very well."

Tony shed himself of his suit, stepping between Coulson and Fury. He watched Natasha hug Maggie considerably _tighter_ to her chest at Maggie's earnest reply, impressed with Maggie's maturity and understanding at such a young age. Fury didn't look surprised.

"She's pretty tenderhearted," he said to no one in particular. "She seems to bring that out in Romanoff as well."

"Tasha's always been a softie at heart," Coulson added with a rueful smile.

Tony exhaled anxiously. "So what can we do about HYDRA's weird drug? I've never seen Natasha so _sick_ before…"

And it scared him, because Natasha was supposed to be _invincible_. Sure, he never liked to give her power by cowering under her gaze at every moment or every glare (though he almost did), but a part of him had always seen her as untouchable. It made sense to Tony she'd be the last surviving Avenger beside himself, so seeing her struggle now was just strange.

"FitzSimmons is working on it," Coulson said. Daisy glanced at them from where she sat on the opposite side of the quinjet before looking out the window. "If this bio weapon works, though, that's bad news for enhanced people _everywhere_…"

"They can make an antidote," Tony said optimistically, watching as Simmons asked Natasha questions about Maggie's health history and current condition (questions which Natasha would translate from English to Russian to ask Maggie). "They _have _to."

"By the looks of it, Maggie seems less affected," Fury observed. "I think we should be more worried about Romanoff."

* * *

Because of HYDRA's strong presence in the world, Coulson's secret bases for his team were now few and far between - fortunately, May flew them to one within the same hemisphere, in the Philippines. She'd rattled off the Tagalog name to Tony at _least_ three times now, but he was too focused on Natasha's declining condition to remember it.

Natasha denied everyone's comments about her suffering (because that's what it was, Tony insisted - _suffering_, if her heavy coughing and growing inability to stay awake were any indication), even after she was transported to a proper bed in the small lab in Coulson's base. Fury seemed aloof; Tony was surprised to still see him around as time passed. Both Fitz and Simmons worked nonstop to figure out a solution.

And Maggie? Maggie seemed eerily calm about everything going on around her. She lied by Natasha's side through everything with the same, patient expression, her mouth sitting in a soft line and eyes watching Natasha's movements. Tony couldn't remember _ever_ being that relaxed as a child for so long.

"Maggie," Natasha said softly at one point, her back to Simmons as she hooked up an IV to her arm. Maggie's eyes widened slightly at the sight, her grasp on Natasha's arms tightening, but Natasha didn't react, instead focusing her attention on Maggie. "I see that you've met my friend Tony."

Tony stepped up at the sound of his name from where he'd been sitting on the opposite side of the room. Natasha looked over Maggie's head to make eye contact with him, nodding slowly. He closed the distance between them then, stopping at the bed just behind Maggie's back.

Maggie continued looking at Natasha. "Is he the one that saved me?"

"Yes," Natasha said with a small smile, her eyes darting between Tony's and Maggie's. "He and I have been friends for a very, very long time."

She reached a hand out to Maggie, gently guiding her in looking back up at Tony. Tony offered them a sheepish smile and small wave, a nervous chuckle bubbling up from his throat. He switched himself to Russian once more. "Um, hello, Maggie. So good to see you again."

Maggie blinked, then stretched her own hand out, poking Tony in the ribcage. "What happened to your metal costume?"

Tony grumbled at the word _costume _again while Natasha laughed. She smiled mischievously, despite the exhaustion tugging at her features. "Yes, that's exactly what it is, a _costume_. Yes, a thousand times _yes_."

"Hilarious," Tony said in English, rolling his eyes (he wasn't sure how that translated to Russian). "You just think you're _so _funny, Romanoff."

"He speaks English, Mama," Maggie said, turning her face back to Natasha. "Like you and Daddy did."

The image of Steve filled Tony's mind for a moment and his mood dimmed. He frowned, opening his mouth to offer his condolences to Natasha, who he expected to be distraught at the mention of her fallen companion.

But Natasha smiled once more, combing her fingers through Maggie's hair. "Yes, sweetheart, just like Daddy and I did."

Maggie made a whining sound. "Can you teach me now?"

Natasha laughed softly. "Not yet, Maggie. English is a very hard language to learn. Maybe when you're older."

As Maggie made another noise of protest, Tony found himself reeling with surprise. It made sense - Natasha had a child to care for, so she couldn't let herself fall apart in devastation at Steve's death. Even then, she seemed to have overcome the tragedy of his death, as she was now able to recall him with a smile and even a bit of laughter.

He wondered if he would ever reach that point with Pepper.

"Was Mr. Tony friends with Daddy, too?" Maggie inquired, looking between Tony and Natasha. Her words pulled Tony from his thoughts.

Natasha nodded. "They were really good friends."

She didn't look up to Tony for confirmation, but Tony found himself nodding along, anyway. "Yeah," he piped in, switching back to Russian, "I really miss him…"

"Me, too," Maggie said, turning back to Tony. "I don't really remember him."

"I'm sorry, Tony," Natasha murmured in English, her hand idling in Maggie's hair. "I couldn't contact you to tell you-"

"It's okay," Tony cut her off, raising a hand. "I get it, you had your hands full. Your safety was also more important - _is _more important. I'm just glad I can be here now."

Simmons cleared her throat then, drawing their attention to her. "I'm sorry to break this up, Agent Romanoff, but I need to separate you and Maggie for now."

Natasha looked ready to protest, but there was also a shade of understanding in her eyes.

"Fitz and I have developed an antidote of sorts, but we are pressed for time…" She looked off to the side then and Tony understood _exactly _what that meant. Natasha didn't have much longer; her body couldn't handle much more than it already was. "Between you and Maggie, your case is more pressing; but, don't worry, we will be working on her as well, just in a separate room."

Tony looked at Natasha and Maggie sympathetically, knowing this would not be a smooth transition. Natasha's grasp on Maggie tightened slightly, but she nodded in agreement. "I understand, Agent Simmons. Thank you."

Simmons smiled weakly. "We will move her when you're ready."

"I'll help," Tony cut in, making eye contact with Natasha. "I'll stay with Maggie. I won't let anything happen to her, Natasha."

That seemed to ease the tension in Natasha's shoulders slightly. "Thank you, Tony. Let me just talk to Maggie real quick."

As she turned her gaze down to Maggie, Simmons left the room. Tony remained in place, nervously fiddling with his hands behind his back. Maggie smiled up at Natasha.

"Are you better now, Mama?" Maggie asked, though Natasha's face was illuminated with sweat and a feverish red tint on her cheeks.

"Not quite yet, sweetheart," Natasha replied softly, returning to Russian and transferring her hand from Maggie's hair to her cheek. "Agent Simmons - the nice lady who has been helping us get better - needs us to separate for now, so she can work better."

Maggie tilted her head to the side. "Separate?"

"You have to lie down in your own bed, in another room," Natasha explained with a restrained cough; she covered her mouth with her hand. "You'll feel better more quickly that way."

Tony noticed how Natasha didn't include herself in that statement. When Natasha pulled her hand away from her mouth, he inhaled sharply when he noticed the sudden splash of _red _on her palm. He took a step closer to the bed.

"I don't wanna," Maggie said, grabbing the wrist of Natasha's bloodied hand - she quickly brought her fingertips down, hiding her palm - with a whine. "I wanna stay with Mama."

"Please, Maggie," Natasha rasped, pulling her hand back to her chest, away from Maggie's prying hands, "I need you to be a big girl right now, okay? This is what we need to do right now if we want to get better."

Maggie looked unconvinced. Tony placed a hand on the bed behind her. "It'll be okay, Maggie," he tried to reassure her, "I'll be with you while Agent Simmons helps your mom. She needs to give you both her special medicine."

"You'll be with me?" Maggie looked up at Tony, scrutinizing him under her gaze (which reminded him _very much _of Natasha). "You promise?"

"I promise," Tony said.

"She trusts you," Natasha said quietly in English to shield her words from Maggie's perceptive ears. "I've been her only friend her entire life, the only person she really trusted. You have become the second."

"Natasha…" Tony bit his lip.

"This doesn't look too good…does it?" Natasha said dryly, opening her hand and dragging it against the disposable, white sheets. She left a trail of scarlet in her wake.

Tony wasn't sure how to reply. His mouth opened without words to fill the space between himself and Natasha, his longtime friend and ally. Natasha shook her head.

"It's alright, it'll be alright," she murmured. "Just take care of Maggie for me, alright?"

With a numb nod, Tony agreed, opening his arms to Maggie, who pushed herself up into a seated position for him. She looked back to Natasha, leaning toward her to give her a hug.

"I love you, Mama."

Natasha weakly wrapped an arm around Maggie's small frame, pressing a kiss to her head. "I love you too, sweetheart," she whispered. "Be good."

Maggie nodded before turning back to Tony, who carefully and slowly picked her up.

* * *

Tony watched Maggie sleep.

After brief resistance, she'd lied down on the bed in the room adjacent to the lab and allowed Simmons to set up an IV for her and administer a shot in her arm, which Tony assumed to be the antidote. Judging by Simmons' anxious expression, the antidote was far from a 100%-guarantee at recovery, though Maggie's condition seemed far better Natasha's (which Tony also figured to be the reason for distress in Simmons' demeanor).

He'd tried _desperately _hard to ignore Natasha's physical features during his conversation with her and Maggie. His mind refused to acknowledge her declining state - her groundbreaking cough, her occasional, violent shivers, the weariness in her eyes, the blood that ejected from her mouth with each cough - he tried to focus solely on her words and the fact that her personality remained relatively the _same_.

Despite that, as Natasha eventually grew to acknowledge her sickness in the last few minutes she spent with him, he had to more fully acknowledge it as well. The fact that she may die from this made Tony feel sick to his stomach. His heart had beat at an irregular rate for the better part of the day since he'd first found Natasha, and it showed no sign of slowing down or evening out any time soon.

Maggie, despite her surprising maturity, seemed to not notice the gravity of her mother's condition. Tony was sure Natasha preferred it that way; she normally didn't allow people to understand just how much she may be struggling, but, in this case, she had been left without much choice.

Now, Maggie slept soundly before Tony, and he believed the "antidote" Simmons had given her was actually working. The redness from her cheeks seemed to have completely disappeared, and Maggie hadn't shivered or coughed in hours (thankfully, she'd never started coughing up blood like Natasha had, either).

Her chest rose and fell at a consistent and comfortable rate. Tony pulled the picture Fury had given him out of his pocket, holding it up between himself and Maggie burrowed under the covers of the bed. He smiled to himself, imagining he could pinpoint similarities between Maggie's sleeping form as a newborn and as a five year old.

The door behind him suddenly clicked and opened, prompting Tony to whirl around. Fury stood before him, raising a hand to relax Tony.

"No need to defend, it's just me," he said, his voice quieter than usual. Tony wondered why he'd altered his usual, monotone volume, but quickly realized it was out of consideration for the sleeping Maggie behind him.

"Ah, Fury. You haven't left yet?" Tony said in a similarly low volume.

Fury gave a ghost of a smile, the skin crinkling slightly beneath his sunglasses. "I'll be heading out sooner than later, but I wanted to see the mission through. It appears Maggie here is already well on her way in overcoming this."

Tony turned back toward Maggie then, returning to his vigil over her sleeping form. He looked down at her baby picture once more. "I'm glad."

"I heard she's taken a liking to you," Fury continued, walking closer to the bed.

"Natasha told me that as well," Tony said, reaching for the glass of water he set on the table beside his chair. He took a few sips, relishing in the feeling of the cold liquid traveling down his throat. "How's Natasha doing, anyway?"

By now, it had been at least six hours since Simmons had given Maggie the antidote, and longer than that since she'd given it to Natasha. Tony hadn't heard any updates on her condition, which he assumed to be _okay_ news, but…

"It doesn't look good," Fury admitted with a sigh, stopping beside Tony's chair and watching Maggie. "Agent Simmons is trying to remain relatively optimistic, but, at this point, I think she's starting to have her doubts as well."

Tony bit his lip, looking off to the side. "And you, Fury? What do you think?"

Fury was quite for a few moments. "I think Natasha is very strong. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Yes," Tony answered quickly. "Of course."

"As I would expect," Fury said. "However…no matter how strong a person is, there comes a point when he or she reaches his or her limit."

Tony couldn't help the dry laugh that escape his mouth. "If my calculations are correct, Natasha broke the big one hundred last year on her birthday."

"She's had to be very strong for a very long time." Fury nodded. "And, since having Maggie, she's had to be even _stronger_, through all of the obstacles she had to overcome regularly as a fugitive, widow, and mother, all at once. That's a lot of pressure to put on somebody."

"Tasha can handle it," Tony bluntly insisted. "She's…she's _Natasha_, for God's sake."

"And she has handled it, for years now," Fury said. "But at what cost? HYDRA attacked her at that hole she created in herself: her _health_. Perhaps, ten years ago, she could have overcome this, but now…now is different."

Tony didn't want to agree with Fury, but he knew exactly where he was coming from and what he meant (and that he was right). "What will happen to Maggie, then? She'll be an orphan."

"Perhaps what I was supposed to do five years ago," Fury said. "I was supposed to take her then, find her a new home back in America, where no one would know where she really came from - Romanoff finally told me earlier."

"Natasha really wanted that?"

"Though it may have exposed Maggie to different dangers, it would not be the same ones presented by living a life on the run with two Avengers for parents. As we all have just witnessed, Maggie was targeted for her parentage by HYDRA, and they nearly succeeded in whatever they wanted with her."

"If she had grown up with civilians, in a completely domestic family…" Tony's voice trailed off with his verbal thoughts. He sighed. "Why was she always so goddamn tactical about everything?"

"She plans ahead," Fury shrugged, laying a hand on Tony's shoulder. "For now, all we can do is wait and see what happens, then act accordingly."

Tony didn't want his time with Maggie to end. Though he'd only spent time here and there with her, she seemed to have a fun personality and just wanted to have fun. She loved as intensely as Natasha, with her whole self, and seemed to look to Tony as a new friend.

He wanted to be that for her.

Fury removed his hand from Tony's shoulder and made a move to exit. Tony focused on Maggie once more, but footsteps pounding down the hall quickly drew his attention away from her.

"We have a problem," Simmons rushed in, her voice accompanied by the distant, unmistakable sound of _gunfire_. She haphazardly checked Maggie's vitals, looking back to Tony and Fury. "HYDRA found us."

Tony jumped to his feet, but Fury shook his head, pulling a gun from the holster on his belt. "We need someone here to guard Romanoff and Maggie."

"Maggie's fever is gone," Simmons reported then, holding a beeping thermometer in her hand. "She's back to normal. But Agent Romanoff is…"

She trailed off and Tony immediately assumed the worst.

"I'll get them out of here," Tony said as the ground quaked. He immediately pinned the cause on Daisy. "Don't worry about us."

* * *

Natasha was dying.

Tony knew it the moment he walked into the room and heard her mumbling to herself, her voice shaking. Simmons had stayed behind in Maggie's room to prepare her for travel, unhooking her from the machines monitoring her vitals.

But Natasha was a different story. The oxygen mask on her face clouded up faintly with each breath, as if Natasha weren't inhaling and exhaling deeply enough. Her face had reddened considerably with a quickly building temperature, both from HYDRA's poison and the infection from her wounds.

He approached her bed slowly, catching her soft words traveling between Russian and English.

"Maggie, come on, it's cold outside…" she mumbled in Russian, her eyes closed and expression pained. "It's past your bed time, come in…it's dark outside." She smiled a little, despite the layer of sweat on her face indicating her struggling. "You played a lot today, Maggie…Yeah, we played for a long time didn't we?" She switched to English. "Steve, she definitely gets that from you…All of that energy is _definitely _because of you. Don't argue with me."

Tony bit the inside of his cheek as he stopped beside the foot of Natasha's bed, his eyes watering at the sight of Natasha's downward spiral. She didn't even notice his presence when he walked inside the room - she was already so far _gone_.

"You still want to learn English that badly, Maggie?" Natasha mumbled lightheartedly, returning to Russian. Her head rolled slightly to the side on the pillow, her expression relaxing. "You're just so young…well, alright, here's something really easy: _I love you._"

The last three words were, as promised, in English.

Natasha turned her head until her cheek rested against her pillow. Her eyes opened narrowly, her eyelids trembling for a few moments until they brightened with recognition. She reached her arm out from under her blanket, her hand hanging over the edge of the bed.

"Maggie, come here…I can't see the light anymore, it's so dark…" Natasha continued speaking in English, despite the fact that if she were actually talking to Maggie, Maggie would not understand what she was telling her to do. Tony resisted against the sob fighting to escape his throat. "Here, you can lie down and rest with me, it's so cold…I don't think I've ever felt so cold, Maggie, you must be cold, too…"

Tony realized she was _seeing _Maggie in front of her, where her hand was stretched out. She was hallucinating.

He couldn't handle watching this any longer.

"Natasha," he said softly, but loudly enough to capture her attention. He walked up to the side of the bed, stopping beside her hand and grasping it gently. "Natasha, hey, it's me, Tony."

"Tony…?" Natasha squinted at him, her eyes unfocused and glistening with unshed tears. She suddenly widened her eyes, looking at him with a somewhat more controlled expression (though it was not very controlled). "Oh, Mr. Stark, did you need something…? I already scheduled your interview with…with…_shit_, who was it…I apologize, Mr. Stark, I can't seem to remember…"

It took him a few moments, but he realized Natasha thought she was still acting undercover as his assistant, Natalie Rushman. That had been over ten years ago!

"Natasha, _no_, you're not my assistant anymore," Tony snapped, tugging on her hand. "That was a _long _time ago - you're not Natalie Rushman, alright? You're Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow, an _Avenger_."

Natasha looked confused again, and seemingly more exhausted. Tony's throat swelled with the same grief he'd felt for Pepper recently. Natasha breathed loudly for a few moments, tears escaping her eyes and crashing against the transparent oxygen mask. "Stark can trust me as far as he can throw me."

"I-_what?_" Tony shook his head. "_No_, Nat, it's not 2012 _either_. Snap out of it, Tasha, it's 2021, you have a _daughter._"

Natasha whimpered, shaking her head. "I can't do this, Steve, I-I can't be a _mother_, I, Steve, _fuck_, I-"

Finally, Tony just laid a hand against her upper chest, near her heart. "That's enough, Natasha, just be quiet for now. We're going to get you out of here."

Suddenly, Natasha perked up, looking around with a new ferocity. Tony believed the look in her eyes to be one of _wild panic._ "Maggie! Where are you? Maggie, _Maggie_, where did you go?"

"She's _safe_, Natasha," Tony insisted, just short of grabbing her by the shoulders and shaking her until she could see clearly again. "She's safe, she's safe, she's _safe_, I _promise_, I'll protect her for as long as I live."

Natasha's eyes closed again, fresh tears falling from her eyes as a sob racked her weak body. "Tony…"

_I was supposed to take her then, find her a new home back in America, where no one would know where she really came from,_ Fury's words rang wildly in Tony's ears. _Though it may have exposed Maggie to different dangers, it would not be the same ones presented by living a life on the run with two Avengers for parents._

A tear traveled down Tony's cheek. Was that truly the safest option here? Could he really let Maggie go like that…?

"She needs you," Natasha said, opening her eyes slowly. "Tony, Maggie needs you…you're the only one left…"

That was enough for Tony to make up his mind.

"No matter what happens, I will protect her, okay?" Tony continued, grasping her hand more tightly. He held their joined hands above her so she could see. "This is me promising you, _swearing it on my life_ to you: I won't let _anything _happen to her. I'll stay with her _forever_ if I can, Natasha."

Natasha managed a smile then, though it was obstructed by the oxygen mask covering her mouth and nose (though it was even _less _fogged up than before…). "Thank you, Tony…now, please…"

Tony leaned down closer to her, ignoring the sudden intensity with which the machines around Natasha started beeping. His tears continued to flow, the droplets falling against Natasha's mask. She pulled their linked hands against her chest, holding them against her slowing heart.

"Tell Maggie I love her…Don't let her forget that Mama loves her so much…And I'll see her when I wake up…"

With that, Natasha exhaled softly, her head rolling back onto its side against the pillow and her eyes falling closed. Her chest fell with the exhale, but did not rise with an inhale. The hand she held Tony's hand with fell limp against the bed, Tony allowing his own appendage to fall back with it.

He stood there, frozen, for several moments, nothing but the sound of his own heavy breathing filling his ears. He felt the sob escape his mouth before he heard it; he felt the tracks of the tears left on his cheeks after the water came and went.

Natasha was gone.

Natasha was _dead_.

The rest of his physical environment came to him at once: the blaring of Natasha's machines indicating her passing nearly deafened him, the warmth of Natasha's vacant body spooked him, and the sight of Natasha, her red curls sprawled out around her head and expression as peaceful as Maggie's sleeping face, threatened to destroy him.

It was just like Pepper all over again: a _failure_, because of Tony's lack of ability to protect her.

Not even the idea that Pepper and Natasha were reunited again, along with the others, could comfort him.

He heard footsteps behind him, but didn't pay attention to them until he saw a tearful Simmons carefully turning off the medical machines, silencing their devastated cries, and removing the mask from Natasha's non-breathing face.

Simmons sniffled as she worked, her hands shaking as she moved the oxygen mask and looked at Tony. "Mr. Stark, I'm…"

Normally, Tony resisted pity and sympathy in all forms. He snapped at them, yelled at them. He cursed at them in whatever language first came to mind while whirling around on his heels and storming out of the premises.

But another tremor in the ground distracted him from his routine, as did the accompanying yelling and gunfire. He looked at his hand, connected with Natasha's, then up at Simmons.

"You did everything you could," he assured her, surprised at how easily the words left his mouth. "Now, I just need to get Maggie…"

"She's still sleeping, but you can carry her," Simmons said quickly, wiping at her wet eyes. "HYDRA came in from the east side, so your quinjet should still be fine."

Tony nodded. "I'll be going, then. You guys look after yourselves, alright?"

"Thank you, Mr. Stark," Simmons said. "After our team finishes up here, we will make sure Agent Romanoff is properly buried."

"Thank you, Simmons," Tony said. Simmons turned away and left the room then, leaving Tony with Natasha's lifeless body. He studied her quietly.

He really had been lucky to have as great a friend as Natasha.

Bending down closer, he pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, offering her the appreciation and love he'd neglected to assure her of more often in the time they'd spent together. He pulled back with a small smile and finally released her hand.

He had an important task to complete on her behalf.

* * *

Maggie was already awake when Tony entered her room. She sat quietly on the bed, her feet dangling over the edge and swinging to amuse herself. Tony wiped away his remaining tears before walking up to her.

"Maggie," Tony greeted, switching his brain to Russian - he'd have to do this a lot from now on, he realized. "We have to leave now."

"We have to leave?" she echoed innocently. Tony looked her over quickly; she truly _did _seem to be feeling better. He'd keep an eye on her health for a while, though, as he couldn't trust that HYDRA hadn't done anything else to her.

"Yes, Maggie," he said. "We have to get to my, uh…" He faltered over how to say _quinjet_ in Russian.

"What about Mama?" Maggie cut in.

"She's not coming with us," Tony said quickly. "I'll explain it to you on the way, but we need to go right now."

Maggie opened her mouth the question him further, but the building shook with another one of Daisy's quakes. The sensation startled Maggie, who suddenly reached her arms out to Tony. He grabbed her just as swiftly, holding her in his arms.

"Alright, I need you to listen carefully to me, okay?" Tony said. "You need to keep your head down - yes, like that, against my chest, that's good, it's to keep you safe - _okay._"

Tony laid the hand he wasn't using to carry her over the top of Maggie's head, completely hiding her face against his chest and blocking most of her head. He turned and hurried out of the room then, running down the hallway in the general direction he remembered coming from.

* * *

Upon reaching his quinjet, Tony entered without hesitation, yelling blindly at JARVIS to close the door and running toward the pilot's chair.

He was surprised to find himself face to face with Nick Fury.

"Fury? What are you doing here…?"

Fury gestured back to the controls behind him. "I have a place for you to keep Maggie. It's safe, off the grid. Well-stocked with food and clothes, though you might have to buy some for her…"

Tony gaped at him. "Fury, I don't…"

"When I told you about taking Maggie back to the U.S. to be put in a foster family, I could tell you weren't buying it," Fury said with a small smirk. "Would I be correct about that?"

Instead of answering Fury's question, Tony wondered if he'd heard of Natasha's fate yet. "Fury, Natasha is…"

Fury sighed, his shoulders lowering slightly. "I know. Agent Simmons told me before I came here."

Maggie's arms around Tony's neck tightened as Fury spoke, as she wasn't familiar with him nor trusted him. Tony rubbed her back idly. "Why are you doing this?"

"Romanoff trusts you the most out of all of us," Fury said, turning the chair back to face the controls. "For that reason, I trust you, too, when it comes to Maggie and who can protect her the most."

"I don't know how to do this," Tony admitted, the weight of responsibility in his arms - both literally and metaphorically - wearing on his confidence. "I really, _really _don't know how to do this. How will I know what to do?"

Fury got the quinjet off the ground, plugging some coordinates in Tony didn't realize. "Natasha trusted you for a reason, Tony. Maybe it's time for you to learn to trust yourself."

The depth of Fury's words washed over Tony for a moment, prohibiting him from speaking. Before he could reply, Maggie finally grew impatient waiting in his arms, leaning her head back to look at Tony.

Right. She still didn't know.

"Thank you, Nick," Tony murmured, turning away and walking back to the seats in the back of the quinjet. He recalled the times he'd flown the Avengers places in this quinjet, all of them filling the back of the jet with their loud laughs and arguments and strategizing or the occasional, eerie silence after a mission that hit too close to home.

He lowered Maggie into one seat, then sat down in the spot beside her. She looked up at him expectantly.

"Where's Mama?" she inquired.

Tony bit his lip anxiously. "Maggie…do you know what it means to die?"

He figured that was the right place to start, right? If Maggie didn't know what it meant, she wouldn't be able to understand what Tony needed to tell her.

Maggie looked upward for a few moments, her lips puckering with thought. Tony felt himself falling for her all over again at the innocent sight. She then met his eyes once more. "Mama said that's what happened to Daddy. It's like going to sleep, 'cept you don't wake up."

Tony's heart ached as he recalled Natasha's last words. _And I'll see her when I wake up…_ "Yes, Maggie…you're right."

She nodded as if it were _obvious _she would be right. (_So many similarities to Natasha_.) "Mama also said you go into the sky when you die, so when I look at the stars, I look at Daddy, and he's looking down at me."

"That, too," Tony said, because he could accept that explanation as well. After all, Maggie was only _five_. "But, you see, Maggie, that's what happened to your Mama."

Maggie blinked.

_Here we go…_ Tony took a deep breath to steady himself. "Your Mama was really sick…like how you were sick, except she was more sick, and her body couldn't handle it. It hurt too much, so…"

He didn't want to finish that sentence, but Maggie still didn't seem to comprehend what Tony was trying to tell her. The tears from earlier returned, but he held them back, grabbing Maggie's hands.

"Maggie, what I'm trying to say is that…your Mama died," Tony finally forced himself to say, his voice shaking and tears threatening to spill over at any moment. "She just couldn't handle the sickness, s-so she fell asleep...and won't wake up ever again."

_Finally_, Maggie's eyes widened with understanding. Her own voice trembled, similar to Tony's. "Mama is…dead?"

"I'm so sorry, Maggie," Tony said, releasing one of her hands to wipe at his eyes. "We did everything we could, but she couldn't get better…"

Maggie's eyes watered, as she tightened her hold on Tony's hand. "I can never see Mama again…?"

Natasha had been Maggie's entire world, Tony suddenly realized. It had just been the two of them - Maggie had no other relationships, no other people to depend on, _nothing_, until Tony found her at the HYDRA base the day before.

For that, he found himself crying with Maggie.

Maggie leaned forward, grasping Tony's arms and pressing her head to his chest as she cried. Tony embraced her with his arms, holding her close to him; he feared if he released her, she would be gone, just like Natasha.

He hadn't realized how quickly and comfortably Maggie would fit into his life, staying by his side. Perhaps it was because of the void left by Pepper and the others, or because he was _meant _to be Maggie's friend and guardian, alongside her actual parents; in a more perfect world, he could have stood by Natasha and Steve as they raised her, making himself a friend or even "uncle" of sorts.

But that was not this world.

Maggie cried loudly into his chest, the depth of her emotion rattling her entire body. Tony rubbed her back with his hand, captured by the size difference between them. Her back seemed so small under the palm of his hand, her entire body so tiny when he held her. Even her hands, balled up in fists against the fabric of Tony's button-up shirt, seemed so petite and delicate.

He was numbly aware of the quinjet taking off.

* * *

Eventually, Maggie cried herself to sleep, her body resting entirely against Tony's torso. Despite her unconscious state, her grip on his shirt remained tight, as if reflecting the same fear of releasing him Tony had felt toward her when they started crying. The quinjet ride lasted a long time, though Tony found himself unable to keep track of the time; he kept his eyes and hands on Maggie the entire ride, only looking up when Fury said they were landing.

"Rural Northern California," Fury said when Tony looked to him. "Not too far from Lake Tahoe. It's not permanent, but it'll do for now."

Fury turned the quinjet off and opened up the back. Gathering Maggie into his arms, Tony stood up and waited for Fury to walk by before following. Maggie hardly stirred, resting her head against his shoulder. Her legs dangled limply in front of Tony's, which made walking a little difficult, but he pressed on after Fury into the grassy fields outside. Sunlight assaulted his vision and he squinted his eyes.

"It'll do for now?" he echoed Fury's words. "What's next?"

"Depending on how this goes, between myself and Coulson, we can set you up with something better later on," Fury said. "Your main priority right now is just keeping her safe, as well as hiding yourself away. You're the last Avenger standing."

Tony's mouth sat in a firm line. "What are we going to do about that? HYDRA won't stop looking until they're satisfied."

Fury nodded, leading Tony toward a small house about fifty feet away. He pulled a key out of his pocket and inserted it in the door before replying to Tony. "Well, take it from me, Stark, but the best way to avoid dying is to already be dead."

A part of Tony almost laughed. He was sure Pepper would laugh, too, if she were here; he'd get to join the "dead" club with Fury and Coulson, he thought dryly. "Well, I trust you can make that happen, since you already did for yourself."

"Agent Johnson is skilled with computers; she'll get the word out," Fury said, pushing the door open. He gestured to Tony. "After you."

* * *

Fury left after that, reassuring Tony that the house was full of supplies and clothes for a few months. After thanking Fury and seeing him off, Tony, still holding Maggie in his arms, settled on the couch in the sparsely decorated living room. He would have laid her down to continue sleeping, but she _still _held his shirt in a tight grip. The sight made Tony smile a little bit.

She stirred with a start, inhaling sharply when she caught sight of Tony. Though her hands remained on him, she looked disoriented, so Tony quietly explained that they landed and were done traveling. Maggie comprehended his words slowly; he figured she was also remembering what had happened to Natasha.

"M-Mr. Tony…" she said softly a few minutes later. She looked up at him, her eyes red and face flushed. "I don't have any parents now…what's gonna happen?"

"I promise you, Maggie," Tony said, "I'll always protect you, just like your Mama did. You will never have to be alone, okay? I won't let Natasha's death be in vain…" The last statement was directed more to himself than Maggie, as she wouldn't really understand it, but he truly meant it, nonetheless. "I know this hurts so badly right now, but, I promise, I'll be with you from now on; we can be together."

"We will live together…?"

"Yes. Your Mama asked me to take care of you, and I will. This house is where we're going to live, for now, at least."

"So…" Maggie sniffled. "Are you going to be my Papa?"

Maggie's question was so quiet, so uncertain, Tony nearly missed it. He reeled with surprise at her words, finding himself unable to respond immediately. It made sense, if he was going to be her new father, she may want to address him as such; but Steve's presence as a father was already so ingrained in her mind, even though she couldn't remember him. And, yet, Maggie's heart had room for Tony to fill that role as well.

The idea of filling Steve's shoes was nothing short of intimidating - Steve was _Steve_, for God's sake, he was good at, like, _everything._ And just like Natasha with motherhood, Tony had no doubt that Steve would have been the best father for Maggie. How could Tony _possibly _be anything like that? His own father had hardly been a good model to follow for this. What if Tony ended up being just like him? Or _worse_? Could he really meet all of Maggie's needs and give her all of the love she deserved?

Maybe it wasn't about trying to fill the void left by Steve.

Maybe Tony would actually be able to do this.

Maybe…he and Maggie would get through this, all of the pain HYDRA had caused in their lives. Maybe that was what this was really all about.

Since Pepper's death, Tony had felt displaced from this world; he continued to breathe and move and live with a target on his back, his name the last to be crossed off on a long list of threats to HYDRA, for seemingly no reason. He honestly hadn't minded when they came for him, because he felt alone in the world, forever left to be a wandering soul after everyone around him had been uprooted and thrown away by evildoers.

But he hadn't known that such a similar soul existed somewhere else, in the form of five year old Maggie, who would be left to continue wandering in solitude - just as Tony had been - after her mother was taken away from her. And, now, Tony found himself finding Maggie and standing before her, breath hitched and eyes wet and fists clenched.

She needed him.

(And he needed her.)

So he would hide with her, continue to flee from the darkness impeding in the world. He would protect her with his whole self as Natasha had loved them all with her whole self. Tony may have played a part in the darkness before, but the Avengers entered his life and pushed the empty feelings away with their luminescent personalities and compassion.

Now, years later, Tony sat with Maggie, who knew very little about that life; she didn't know how broken Tony was, how untrustworthy he really was.

Yet, she trusted him.

And Tony was _terrified_ of failing her.

But she'd won him over within seconds upon their first meeting. Her bright smile warmed him considerably, and Tony was ready to give his life for that smile.

So he nodded, feeling his fallen teammates and his Pepper within him all at once, their strength and confidence and affection energizing him.

"I will be your Papa."

Maggie's eyes watered again at Tony's words as she nodded. She then averted her gaze for a moment, focusing on her hands on Tony's shirt. "I miss my real Daddy…and I also miss Mama. But Mama said Daddy is happy where he is now, so maybe Mama is happy, too, because they can be together again. Sometimes, Mama would start crying at night, 'cause she used to have bad dreams. Does this mean that Mama isn't hurt anymore?"

Tony's throat tightened as he felt choked up once again. He resumed rubbing Maggie's back. "Yes, your Mama doesn't have to suffer anymore…she can just be happy, though I know she will miss you very much, just as you miss her."

"She's with Daddy," Maggie repeated, as if trying to reassure herself. "And now you're my Papa."

"Maggie, I will try my best," Tony said. "I promise you."

Despite her tears, that smile returned to Maggie's face, and she released his shirt. Tony panicked momentarily, but Maggie snaked her arms around Tony's neck, pulling herself up to hug him. She tucked her head just under his, pressing her forehead into his neck.

"I love you, Papa."

Tony blinked, caught off guard by her sudden affection, but he quickly gathered himself and hugged her back, nodding again.

"I love you, too, Maggie."

* * *

**A/N: **Um...This was inspired by _Les Miserables_, first of all, one of my favorite musicals. My main inspiration was the song "Suddenly", which I believe was written for the 2012 movie adaptation, but it's one of my favorites, as it deals with the newfound father-daughter relationship between Jean Valjean and Cosette. Also, even though I wrote all of Maggie's dialogue in English (so it's readable), she's speaking in Russian the entire time, as that's her first and only language in this chapter. Any time Tony or Natasha is speaking _to _Maggie, they are speaking Russian as well, unless stated otherwise (like when Natasha would make vague comments in English).

All technicalities and such aside, I hope you guys were able to follow what was going on in this chapter. I've been thinking about doing a Les Mis-inspired AU like this for only the past few weeks, after re-listening to the songs for the first time in hella long, but I also tried to make this realistic. I am planning on revisiting this AU in a later chapter, kinda taking a page from the 12 year time skip in the middle of Les Mis. But, yeah, fatherly Tony! Woohoo!


	84. Seven

**A/N: **YO! I return from my wisdom teeth recovery adventure! ...Well, not really, because it's not _quite_ over yet. I don't think I mentioned it last chapter, but the day after I updated, I got all four of my wisdom teeth taken out. YIKES! It actually wasn't as bad as I expected, and I'm well on my way on the mend now, but, yeah. If you wanna hear more about that, you should go check out what I wrote for day 5 of Pepperony Week last week - my wisdom teeth experience inspired me to write an angsty Pepperony oneshot, of all things!

Anyway, thanks for the faves, follows, and reviews! I'm still riding that Pepperony hype train (I literally love them so much omg), as I've watched all 3 _Iron Man_ movies within the last month as well. I started writing this oneshot while watching IM3, actually, so that's mainly what this chapter is about. =) Enjoy!

* * *

Pepper couldn't breathe.

She thought it pretty ironic, really - years ago, this whole "anxiety attack" thing had been _Tony's_ gig, after the Battle of New York left him throwing himself into the lab in lieu of sleep most nights and constantly zoning out. It had been hard for her to empathize with him; she just _didn't understand_. But, as time passed, and Tony's fears became more apparent to her, she thought she was starting to get used to it.

Then she'd been kidnapped and injected with Extremis and thought Tony was going to die, right in front of her eyes, and-

A wheezing sound escaped her throat. Right. This was not exactly the time to dwell on that night.

Since, after all, her breathlessness was being caused _by _that night.

She blinked once, twice, three times, realizing there was a hand moving up and down in front of her face. The owner of the hand quickly revealed himself to be Tony, as he leaned into her vision, looking at her with wide eyes and a nervous frown.

"Pep?" he said softly, as if he feared startling her; she distantly recognized his tone as the one she used with him when she had to shake him awake from nightmares, but still felt disconnected from her physical body. She tried to feel the couch cushions beneath and behind her or the weight of Maggie dozing off between herself and Tony, but couldn't quite reach it.

Tony suddenly grabbed one of her hands. "Hey, come back to me, Pepper. Come on, come back."

Now he sounded like he was pleading with her; she felt her lips fumble for a moment as she willed her head to turn to face him. She studied his face for a moment.

"I got you," she mumbled, opening and closing her hand unoccupied by Tony's. She could've _sworn _she felt the metal of Tony's suit between her fingers, the red and yellow source of stress in Tony's life.

Tony was supposed to say, _I got you first_, before shooing her out of their collapsing home and ultimately taking the suit back from her. But the sounds of crumbling concrete and shattering glass were eerily absent from her ears; if anything, her current surroundings seemed to be completely stable.

He did not respond accordingly; instead, he simply intertwined their fingers. "I'm not gonna say it back," he replied, his expression almost cheeky, "because that's not what's happening right now, Pepper."

She knew that he was right; really, she did. It was just...so _hard_ for her entire body to accept. Her muscles were tense, her heart pounding, breath hitched, and a layer of sweat from the heat of the explosions coated her face.

"Look at me, Pep, I'm _okay_," Tony said, grabbing her other hand. She stared into his eyes, putting her whole self into focusing on them; Tony looked as okay as he sounded, her mind just needed to _embrace _it. "And so are you, you're okay. Look, there's even a perfectly healthy kid sitting between us, sleeping the day away."

Somewhere, she'd been able to acknowledge that earlier during this little..._episode_, and now that Tony was saying it, it seemed a little more real. He looked to Maggie; Pepper did the same. She was sleeping peacefully with her head against Pepper's arm, her face scrunching up momentarily with the activity around her, but remained asleep.

"I wish I could nap as easily as a twelve year old," Tony commented with a soft scoff.

He smiled gently then, and Pepper felt herself (_finally_) calming down. Her eyes flitted between Maggie and Tony, her muscles relaxing and grip on Tony's hand tightening. His hand felt warm and good and _safe,_ all sensations that seemed unattainable to Pepper moments before; she weakly returned Tony's smile.

"Tony."

His own grin widened then. "You're back."

Pepper nodded, using her free hand to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear as she nervously averted her eyes. "I'm sorry, I know it's been such a long time since..._all of that_, but…"

"Remember what you've been saying to me for, like, a gazillion years?" Tony teased, though he looked as earnest as ever. His eyes were focused directly on hers, his mouth no longer forming the same smile that he tried to reflect with the tone of his voice. "No apologies. We can't help what sticks with our minds...direct quote, source: Ms. Pepper Potts."

Despite the heavy atmosphere, Pepper found herself laughing softly. She met Tony's eyes once more. "Right. You're right. It's just a thing."

"_Our_ thing," Tony said, leaning slightly away from her.

Pepper took a few moments to truly register her physical surroundings: she felt the familiar couch beneath her; she heard Maggie's consistent and soothing breathing beside her; she recognized the TV playing _Lilo and Stitch_, recalling that she'd sit down with Tony and Maggie to watch it after they ate lunch together; the building around her was, in fact, Avengers Tower, _not _their Malibu house, nor was it crumbling or blowing up or anything that violent; lastly, Tony looked as relaxed as ever, his hand still in hers and his eyes light. He simply waited for her to finish glancing around.

But before Pepper could say anything, Maggie stirred, her eyes fluttering open with a quiet groan. Tony raised his eyebrows. "Looks like Sleeping Beauty is waking up now."

Maggie blinked a few times, squinting her weary eyes to adjust to the light, then looked up at Tony. Her mouth sat in a firm line. "Good morning to you, too, Uncle Tony."

Tony laughed at that, patting Maggie's knee. "You're even more disoriented than _me _when _I_ wake up."

"I was just taking a nap!" Maggie protested with a yawn, stretching her arms above her head. "I think you just don't sleep enough."

"Probably true." Tony tipped his head in acknowledgement.

"How much of the movie did I miss?" Maggie asked, looking at the TV screen. She narrowed her eyes, trying to focus on the scene playing. "Did Gantu already attack Lilo and Nani's house? That means I missed most of it!"

"Chillax, kiddo, we can just rewind it," Tony said.

"Uncle Tony, _nobody_ says 'chillax' anymore." Maggie smirked, turning to Pepper. "Auntie Pep, you seem kinda quiet."

Pepper was surprised by Maggie's perceptive observation; she quickly met Maggie's eyes after zoning out. "Oh, I just dozed off a bit myself. That's all."

At least, that's how she found herself breathless and feeling the heat of the Extremis under her skin, she thought; she only had anxiety attacks like that when they were prompted by bad dreams, which could only be acquired by sleeping. Tony nodded, verifying her statement.

"I had a weird dream," Maggie admitted, sitting back with her eyes focusing on _Lilo and Stitch_. "It was a little sad, but it was also just..._strange_. I thought I was all alone, in the middle of nowhere. I called for help, but nobody came." She glanced between Tony and Pepper with an appreciative smile. "So I'm glad I woke up, because you're here."

"We'll always be here for you, Maggie. You'll never have to be alone." Pepper felt a twinge of empathy for Maggie. She rested her hand, still joined with Tony's, in Maggie's lap. "I'm glad I woke up, too; I had a bad dream as well."

Maggie looked surprised, her eyes wide and mouth open. "Auntie Pep, you get bad dreams, too?"

"Happens to the best of us," Tony shrugged. Pepper rolled her eyes at his casual tone.

"We've all had to see some scary things," she said to Maggie. "The nice thing is that we can always depend on each other when it gets overwhelming."

"That's what Mama and Daddy say," Maggie said with a smile. After a moment, however, her bright expression faltered, and she bit her lip. "They also say it's good to talk about your bad dreams...what did you dream about, Auntie Pep?"

No matter how many times Maggie's parents and uncles had warned her, she continued to inquire about their dreams. Even Tony was frowning now, staring intently at the back of Maggie's head. His eyes screamed protective protests against her question; Pepper figured he didn't want her to feel pressured by Maggie to talk about something she didn't want to.

But Pepper met Tony's eyes over Maggie's head, offering him a small nod. She didn't mind. If anything, Maggie would probably learn the story of the Mandarin sooner or later, if she hadn't already heard about it from Tony's point of view. Maggie was right, anyway: talking about bad dreams and worries helped a bit.

"There was a bad guy, about three years before you were born, that your Uncle Tony _and I_ both fought," Pepper started, a hint of pride filling her voice. In the end, she'd _kind of _saved the day and defeated Killian, the Mandarin, herself; Tony relaxed his tense expression, now rolling his eyes at her proud tone. "He tried to hurt your Uncle Tony and me really badly, and even put this weird sickness in me, called Extremis. It gave me...fire powers?"

"Whoa! You have _fire powers_?" Maggie questioned, poking Pepper's skin. "I can't even tell!"

Pepper laughed. "I _did_, for a little while. But it was a very dangerous sickness, even if it gave people fire powers. I had to get it removed by doctors afterward, as soon as your Uncle Tony was able to figure out how to fix it."

Maggie studied her face for a few moments. "So...you're okay now, right?"

"She's perfect," Tony piped in. "Always has been, always will be."

"That was cute," Maggie commented with a smirk.

"You know me, munchkin; I live for the romantic moments in life."

"_Anyway_," Pepper continued, "this bad guy did a lot of scary things. He kidnapped me, and your Uncle Tony, and even the _president_."

"Whoa."

"Yeah. Whoa." Pepper was still holding Tony's hand in Maggie's lap between them, so she grasped the necklace of shrapnel Tony had gifted her with her other hand, holding it securely. "That was when he put Extremis in me. But your Uncle Tony managed to break out and Rhodey saved the president."

"Go Rhodey!" Maggie cheered. Tony pouted.

"Hey, what about me?"

"Meh."

These two were _impossible_ to tell a story to. Pepper sighed. "Things got scarier after that. Both your Uncle Tony and I still get nightmares about it."

Maggie frowned, her eyes reflecting sympathy. "What happened?"

Pepper's grip on the heart-shaped necklace tightened as she looked to Tony. No matter what may have happened in the past, Tony was with her _now_, physically fine and still a daily pain in her ass (as he always had been, but now it was different, since they were married). "Things weren't looking too good when I fell off a ledge into a bunch of fire."

Tony exhaled loudly at that. "The way you're saying it with such nonchalance reminds me of me. I think I'm rubbing off on you too much, Ms. Potts."

Maggie gaped at her. "Auntie Pep...you could have _died!_"

"I honestly thought she did at first," Tony said, placing a hand on Maggie's knee. Pepper figured Tony was trying to both offer and receive comfort, after waking up to Tony in the midst of nightmares about that night countless times in the fifteen years since it happened. "The, err, _bad guy_ was just standing there when she fell. So I fought him, until I thought I'd defeated him, and I eventually ended up down near the flames your Aunt Pepper fell into."

"But it turned out to be okay," Pepper quickly reminded as Maggie stared at her, wide-eyed. "You see, having fire powers means that I was really strong, like how your dad is a super soldier, so he can endure a lot of things. So I survived the fall. But the bad guy - the _Mandarin_ was the name he went by - did, too, since he'd injected himself with Extremis, so then he tried to attack your Uncle Tony. But, thankfully, I was there to save the day!"

Pepper ended on a light note, hoping that would lessen the scariness of the story. Fifteen years out, it _still_ frightened her whenever she thought about it for too long, so she could only imagine how Maggie felt hearing about it for the first time. But, Pepper figured, it was better Maggie hear about it from them before discovering it through the Internet; they'd already had a few incidents with that in the past as Maggie had unintentionally stumbled upon some not-so-good things about a few of her family members.

"She's right," Tony grumbled. "She blasted the Mandarin away with all these fighting moves I never even knew that _she_ knew and totally kicked his ass. Whoops, don't tell your parents I said that word in front of you. The end."

Both Tony and Pepper watched as Maggie glanced between them, then averted her eyes to her lap. They exchanged worried glances over her head, Pepper fearing that they'd traumatized her; even so, it was better for Maggie to find out from the people _themselves_ than the files Natasha had leaked to the Internet when S.H.I.E.L.D. fell in 2014.

"Maggie?" Pepper asked after a few silent moments. "Are you alright?"

Maggie didn't respond at first, but Pepper noticed her shoulders shake. Tony's eyes widened, followed by Maggie sniffling.

"Maggie…"

But Maggie laid a hand over Tony and Pepper's intertwined in her lap, her smaller hand curling carefully around theirs. She looked up to Pepper, wiping at her wet eyes with her other hand.

"I'm okay," she said. "I just...you could have _died_. I mean, so could have Uncle Tony, but he's Iron Man, so he could've died a _lot_ of times. But, Auntie Pep, you...you're not an Avenger, _you're_ _not_ _supposed to die._"

Tony's eyes started looking a little stormy from behind Maggie's head and Pepper exhaled softly. Maggie sounded almost _exactly_ like Tony every time these sorts of incidents had happened (which had been, fortunately, few and far between), and it made her heart ache. She finally released Tony's hand, using both arms to pull Maggie into her chest for a hug.

Pepper ran a hand up and down Maggie's arm, resting her chin upon the top of Maggie's head. "The world is a scary place, Maggie. _Everybody_ should be safe, but that never really happens. I'm sorry that our story scared you."

"No, I'm glad you told me," Maggie mumbled against Pepper's shirt. "And...I'm glad you survived."

"That makes two of us," Tony said softly, laying a hand on Maggie's back and looking at Pepper. She smiled sadly at him.

"I love you so much, Auntie Pep," Maggie said then, turning her face up so she could look at Pepper. "I don't know what I would do without you...you're always there for me, no matter what. I can't believe someone would do something so...so _evil_ to you. You're so _good!_"

Pepper found herself tearing up then, but she held the tears at bay through willpower. She kissed Maggie's head, running a hand through her hair. "I'm okay, Maggie. You don't have to worry about the Mandarin ever coming back, alright? He's gone. And, should anything happen, I know there are at least six people out there who will immediately come protect me."

Tony nodded with a small smile, but Maggie shook her head against Pepper's.

"Seven."

"Hm?" Pepper looked down at her.

"There are seven people who will immediately come protect you," Maggie said, her voice steadier and eyes clearer now. "I'm gonna be an Avenger someday, but, even if something bad happened _now_...I want to protect you, too."

Well. Tony was gone then, a few tears escaping his eyes. (Though he'd never admit it, Tony was _fairly_ sensitive, and when people like Maggie said things like this, well, how _could_ he contain his emotions? Pepper couldn't blame him for it.) Pepper nearly lost it, too, but she steeled herself enough to acknowledge Maggie's words with a nod before hugging her tightly once more.

"Thank you, Maggie. And, just so you know, if something bad _did_ happen now, you'd have _seven_ people immediately coming to protect you, too."

Maggie laughed a little, finally hugging Pepper back.

"Alright, this is _too much_, I need a group hug," Tony said tearfully, wrapping his arms around both Maggie and Pepper.

They all laughed at that.

* * *

**A/N: **I have a few more oneshots up my sleeve to be completed...in the meantime, though, don't forget to go check out my two Pepperony Week oneshots: _Small Things (Great Love)_ and _Secret Feelings (From Childhood)_! =)


	85. What It Means (Civil War, Part 1)

**! CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR SPOILERS AHEAD !**

* * *

**A/N:** Finally, it's time to explore Civil War! It took me a while to figure out how to fit this into the fic bc, technically, it happens a year after AOU, but a civil war when Maggie's only 2 sounded kinda...eh? So we're gonna say she's 10 when civil war happens to add to the angst and the drama (good lord)

((also I know Bucky has made appearances in oneshots where Maggie is not yet 10 [excluding the au in which nat died so steve had to raise her alone after bucky talked some sense into him] but we're just gonna,,, ignore that,,, lmao. however I did write this with the 2 chapters of maggie being kidnapped when she's 11 in mind so it'll still fit the canon set by those 2 chapters))

REMINDER THERE ARE SPOILERS FOR CIVIL WAR AHEAD

Love you guys! Hope you enjoy! If you've been following me on tumblr (pikapegasus) you'll know that I've been working on the Civil War chapters over the past week - yes, chapter_s_, plural, because I'm currently at 23k words and still have about a third of the story to go! So here's the first 10k. =)

* * *

Maggie hated the super soldier serum.

She only knew it for hindering her life in all sorts of aspects; it led to her being hunted down by the Red Room with Natasha, made people look at her suspiciously, and also often resulted in unintentional incidents - _serum spasms_, as Tony had called them - in which she displayed a _bit _too much strength.

This was one of those incidents, as what was intended to be a retaliating shove during recess - when a boy in her class, Matthew, had pushed her first - had ended in Maggie pushing an airborne Matthew _several _feet away.

(She was in _so _much trouble.)

Fortunately, her panicked reaction of crying and frantically apologizing seemed to plead her case; everyone understood that she hadn't _meant _to seriously hurt Matthew, he had just provoked her first. But that didn't mean there weren't any consequences.

Said consequences were now staring her in the face, as Matthew and his mother glared at her from where they sat beside the principal's desk, both of their expressions laced with anger and slight fear.

"She shouldn't be going to school with normal kids if she herself isn't normal," Matthew's mother hissed, her words slurred through a subtle accent, though Maggie wasn't sure what kind it was. "She could seriously hurt someone; just look at her parents and how much destruction they cause! Haven't you seen the news today?"

Maggie looked down at her hands in her lap then, trying to hold back tears. She didn't want to hurt anyone, and her parents didn't mean to destroy...both of these things just ended up _happening._

...Though, Maggie wasn't sure what exactly on the news that day Matthew's mother was referring to.

"Senator White, that's enough." Maggie heard her principal, Mr. Osment, intercept Matthew's mother's words. "I will not allow you to speak poorly of one of my students like this. Clearly, Maggie did not intend to cause Matthew harm."

"That doesn't matter," Senator White argued. Maggie tensed at the negative tone of her voice. "These 'powered people', or whatever they're called, are out of control! I cannot believe you allow our children to go to school with these lab rats."

Before Mr. Osment could respond, the door to his office suddenly swung open. Maggie looked up as the newcomer spoke. "I apologize for being late, my mission had some...complications."

Maggie resisted the urge of crying out to her mother and running up to her for a hug in that moment; she hadn't seen Natasha (or Steve) for a couple of days, as they had a mission far away in Africa that required their presence (along with Sam and Wanda). Of course, these weren't the circumstances Maggie would have chosen for them to be reunited, but at least Natasha was back home.

"Agent Romanoff," Senator White greeted sharply. "I see you've finished blowing up buildings to come take care of your child."

That sounded like what Clint would have described as a _jab _to Maggie; she knew Natasha didn't usually stand for people to talk to her so rudely. (Again, Maggie was confused by Matthew's mother's words; since when had Natasha been _blowing up buildings?_) Instead of replying, though, Natasha simply closed the door behind her and walked over to Maggie, sitting down in the chair beside her. She gave Maggie a half-hug and small kiss of _I missed you _to Maggie's forehead.

"What happened?" Natasha asked Mr. Osment, ignoring Senator White's presence entirely.

"There was an incident during recess this morning between your daughter and Matthew over there," Mr. Osment said, gesturing to Matthew and his mother. "It seemed that the two got into a disagreement over something, and Matthew pushed Maggie. She retaliated by pushing him back, but it yielded..._interesting _results."

"Could you elaborate on that?" Natasha's eyebrows furrowed slightly, confusion evident in her features.

"She pushed my son so hard he went _flying_!" Senator White insisted. "She could have seriously hurt him!"

"I didn't mean to!" Maggie quickly cut in, looking between Senator White and her own mother. "It was an accident...I had a serum spasm."

Natasha's face relaxed slightly at that, as Maggie assumed she now understood what the problem was. "Is Matthew alright?"

"Yeah," Matthew answered with a shrug.

"Luckily! He could have gotten much more hurt," Senator White said. She shook her head. "This just goes to show that kids with powers or special abilities do _not _belong in school with our children! Don't you see, Mr. Osment?"

Maggie looked up to Natasha, feeling teary-eyed again. "It was an _accident_, I swear," she whispered fearfully.

"I know," Natasha whispered back. "It's okay; I'm not mad."

"Senator White, you may take Matthew back to class now," Mr. Osment dismissed the other party, nodding to them. "I must speak further with Agent Romanoff and Maggie in private."

"Thank you," Senator White said sourly, standing with Matthew. She sloppily grabbed his upper arm, walking him to the door. After opening it, she turned back briefly, eyes narrowing on Natasha's passive expression. "Agent Romanoff, I suggest you spend more time disciplining your child than causing mass destruction around the world."

Maggie leaned closer to Natasha at the venomous words, looking up to her for some kind of reaction or retort; to her surprise, Natasha cast her eyes downward, as if accepting defeat while Senator White and Matthew left.

"Mama?" Maggie whispered, looking up at Natasha.

"...Agent Romanoff." Mr. Osment cleared his throat after a few moments. "Given recent events, I have no doubt you have your hands full right now, so I will try to keep this brief."

What was he talking about? Maggie looked between him and her mother curiously, silently begging someone to explain what on Earth was going on. Did it have something to do with what Senator White was mentioning earlier? The news and the destruction?

"Thank you, Mr. Osment," Natasha replied coolly, turning her calm eyes up to meet his. "I can promise you Maggie is not violent in any way; this is just part of her current 'condition,' for lack of a better word."

Maggie slumped back in her chair at that. Bruce had been watching over her growth for the past few months, as she started showing symptoms of her parents' serums (especially Steve's). Miraculous recovery time from sicknesses, spontaneous bursts of strength, occasional enhanced hearing, seeing, and even _thinking_...Maggie could hardly keep up with her own body.

"I agree," Mr. Osment said. "In the time I've known Maggie, she's only acted out when seriously provoked by a classmate, which in itself is a rare occurrence; however, Senator White has also made a good point regarding Maggie's...condition, as you said."

Natasha exhaled at that, her eyes narrowing slightly. Maggie watched closely, trying to gauge her mother's reactions to Mr. Osment's words.

"The school year is coming to a close soon...perhaps it's best that Maggie take the rest of the year off," he suggested, his voice slightly guarded, as if leaving no room for argument. "Maybe that will give her some time to properly grow into her...abilities."

"Am I being suspended?" Maggie couldn't help but blurt out, looking up at Mr. Osment with wide eyes.

But he smiled. "No, no, nothing like that. Just think of it as an early summer break."

"Maggie isn't a threat to her classmates," Natasha said slowly.

"Again, I agree with you. However, it's come to my attention that some of the parents do not think the same," Mr. Osment said, glancing at Maggie. "Many of them share the same opinions as Senator White, and believe something needs to be done. Maggie is only in the fourth grade; if we act now, it could prevent bigger upsets in the future."

Maggie wondered what all of those things he'd said meant. Other parents didn't like her? Whose parents could that be? ...Well, aside from Senator White, of course.

"Is this our only option?" Natasha asked after a few moments.

"My hands are tied at this point, Agent Romanoff. One more incident, no matter how minor, may just push these parents over the edge; the current reputation of the Avengers is, no doubt, also a contributing factor in this," Mr. Osment sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I don't like this just as much as you, believe me."

"Mama, does this mean I can't go to school anymore?" Maggie asked.

"...For now," Natasha said, submitting to Mr. Osment's words. "Alright. As long as this does not affect Maggie's academic record, in terms of unexcused absences…"

"We will take care of it," Mr. Osment reassured her. "Maggie is already an excellent student. I have no doubt that she will be prepared to start fifth grade in August, considering."

Natasha stood up, offering Maggie a hand. "Let's go gather your things."

* * *

Maggie sighed as she dragged her duffel bag of clothes behind her through the halls of the Avengers compound. The reflective tile floor beneath her allowed her to witness her own struggle, as she watched the pictures on the walls pass by in their distorted reflections on the floor.

She still wasn't exactly sure what had happened back at her school, with this "suspension but not actually suspension" thing. All she knew was her summer break apparently started two and a half weeks earlier than everyone else's.

Moreover, Natasha was quieter than usual on their journey up to New York. Maggie hadn't yet asked about the things Senator White and Mr. Osment had talked about in terms of destruction caused by the Avengers, as she wasn't sure Natasha would want to talk about it; she decided waiting until the topic came up on its own may be the safest course of action.

(Plus, maybe her father could explain it to her!)

Walking by his office, she noticed the door was slightly open. She abandoned her duffel bag in the middle of the hallway, peeking her head into the room, where she heard what sounded like a TV news broadcast playing.

"_...Tragedy in Nigeria in which the Avengers' reckless behavior led to the deaths of several Wakandans…"_

Maggie pushed the door completely open then, taking hurried steps toward Steve, who was sitting at his desk in front of the screen. It seemed to be displaying some sort of explosion in a building Maggie had never seen before, followed by a man speaking. She managed to make out the word "president" before Steve turned it off.

He whirled around in his chair, turning to Maggie in surprise. "Mags."

"Daddy, what was that?" Maggie asked, finally reaching his desk and looking more closely at the now vacant screen. "Somethin' blew up! Is the president okay?"

"It's nothing you need to worry about," Steve quickly reassured her, pulling her up onto his lap. She hugged him as she settled in, listening to the comforting _thudding _in his chest.

Maggie smiled. "I missed you and Mama a lot while you were gone."

"We missed you a lot, too," Steve said, running a hand down her back. "I heard there was an incident at school."

Tensing slightly, Maggie leaned her head back enough to meet Steve's eyes. "I had a serum spasm...I almost hurt Matthew."

"Mama told me about it."

"I can't go back to school until August...are you mad?"

Steve shook his head, a gentle smile forming on his lips. "No, I understand that what happened wasn't your fault. It was an accident."

"Matthew's mom was pretty mad, though," Maggie sighed, leaning her head against Steve's chest. "She was the reason I can't go back to school! Mr. Osment said a lot of parents don't like me. He also said the Avengers make people not like me. What does that mean?"

"We've just been really busy lately," Steve said casually, brushing off Maggie's question. "There have just been more bad guys stirring up trouble that we're trying our best to take care of."

"Oh," Maggie shrugged. She thought for a moment, then smiled at him. "Who else is here?"

"Wanda, Uncle Sam, Vision...I think Uncle Tony, Aunt Pepper, and Rhodey are coming later," Steve listed.

"What about Pietro?"

"He's been working with your Aunt Ria and Uncle Nick on something in Europe for awhile, and I think they're not quite done yet," Steve said, lifting Maggie out of his lap and placing her on the ground. "Why don't you go find Uncle Sam and play with him? I have to talk to Wanda."

Maggie wondered what he needed to talk to her about; his tone had gotten serious. "Okay!"

* * *

"Uncle Sam, what happened on your last mission?"

Maggie watched him check over his pack for damage to repair, his fingers carefully running over each corner of the surface. Her parents had warned her years prior to never touch things her uncles worked on, because she may break them (or, really, they could blow up, Tony had bluntly told her).

"Nothin' much," Sam answered casually, looking up from his wings to meet Maggie's curious gaze. "Why?"

"Well…" Maggie sighed, laying her arm on the counter. "Mama seemed upset earlier, not just about me getting in trouble at school, though. Matthew - the boy I pushed - his mom is a Senator, whatever that means, and she said Mama blew stuff up. Did that really happen?"

Sam exhaled carefully, his fingers coming to a halt. "We had a rough mission. Have either of your parents talked to you about it?"

Maggie shook her head. "I didn't want to make Mama more upset by asking, and Daddy didn't tell me, either. But when I went into his office earlier, he was watching the news and something blew up on there!"

"I don't think it's my place to answer your questions," Sam said uneasily. "This is something your parents should tell you about."

"Why?"

"Just 'cause."

"That's not a good answer!"

Sam chuckled. "I know, I know. I'm sorry. But, really, this isn't something I should talk to you about. This is for your parents."

Maggie drummed her fingers against the tabletop. "At least everyone got back safe."

"Something like that," Sam shrugged, turning back to his flight pack.

Steve had told Maggie to play with Sam, but when she'd finally found him, he was busy working on his flight pack. Though he couldn't play with her, he at least let her stay and, occasionally, help him by handing him the tools he needed.

"Are your wings okay?" Maggie asked.

"I think so," Sam said.

"What about Redwing?" Maggie remembered the little, flying robot that Tony had designed for Sam. "Is he okay?"

Sam laughed at that, looking at Maggie. "Yes. He even helped your mom defeat some bad guys today. Hey, next time you see her, can you tell her to start calling him 'Redwing'? She thinks it's weird, but it's not."

"Why does she think it's weird?"

"Beats me."

Maggie huffed. "Well, maybe _Mama's _just weird."

"Don't tell her I said this, but I agree with you."

Natasha poked her head into the room then. "Up and at 'em, Wilson, we got company."

Both Sam and Maggie jumped at that, turning to Natasha in surprise. Maggie hoped she hadn't overheard them talking about her! She looked at Sam, who seemed to be thinking the same thing, as his eyes were wide and he was nodding quickly.

"Oh, yes, okay, I'll be right there, Natasha, yes," Sam said in a rush. Maggie giggled.

Of course, Natasha was always able to tell when people were lying - Maggie _never_ got away with anything - but all she did in response to Sam's nervous behavior was roll her eyes.

Maggie jumped off her seat then, leaving Sam to put all of his tools away. She ran up to Natasha. "Who's here, who's here?"

"Uncle Tony," Natasha answered, glancing down the hallway for a moment. She then held a hand out to Maggie, leading Maggie a few feet away from the door to Sam's room. "Maggie, I need to talk to you about something."

Oh no. Was _she_ the reason Natasha was so upset? Maggie hoped not, but nodded at Natasha's words.

Natasha crouched down in front of Maggie so their eyes were on the same level. She usually did this when telling Maggie why something she did was bad or when she had something really, really important to say. Natasha looked as defeated as earlier, her shoulders and lips drooping and her eyes dark, so it didn't seem like she was going to lecture Maggie.

"What's wrong, Mama?" Maggie asked. "You look sad."

"I am, a little bit," Natasha admitted, a small smile lighting up her face momentarily. Then her lips drooped again. "Maggie, what did Senator White say to you today before I got to your school?"

Maggie started feeling a little sad herself when she thought of that. "She said...she said I wasn't normal," Maggie said. "She also said that normal kids shouldn't go to school with...lab rats? Something like that."

For the first time that day, Natasha's face reacted - though, it wasn't happy, it was _angry._ Her jaw tensed, tightening her frown, and she furrowed her eyebrows. Maggie silently stared at Natasha.

"Лапушка, you do understand that everything Senator White said was wrong, right?" Natasha said slowly after a few tense, silent moments passed. Maggie nodded. Senator White was just a big _bully_, really. Yes, Maggie had done something wrong, but she didn't think she deserved comments _that_ mean. "Good. Senator White is what we would call a _bigot_. Do you know what that word means?"

Maggie hummed in thought. "Does it mean someone who's really mean and says bad things to people?"

"Close," Natasha said. "A bigot is someone who's mean to other people because they're different from him or her. Senator White was talking about people with powers or special abilities, and because those people are different from her, she's mean to them. Does that make sense?"

"I think so…" Maggie mulled it over for a moment. "So Senator White was saying mean things to me because I'm different."

"Different from _her_," Natasha corrected.

"Different from her. Oh, okay, I get it now."

"Because Senator White is a bigot, that means the things she said today are wrong. There is nothing wrong with you being different from her or your classmates, Maggie, I promise." Natasha grabbed both of Maggie's hands, squeezing them gently. "Senator White is the one who is wrong."

Maggie nodded. "She also said something about the news."

"The news?"

"Yeah. She said that you and Daddy destroyed stuff." Maggie deflated at her own words. "She made it sound like you and Daddy were the bad guys, but that's not true! That's...bigot."

"Bigoted."

"Yeah! That's bigoted!" Maggie frowned. "She said that there was something on the news today about you and Daddy destroying stuff. Did something happen on your mission?"

Natasha's mouth sat in a firm line for a few moments before she exhaled softly. "Our mission was...not so great."

"That's what Uncle Sam said when I asked him," Maggie said. "But when I asked him more about it, he said you and Daddy should tell me what happened. Does that have to do with stuff blowing up on the news?"

"Yeah," Natasha sighed. The anger faded from her expression, leaving the sadness she'd started out with. "The mission went fine until the end. There was an accident."

"Uncle Sam said everyone was okay!" Maggie protested. Had Sam really _lied_ to her?

"Everyone _did_ come home okay. Nobody was seriously hurt," Natasha explained. "It was a different kind of accident."

Maggie calmed down at that. She squeezed Natasha's hands. "What happened?"

"Well, there was an explosion," Natasha said. "It would have hit Daddy, except Wanda used her powers to move the explosion."

"Oh. Isn't that a good thing?"

"It was, at first. But then Wanda's powers slipped up, and the explosion hit a building."

This...was weird. Maggie struggled to understand exactly what that meant.

"Basically, Wanda accidentally let go of the explosion, so when it was freed and finished blowing up, it destroyed part of a nearby building that had people in it."

Now it made more sense. And Maggie could see why everyone was so upset about it.

Yet, at the same time… "It was just an accident, right? So it's not Wanda's fault!"

Natasha smiled then, releasing one of Maggie's hands to lay her palm on Maggie's cheek. "That's what we think, too. But there are a lot of people out there, like Senator White today, who are bigots, and think the Avengers are dangerous."

"But it was an accident!" Maggie protested. She imagined Senator White yelling at Wanda.

"I know," Natasha said softly, her thumb brushing against the skin under Maggie's eye. "It _was_ an accident. But Wanda feels really bad about it. We _all_ feel really bad about it."

"But, but…" Maggie was running out of excuses. "You said the explosion would have hit Daddy if Wanda didn't do something!"

"You're right. Wanda _did_ save Daddy," Natasha said. "But she couldn't save everybody else."

Maggie huffed, stamping her foot. "I can't believe Senator White would say such a _mean _thing! Bad guys don't save people, but you and Daddy save people, so you're not bad! This isn't _fair._"

"I'm sorry," Natasha said, pulling Maggie in for a hug. "I know this is a lot, especially with everything that happened today at school. This is just the world we live in. No matter what you do, there will always be bullies and bigots like Senator White."

"They don't _deserve_ the Avengers," Maggie muttered against Natasha's shoulder. But then Natasha pulled away, her face suddenly very serious.

"Maggie, being an Avenger means protecting _everyone_. It's hard, because there will be people who don't like us, but if they're in danger, we'll save them because that's our job," Natasha said. This was the tone she used when telling Maggie something that she had to listen very carefully to and argue. "Maybe a person is mean to us, but that person still has people who love them, a _family_. We can't let those people down by refusing to protect their loved one."

Maggie didn't like it, but Natasha was looking at her the way she did after a big lecture, so she nodded halfheartedly. "Okay, Mama."

Natasha's expression softened. "I know you don't like it, and sometimes I don't, either. But this is what being an Avenger is all about." She pressed a kiss to Maggie's forehead before standing up. "Now, then, I believe there's a certain Aunt Pepper waiting to play with a certain little girl..."

Part of Maggie was still trying to comprehend the depth of what Natasha said, but the rest of her brightened at the mention of Pepper. Maggie looked up to Natasha with a wide smile. "Aunt Pepper's here?"

"You bet."

"Yay!" Maggie cheered. "And since I can't go to school anymore, I don't have any homework, so we can play _all_ day! Woohoo!"

"I suppose you're right," Natasha sighed, leading Maggie down the hall by hand.

* * *

"Auntie Pep!"

Maggie let go of Natasha's hand when she caught sight of Pepper in the conference room, running up to her godmother with open arms. Pepper reciprocated the gesture, catching Maggie with wide arms and a laugh.

"Hi, Maggie," Pepper said. Maggie snaked her arms around Pepper's neck and rested her head against Pepper's chest. "How are you doing?"

"I'm okay," Maggie said honestly, leaning back to look up at Pepper. "I don't have to go to school anymore."

"No more school?" Pepper raised an eyebrow, glancing up at Natasha standing behind Maggie. "Isn't it a little early for summer break?"

"There was a bit of an incident at school today," Natasha said. Maggie let go of Pepper, allowing her to stand up properly. "I'm sure Maggie can fill you in during our meeting."

Maggie tilted her head to the side. "Meeting?"

"Glad you could make it, Secretary Ross."

That was Tony's voice! Maggie turned, peering around Pepper's legs, and caught sight of Tony walking in with Rhodey and...an old man? Maggie wasn't sure she'd ever met him before. She anxiously looked back to Natasha; normally when there was important Avengers business involving strangers, her parents said she had to hide. Pepper had tried to explain it once, saying that her parents didn't trust a lot of people, but it didn't really make sense to Maggie.

"It's alright, Maggie," Natasha reassured her, offering Maggie her hand. Maggie accepted it and stepped back to stand beside Natasha. Pepper turned toward Tony, Rhodey, and the stranger. "He works for the government."

"Secretary Ross, Ms. Pepper Potts," Tony said, holding a hand out to each person as he said their name. Pepper reached a hand out toward the "Secretary Ross" person, shaking his hand.

"It's nice to meet you, Ms. Potts," Secretary Ross said.

"The pleasure is all mine," Pepper said, wearing a smile that confused Maggie. Tony had told her about it before - it was the smile that Pepper used when she didn't like a person. Maybe this Secretary Ross wasn't all that good, after all…

"Good day, Secretary," Natasha said, shaking his hand next. Maggie glanced to Tony and Rhodey standing behind Secretary Ross. Tony offered her a small smile and a wave, while Rhodey didn't do anything. Even Pepper looked a little off now, her fake smile still plastered on her face.

Something...something was wrong. Maggie wasn't sure what, but she had a sudden feeling of dread that told her something bad was going to happen. But _what?_

"So this must be the legendary Ms. Margaret Rogers." Secretary Ross' words pulled Maggie out of her thoughts. She looked up at him as he bent over - he didn't even _crouch down_ for her, just leaned down toward her, _rude_ \- and offered her his hand to shake. Maggie looked up at Natasha, who nodded to her.

"Hi." Maggie shook his hand, keeping her lips pressed in a firm line. She wasn't sure _what_ this guy was here for, but she didn't really trust him yet, so he didn't get to call her "Maggie" like everyone else.

"It's nice to meet you, Ms. Rogers," Secretary Ross said, standing back up to full height.

Maggie noticed Steve entering the room, then, through the doors a few feet behind Tony and Rhodey. Then she remembered the thing Steve always reminded her about: _manners!_ No matter how much she may distrust Secretary Ross, she still needed to show him her manners. So she offered him a smile (as fake as Pepper's, she thought mischievously to herself) and nodded. "It's nice to meet you, too. How are you?"

"I'm very well, thank you for asking," Secretary Ross said, his voice full of...it almost sounded like the same pride Natasha and Steve would have when they were happy for something Maggie had accomplished, but it was different. _Not_ a good different, either. He looked at Natasha. "Her manners are excellent."

Natasha smiled then, but Maggie could tell hers was fake, too! Did _anybody_ like this guy? Why was he even _here_ if nobody liked him?! It baffled Maggie. "She gets it all from her father, sir."

Maggie watched Sam, Wanda, and Vision walk in behind Steve. Sam looked about the same as Maggie had left him, Vision looked like Vision, and Wanda...Wanda was frowning and looking down at her feet. Maggie wanted to walk up to her and ask if she was okay; she must have been upset about the accident during their mission.

"Secretary," Steve said as he joined the group, shaking Secretary Ross' hand. "Glad you could make it." (In Maggie's opinion, Steve didn't look nor sound very _glad_ about this; she knew what Steve was like when he was actually happy. This wasn't it.)

"Captain Rogers," Secretary Ross said with a weird smile. Maggie wondered if his was fake, just like all of theirs...really, what was the purpose of this meeting if nobody liked each other? Adults were so _weird. _"Is this everyone?"

"The others are all on missions of their own," Steve explained. Maggie's eyes wandered from Steve and Secretary Ross back to Tony. She released Natasha's hand and walked up to him.

"Hi, Uncle Tony," she said quietly, unsure of how loud she could be with Secretary Ross talking very seriously to Steve.

Tony, _much _more of a gentleman than Secretary Ross, crouched down to her height, greeting her with a hug. He placed a kiss to her forehead. "Hey, munchkin," he said, his voice as soft as hers. "How's it going?"

"Okay," Maggie whispered. "I got in trouble at school today, so I don't have to go to school anymore."

Tony raised an eyebrow at that. "_Really?_"

Maggie nodded very seriously. "Yeah. This boy in my class, named Matthew, pushed me at recess, so I pushed him back, but I had a serum spasm. He wasn't hurt, though. But I get to start summer break early now."

"Sorry about that, kiddo," Tony said, ruffling Maggie's hair. "It was just bad timing. Don't tell your parents I said this, but good job on sticking up for yourself." He held up his hand. "Give me five."

She high fived his hand with a giggle and Tony hugged her again. Out of all of her uncles, Maggie always knew she could count on Tony to cheer her up, even when she had days as bad as this one.

"Shall we get this meeting started, then?" Secretary Ross said. Tony released Maggie, standing back up to his full height. Maggie turned back toward Natasha and caught sight of Steve standing with her, but they had what Tony and Clint called their "game faces" on. They looked a little scary!

But if they were starting the meeting soon, that meant Maggie would have to leave. She whirled around, now facing Sam, Vision, and Wanda, who were taking their seats. Maggie rushed over to Wanda before she could sit down, however, hugging her around the waist.

"Oh, hello, little one," Wanda said, sounding surprised. She ran a hand through Maggie's hair. "We have to work right now, but I can play with you later, if you would like."

"I just wanted to tell you it's not your fault," Maggie said, holding Wanda in place. She gave Wanda a _real_ smile, unlike the ones everyone seemed to be exchanging with each other today. "Mama told me about the accident during your guys' mission. It's not your fault, Wanda. I accidentally hurt someone at school today, but it's okay. People are just dumb."

Wanda didn't reply for a few moments, simply blinking at Maggie, then returned the smile. She crouched down to give Maggie a proper hug. "Thank you, Maggie. It's really nice to hear that from you. I feel better now."

Maggie beamed at Wanda's words. She pulled away with a bigger smile. "We should _definitely_ play later when you're done working!" she offered.

"That sounds wonderful," Wanda said earnestly, tapping Maggie's nose. Maggie giggled like she had with Tony.

Suddenly, Pepper was beside Maggie, laying a hand on Maggie's shoulder. "Hey, Maggie, we should let everyone start their meeting. We can go play somewhere else for now."

"Okay, Aunt Pepper," Maggie said with a nod. "I'll see you later, Wanda."

"Bye, Maggie," Wanda said, standing up straight.

Pepper offered Maggie her hand, which Maggie took with a smile up in Pepper's direction. But Pepper was looking at the Avengers gathered around the table with a small frown. Maggie followed her eyes.

Nobody was smiling. Maybe it was because Secretary Ross was there, but, even then, the Avengers all usually smiled at _each other_. They were friends...they were _family!_ But now they were all looking away from each other, some toward Secretary Ross at the front of the table, others at random objects around the room. Tony wasn't even sitting at the table with them!

"Aunt Pepper," Maggie whispered, looking back up at Pepper, "why does everyone look so...weird?"

Pepper sighed, ripping her eyes away from the strange sight. "Things may be changing around here pretty soon," she murmured. It was a rare moment of sheer _honesty_ for Maggie, as the adults usually kept things secret from her - not in a bad way, but they would only tell her when absolutely necessary, since they knew a lot of scary things. This didn't seem to be a moment that total honesty was necessary. "I just hope everyone can work things out."

Maggie didn't _understand._ "Auntie Pep?"

Shaking her head, Pepper looked down at Maggie. "Never mind. Let's just go play, okay?" She led Maggie away from the Avengers and out through the doors. "What do you want to do? We can bake, draw, play a game..."

But Maggie glanced back at the closed doors behind them. Just as she thought earlier, something was really wrong. But _what?_

* * *

The Sokovia Accords hit the team like a _bomb_.

Natasha exhaled softly as Vision droned on with some "equation" about the strength of the Avengers inciting challenge. She slowly massaged her temples with her fingers. First it had been Maggie's principal, and now the same Secretary Ross that had tormented Bruce years and years ago...people _really_ didn't like the Avengers anymore, it seemed.

But...it also gave Natasha some perspective on things.

She looked to Tony standing in the kitchen with raised eyebrows. "Tony, you're being uncharacteristically non-hyper verbal."

"That's because he's already made up his mind," Steve said dryly from beside Natasha. She rolled her eyes. Steve was, per usual, being as blunt about his conflicting opinions on the Accords as possible. (Honestly, it was getting a little annoying.)

"Boy, you know me so well. Actually, I'm nursing my electromagnetic headache." Tony shook his head, turning to the sink. "Who's putting coffee grounds in the disposal? Am I running a bed and breakfast for a biker gang?"

He filled his mug with water, taking a sip and pulling out a dose of Advil. After slipping the pills into his mouth, he downed the rest of his water before resting his exhausted gaze on the rest of the team. "There's no decision making process here. We need to be put in check. Whatever form that takes, I'm game. If we can't accept limitations, we're no better than the bad guys."

"Tony, someone dies on your watch, you don't give up," Steve argued.

"Who said we're giving up?"

"We are, for not taking responsibility for our actions." Steve held up the thick copy of the damned Sokovia Accords sitting on the table. "These documents just shift the blame."

"Sorry, Steve, that…" Rhodey shook his head with a huff. "That is dangerously arrogant. This is the _United Nations_ we're talking about. It's not the world security council, it's not S.H.I.E.L.D., it's not HYDRA."

"No, but it's run by people with agendas, and agendas change," Steve pointed out.

"That's good. That's why I'm here." Tony put his empty mug down on the counter, walking back to the group. "When I realized what my weapons were capable of in the wrong hands, I _shut it down_. I stopped manufacturing them."

"Tony," Steve said slowly, carefully, "you chose to do that. If we sign these, we surrender our right to choose. What if this panel sends us somewhere we don't think we should go? What if it's somewhere we need to go, and they don't let us? We may not be perfect, but the safest hands are still our own."

"If we don't do this now, it's going to be done to us later. That's a fact." Tony crossed his arms over his chest. "That won't be pretty."

Tony's words only added to the pile of concerns Natasha had accumulated over the course of the day, starting with Maggie's incident at school. He had a point - this could affect _Maggie_ if the United Nations chased after them some point in the future, and that wouldn't be fair to her. She was already upset enough as it was by Senator White's comments to her today; Maggie was growing old enough to understand that her parents' reputations could really damage and endanger her.

"Maybe Tony is right," Natasha ventured. Steve turned to her with raised eyebrows and mouth open to protest, but she held a hand up. "If we have one hand on the wheel that can still steer…"

"Aren't you the same woman who told the government to kiss her ass a twelve years ago?" Sam asked, his voice reflecting the same emotion on Steve's face: _betrayal._

"I'm just…" Natasha glanced around at everyone, taking a deep breath. "Monitoring. We have made some _very_ public mistakes. We need to win their trust back."

"I'm sorry, did I just mishear you, or did you agree with me?" Tony raised an eyebrow, pointing at her.

God, for as good of an uncle Tony was to Maggie, he still proved himself to be a _pain in her ass_ sometimes. This moment was no exception. Natasha looked up at him through hopelessly wide eyes. "Oh, I want to take it back."

"No, no, no. You can't retract it," Tony insisted.

"Natasha, this isn't the way to win trust," Steve said. "We're going to lose control of _ourselves_."

"This is bigger than that," Natasha argued back. He hadn't had to explain _bigotry_ to Maggie in the hallway today. "If we're not careful about this, this is going to affect Maggie. _Badly._"

"This is already going to affect her," Steve said, setting the accords back down on the table. "How are we supposed to explain to her that the Avengers aren't allowed to save as many people as they can anymore? We're her _heroes_, Nat."

Natasha shook her head. "It's not _going_ to affect her, it's affecting her _right now_. Senator White, Matthew's mom, decided to preach her anti-Avengers beliefs to Maggie before I got to her school today." She narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing Steve. "Maggie's already realizing that _our_ mistakes are viewed as _her_ mistakes, even by people she should be able to trust. If we don't change something, we're not going to be her heroes for much longer."

Wanda deflated from her spot beside Vision. "Maggie is too innocent to be caught up in this."

"Maggie is a prime example of why we need to do this," Tony cut in. Though she'd sided with Tony, Natasha was about ready to snap his neck. He only provoked Steve, which would make no progress for anyone in the long run. "Like I said, if we don't do this now, it's only going to get worse from here. Maggie's a _target_. She's the child of two Avengers and has the super soldier serum in her blood. The government is well aware of that."

"You think they'll use Maggie against us?" Steve asked, a hint of disbelief in his voice. Really? Had he forgotten his own argument?

"As you said, people have agendas," Tony said. Natasha shot Steve a bored look; he walked himself into Tony's trap. "Agendas change. The next time we're approached about this...I doubt it will be this civil."

"_Please_, Steve," Natasha sighed. This was just getting ridiculous. How were the Avengers supposed to remain a team when half of them wouldn't be legal members? "I hate this just as much as you do. But Tony's right. This is our only chance to do this peacefully, so we should take advantage of it."

Steve was silent for a few moments, then shook his head with a sigh. "I'm sorry, Natasha, I just...I _can't_ sign this with a clear conscience. Too many people are going to die in the future because of this, because the Avengers won't 'be allowed' to save them."

"You're not thinking of _Maggie._"

"You're not thinking of the _innocent lives_ at stake here."

Natasha didn't reply, opting to simply stare Steve into submission. He seemed to be thinking the same as he returned her intense gaze, unyielding.

"Mama! Daddy!"

Suddenly, the atmosphere of the room turned _completely_ upside down. Both Steve and Natasha looked up at the sound of Maggie's cheerful voice. She skipped into the room, still in her uniform jumper, her hair now in two braids that Natasha figured Pepper must have done for her. Pepper, meanwhile, came in after Maggie, albeit at a much slower pace.

"Sorry, Maggie wanted to come in and see everyone," Pepper apologized, but Natasha raised an eyebrow. Pepper was quite the perceptive person; she'd learned to read all of the Avengers well, and Natasha had seen her studying them at the beginning of their meeting with Secretary Ross earlier. Of course Pepper would have an inkling of what was going on - Natasha guessed letting Maggie barge into the room wasn't so much of an "accident" as it was a hopeful intervention of whatever conflict she'd sensed among the Avengers.

"Hi, Maggie," Steve greeted warmly, though his usual tone was slightly off because of the intense conversation moments before. Maggie stopped in front of him with a bright smile. "Did you have fun with Aunt Pepper?"

"Uh-huh!" Maggie nodded. "We baked a cake! We're still waiting for it to cool down to put frosting on it, though. When we're done, everyone can have a piece!"

"I'm looking forward to it," Natasha said, returning Maggie's smile. She silently wondered if they should just consult Maggie _herself_ about the Accords.

Maggie looked around at everyone in the room. "Is Secretary Ross gone?"

"He left a little while ago, kiddo," Tony said, his muscles and expression relaxed as Pepper stood next to him. "Sorry if you wanted to play with him. He's a pretty busy guy."

"That's okay," Maggie said, turning back to Steve and Natasha. "I could tell that nobody liked him very much...he was _creepy._"

Natasha simply smirked while everyone else's (save for Steve, Tony, and Pepper) eyes widened in surprise. Maggie was _quite_ the empathetic kid - and being raised by a spy who excelled in the arts of lying and deceiving, well...Maggie must have picked up a thing or two along the way.

"He wasn't very nice to Uncle Brucie a long time ago," Steve explained vaguely.

"That makes sense," Maggie said, but tilted her head in question. "But...why did he come over if we don't like him?"

The other Avengers averted their eyes while Natasha and Steve made eye contact. Should they tell Maggie about the Accords? Steve reached around Maggie and picked up the documents, looking at Natasha the entire time. She figured he was waiting for her to protest, but she kept a neutral expression.

He held them in his lap. Maggie looked at it, wide-eyed. "Holy cow! Is that a _book?_ It's so _big!_ Do you have to read that _whole thing?_"

"It's not _quite_ a book," Steve said. Some of the tension faded from the room at the innocent exchange. "It's the Sokovia Accords."

"Sokovia?" Maggie glanced in Wanda's direction. "Isn't that where Wanda and Pietro are from?"

"Yes," Wanda said.

"Secretary Ross works for the government," Natasha explained, pulling Maggie's attention back to her and Steve. "The Sokovia Accords is a new law they're trying to pass about the Avengers."

"There are laws about the Avengers?"

"This would be the first one, if it passes," Steve said.

"It _already_ passed," Tony reminded. "They just need us to sign."

"You sign it? Like a yearbook?"

Natasha sighed, feeling her headache return. The others (read: _Tony_) being present really wasn't helping. "Maggie, what this means is that the Avengers won't be just the Avengers anymore. The United Nations - that's like a government for the whole world, made up of people from every country - would be in charge of the Avengers."

Maggie blinked a few times. "What?"

This was too complicated to explain to a ten year old. Steve tried next. "Right now, we go on missions when Uncle Nick tells us to or whenever we choose to. If this law gets passed, Uncle Nick won't give us missions anymore and we can't choose our own missions either; someone else is going to tell us what to do."

"Is that bad?"

"Yes." "No."

The tense atmosphere of the room resumed as Natasha and Steve answered simultaneously, but differently. Natasha closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, before looking at Steve. He was already turned to her, frown etched on his face. Great.

"Mama and Daddy answered different…" Maggie murmured anxiously.

"...We're just still trying to decide." Steve turned his eyes back to Maggie after a few moments. "This is a hard decision."

"It's not," Rhodey mumbled from the back. Sam elbowed him.

"What about everyone else?" Maggie turned around, looking around the room. "Does everyone else disagree?"

"It would appear so," Vision said, his tone calculated. "This is a rather complicated matter."

"It doesn't have to be," Tony said.

"You're not helping," Sam said.

"Don't worry about it, Лапушка," Natasha said before everyone could start arguing, laying a hand on Maggie's back. "We'll figure things out, okay? For now, why don't you just go back to playing with Aunt Pepper? I'm really looking forward to your guys' cake."

Maggie turned back to Natasha, but the energy that she'd entered the room with was nearly gone. She nodded, her eyes downcast. "Okay."

Pepper wore the same expression Natasha had seen her studying the group with earlier when Maggie retreated back to her side. Maggie grabbed one of Pepper's hands and turned away from everyone. Pepper sighed.

"Please figure this out," she requested shortly. Tony opened his mouth to say something to her, but Pepper whirled around and led Maggie away from the group.

Once the doors had shut, Natasha turned to Steve. "We need to settle this. Now."

"I agree," Steve said. "But I will not sign the Accords."

For the first time in many, many years, Natasha struggled to rein in the burning anger she felt toward Steve; she wanted to punch him until she knocked sense into him_._ She counted to three in her head before speaking again. "Steve."

"Natasha, if we give the government power over us, we'll ultimately give them power over Maggie, too," he argued. "She deserves the freedom we've had as a team when she grows up. I'm willing to bet that someone won't hesitate to use the leverage the Accords give them to try to control Maggie once she's older. She wants this job, remember? We can't ruin it for her."

"We're already ruining it," Natasha pointed out, leaning closer to Steve. "At the rate we're going, she's not going to be want to be _associated_ with the Avengers, let alone _be_ an Avenger. She's _ten_. Kids don't always want the same things when they grow up, Steve."

"But she has my serum, so _of course_ these people are going to try to use her when she's grown up."

"Are you sure this is about Maggie and not just about _you?_"

"Alright, stop, just stop," Sam cut in, walking up to them. "This argument isn't even about the rest of us anymore. We need to take it down a notch."

"I agree," Vision said. "Captain Rogers and Agent Romanoff are no longer looking at this objectively. I propose we suspend this conversation for now, each take some time to reflect on it individually."

"You don't get much time," Tony warned, grumpily stalking away from the team. "Wheels up tomorrow at noon. If you don't come, I'm not protecting you when the U.N. comes for your ass."

With that, Tony left the room.

Soon, the group around Steve and Natasha dissipated as each Avenger departed. Rhodey left in a frustrated huff, Sam shook his head the whole way out, Vision didn't bother using a door, and Wanda was wiping at her eyes. Neither Natasha nor Steve looked at each other during those few minutes.

Natasha wasn't sure what to do. She still stood by every point she'd made - _this_ was the best way to protect the team and their daughter. Though some of Steve's arguments may prove to be true in the long run, would their badness really outweigh that of the very potentially threatening consequences that may come with _not_ signing the Accords?

But fighting in front of Maggie, no matter the circumstances, was never the right thing to do. Just in the short time she'd spent in the room, Maggie had already started picking up on what was really going on, how much was at stake. That wasn't fair to Maggie. Natasha sighed, turning to Steve.

"I'm sorry."

Her eyes widened in surprise as the same words left Steve's mouth at the same time, his eyes reflecting the same shock she felt. They blinked a few times, simply staring at each other, before Steve spoke up.

"I still don't feel comfortable signing the Accords, but I never should have exposed Maggie to it," Steve said. "That was poor judgment on my part."

"I still stand by my argument, but I agree with you on that. It's not your fault that you weren't at the meeting with her principal today, you had your hands full with this mess." She gestured to the now empty lounge. "I shouldn't have used that against you."

They fell silent again for a few moments.

"What are we going to do?" Steve sighed, head in his hands. "You sign and I don't?"

"That's what it's looking like," Natasha mumbled submissively. She _really_ didn't like the idea of their disagreement permeating into a stalemate, but Steve was too stubborn to listen to reason and, with Maggie around, fighting it out to the point of consensus (as they inevitably would) was out of the question.

"What do we tell Maggie?"

A plethora of snarky responses ran through Natasha's mind at Steve's question, but she knew it wouldn't do any good. "We agree to disagree, I don't know. But I'm getting on a plane to Vienna tomorrow, with or without you."

Steve nodded.

"Last time we disagreed over something like this, Maggie thought we were going to get a divorce," Natasha recalled. Maggie had been at first grade at the time. Natasha and Steve had argued over a few missions they went on, where there were a few close calls, and Maggie caught onto their sour moods pretty quickly. "We can't do that to her again."

"No matter what happens with the Accords, we're still a family," Steve said. "Even if we disagree, I won't let that interrupt Maggie's routine."

"Neither will I." Compartmentalization was one of her strong suits, after all. A bitter part of her mind pointed out that Steve was not as strong in that field, but she ignored it. Steve was right. They couldn't let their disagreement muddy the waters with Maggie.

But, Natasha thought, depending on how things turn out...that may just be impossible.

"So," she said, changing the subject, "Barnes?"

Steve's shoulders relaxed at her transition. "Rumlow mentioned him today, before...well. Anyway, he's still out there, somewhere."

"He may want to be found by now," Natasha said. "It's been twelve years since D.C. That's a long time to hide away."

"I need to find him," Steve said. "If he's really out there somewhere…"

"We'll find him," Natasha reassured him, placing her hand on Steve's knee. "Or he'll find us."

Steve offered her a smile for the first time since the mission. "Thanks, Nat."

* * *

Maggie knew eavesdropping was bad. Both of her parents had told her as such several times.

She'd fallen asleep on the couch in the same lounge area that everyone had hung out at the day before, when the whole "Sokovia Accords" thing happened. At first, Maggie had been saddened to learn that everyone was disagreeing; then she grew anxious. What did that mean for her big family, _especially_ if her _parents _couldn't agree?

When she'd woken up, her ears felt different. She then realized that it was just the super soldier serum acting up again, temporarily enhancing her senses before disappearing for a while. It was kind of like the serum spasms, except, instead of unpredictable moments of superhuman strength, she found one or more of her senses enhanced, like Steve's. It appeared today was a hearing a day.

Though Natasha and Steve were standing on the completely opposite side of the very large room talking in hushed tones, Maggie found herself able to understand each word. (Just to play it safe, however, she kept her eyes closed to pretend to sleep for as long as she could.)

"So," Steve whispered, "who else is signing?"

"Tony, Rhodey," Natasha listed, her voice as quiet as Steve's, "Vision."

"Clint?"

"Says he's 'too deep undercover to care right now.'"

"Wanda?"

"T.B.D."

Neither of them spoke for a few moments and Maggie wondered if the conversation was over. Before she'd fallen asleep, Steve and Natasha had explained to her that Natasha would be leaving for an event in Europe - _not_ a mission. That must have been what they were talking about now, with "signing", as Tony had mentioned the day before.

"Just because it's the path of least resistance doesn't mean it's the wrong path," Natasha murmured. "Staying together is more important than how we stay together."

"But what are we giving up to do it?" Steve sighed. Maggie pictured him shaking his head. "Sorry, Nat. I can't sign it."

"I know."

A silent moment passed.

"Well. I better go let Maggie know I'm leaving."

Maggie panicked at the sudden sound of Natasha's approaching footsteps. She took a deep breath and waited until Natasha was really close, then turned over with a yawn, sleepily blinking up at the ceiling.

Natasha stood over her a few blinks later, a small smile on her face. "Hey, sleepyhead. I've gotta go now, but I'll be back in a few days. You'll get to stay with Daddy and Aunt Pepper until then."

"Only them?" Maggie asked, because a few people hadn't come up in Natasha and Steve's conversation, such as Sam, Bruce, and Pietro (though those last two were gone on their own assignments for who knew how long right now).

"More or less," Natasha mumbled, her eyes narrowing slightly. Maggie briefly wondered if Natasha figured out she had been eavesdropping, but the strange suspicion in Natasha's eyes vanished within a few moments. "At least, since this isn't a mission, we can talk on the phone a lot, even video chat. How's that sound?"

Maggie sat up with a stretch, nodding at Natasha's words. "I like that."

"Good." Natasha pressed a kiss to Maggie's forehead, then pulled her into a hug. Maggie returned the embrace with a smile. "I love you, Лапушка."

"I love you, too, Mama."

"See you soon," Natasha said softly, standing up straight and walking away from the couch. Steve was still standing at the opposing edge of the room, an expression Maggie couldn't quite identify on his face.

_Don't worry about it, Лапушка. We'll figure things out, okay?_ Natasha's attempt at reassuring her ran through Maggie's mind for a moment. Her own expression fell and she turned away from her parents so they wouldn't see.

They hadn't figured things out.

* * *

"Maggie, cover your ears and close your eyes."

Maggie wasn't sure why Steve was instructing her to do this, but Sam and Pepper had just run into the room looking frazzled and saying something about the news. Natasha had left the day before for her signing thing with the others; in the time since, Maggie had played with Steve. They had been reading a chapter book together when Pepper and Sam interrupted.

She wasn't about to question what Steve was asking her to do, though, because he looked panicked, just like Sam and Pepper. So Maggie covered her ears with her hands and closed her eyes shut. She had been sitting on Steve's lap while reading, so she pushed her face into his chest for extra blinding effect. Steve placed his hand on the back of her head, gently massaging scalp.

Sam had mentioned something about turning on the TV while Pepper had entered the room with her cellphone in her hand. Maggie wasn't sure what they were doing now, but she assumed Steve was turning on the TV as they instructed. A few moments later, she felt him stop breathing, his chest freezing in what she guessed to be shock. She could still hear his voice rumble in his chest, given her close proximity to him.

"_Natasha_," he'd sputtered, his voice sounding anxious. That didn't sound good...had something happened to her? "Have you been in contact with her?"

"Daddy, what's going on? Where's Mama?" Maggie spoke into the fabric of Steve's loose t-shirt. God, please, _please_, this hadn't even been a _mission_, Natasha wasn't supposed to get _hurt!_ (Or worse.)

"Bucky?" Steve said next.

This was just getting _unfair._ Maggie couldn't handle the ignorance of covering her ears and closing her eyes. What the heck was he even _talking _about? She'd never even met Bucky, Steve said something bad had happened to him.

"I'm opening my eyes and ears," Maggie informed Steve. He didn't reply to her, as he was too busy tapping the screen of his cell phone, she discovered after opening her eyes. She let her hands fall from her ears, too, and heard Pepper talking on the phone. Sam was standing beside Pepper, looking at something behind Maggie.

It was the TV. Maggie could hear it now.

"_A bomb hidden in a news van…"_

What? A bomb? News van?

"_...Blast through the U.N. building in Vienna."_

Vienna…? Why did that name sound so familiar...Vienna, Vienna, Vienna..._Natasha's Europe trip!_

Maggie vaulted herself off of Steve's lap then, running up to the TV and standing in front of it. Where was Natasha? Was she okay? She bit her lip as the bright screen burned her eyes. A building had crumbled to the ground, people were scattered everywhere... But _where was Natasha?_

"_More than 70 people have been injured. At least 12 are dead. Including Wakanda's King T'Chaka." _

No, no, no, no…

"Maggie. Breathe."

She hadn't even noticed Sam join her right in front of the TV until she felt his hands on her shoulders. Better yet, she hadn't even realized she'd _stopped breathing_. At Sam's words, Maggie took a much needed deep breath, exhaling slowly. He turned her around so her back was to the awful, awful news report.

"So far, we know that your Uncle Tony and Rhodey are okay," Sam informed her, his hands still on her shoulders. She nodded numbly at the news. "Your dad's trying to get a hold of your mom right now, alright? We don't know anything yet."

"Uncle Sam, I'm scared," Maggie admitted, looking up at him. She felt her lip tremble and eyes blur.

"I know, I know, we all are," Sam reassured her. "We just have to wait and see what happens now, okay? I know it sucks, but that's all we can do now."

"Natasha?"

Steve's voice captured Maggie's attention. His phone was pressed to his ear. He bit his lip, but then slumped back against the couch in utter _relief._ Maggie escaped Sam's grip and ran back up to him.

"Thank _God_, Natasha," Steve murmured, shaking his head. Maggie skidded to a stop in front of him, sniffling as she saw the unshed tears in Steve's eyes. He noticed her standing before him, grabbed her hand and squeezed it. "You really scared us."

"Is Mama okay?" Maggie whispered, wiping at her eyes with her unoccupied hand. She leaned closer to Steve. "Is she hurt?"

"She's fine, Maggie," Steve said softly. "Nat, I'm gonna put Maggie on for a sec."

Maggie accepted Steve's phone with trembling hands, pushing it up to her ear with a sniffle. "H-hello…?"

"_Hi, Maggie." _

The simple greeting, so _Natasha_ in nature and voice and tone and _everything_, pushed tears out of Maggie's eyes. Thank. God. Natasha was safe. Thank God, thank God, thank God, thank God…

Natasha must have been able to hear her crying through the phone. _"It's okay now, Maggie. I'm safe, I promise. I'm not hurt." _

"G-good," Maggie said shakily. Steve squeezed her hand again, offering her a smile. "Um...c-can you come home now? I'm still scared…"

"_I don't know," _Natasha replied softly. _"You see, we need to find the person who did this."_

"But…" Maggie whimpered. "But what if you get hurt again?"

"_I'm going to try my best to avoid that, Maggie. Remember what we talked about the other day? What it means to be an Avenger?" _

"Y-yeah…"

"_Not only do we have to protect people who may not like us, but we also have to do our best to stop bad guys when they get away, even if they've hurt and scared us," _Natasha said. _"I want to come home, believe me - I miss you very much. But they need the Avengers to help catch the bad guy." _

It made sense, but Maggie wished it didn't. Being an Avenger was _really_ serious business. She hadn't realized it until this whole mess with her serum spasms at school and the Sokovia Accords causing drama among the team, but it was _really _stressful. How did her parents do it? "Please catch him fast and come home."

"_I will. I promise. I swear on my Avenger's honor." _

That made Maggie feel a little better. She managed to smile. "Thanks, Mama."

"_I love you, Maggie. So, so much. Never forget that, okay?" _

"Okay. I love you, too. A lot."

"_I'll keep in touch with you and see you as soon as I can. For now, can you give the phone back to Daddy?" _

Maggie didn't really want to, especially given how scary things had been just five minutes ago, but she knew that Natasha needed her to be a big girl now. So she took another deep, calming breath. "Okay. Bye, Mama."

"_Bye, Лапушка."_

With that, Maggie handed the phone back to Steve and let go of his hand. He leaned down and placed a kiss on her forehead before standing up and leaving the room. Maggie curiously watched him leave; did they have something secret to talk about? Even at a time like this?

Both Pepper and Sam came to stand by Maggie. They all watched Steve leave and Maggie turned up to Pepper. "Is Uncle Tony okay?"

"Yes, I just spoke with him on the phone. He's completely unharmed," Pepper reassured Maggie before looking back up toward the door Steve had just left through. "Sam...is he going to…?"

"You know he is," Sam replied, sighing. "And she's going to tell him not to. Because it's technically illegal now, I think."

Pepper ran a hand through Maggie's hair, but Maggie wasn't sure why. "No matter what way this ends, it's not going to end well. Someone's going to get hurt."

"Yeah." Sam glanced down at Maggie. She blinked back up at him, but he looked to Pepper again. "You're right."

Maggie wondered what they were talking about.

* * *

**A/N:** Dun dun dunnnnn! Well I can say that at this point in time I think we're looking at a 3-chapter arc. _Wow._ Hope you all enjoyed! I'll have the next part up soon! =)


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